PonoPoints

Our Goal

Our team was tasked with developing a solution to the following challenge:
High numbers of outdoor recreationalists are behaving in ways that are socially unacceptable and/or damaging to the environment. We want to change the way people interact with the Hawaiian environment and local culture by developing a campaign to educate, reward, and motivate people to make pono choices. This change in behavior will improve community interactions and foster an ethic of aloha aina in alignment with host culture values.

This challenge seeks to educate people about:

• Local customs (saying hello when you arrive, respecting private property, asking for permission before entering or using someone’s property)
• Sensitive Hawaiian environments (endangered wildlife, coral reefs, erosion, rapid ohia death)
• Leave no trace ethics (pick up trash, contained camp fires)
• Safety (hike/float plan, carry water/snacks/phone, let someone know where you are going, keeping dogs on leash, going on sanctioned trails),
• Neighborhood sensitivities (being quiet next to houses, parking legally, not flying drones in restricted areas)

by letting them know what these things are, rewarding good choices by allotting points that can be redeemed for products and services at local businesses and DLNR facilities, and using social pressure and game reward features to highlight high earners and compel people to participate.

Our Product

Our solution, PonoPoints, is a web application that aims to help educate the public about Hawaii’s local culture and very special environment. Our application encourages visitors, residents, local businesses and organizations to share how their interactions and choices impact Hawaii’s unique and limited natural, cultural and historic resources. The application allows users to login, create a profile, and add submissions describing how they demonstrate responsible and pono choices for which they can earn pono points upon admin approval. These points can then be redeemed for products and services at local businesses and DLNR facilities. Local business and organization accounts have additional capabilities such as posting rewards and challenges and closing reward tickets.

Home Page

Main Takeaways

I contributed to the frontend and backend development of PonoPoints, working with the applications’s user interface and database. I learned a lot from participating in HACC and found the workshops extremely valuable. Applying requirements gathering methods helped us prioritize tasks and understand how to design an app that meets the needs of the users. I also learned about new tools and technologies such as chatbots, implementing security and privacy, the different types of pitches and the importance of properly presenting a product.

You can learn more about PonoPoints by visiting our deployed application.