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Health in Habitat

We led a citizen science project for the European Centre for Environment and Human Health.

Overview

Connecting people, nature and wellbeing through citizen science.

Health in Habitat was a collaborative project with the European Centre for Environment and Human Health (ECEHH), exploring how everyday experiences of nature affect health and wellbeing.

The project set out to test how digital tools could enable people to become citizen scientists - capturing real-time data about their interactions with natural environments while also helping them reflect on their own wellbeing.

Working closely with environmental health researchers, we designed and prototyped a mobile-first digital platform that balanced scientific rigour with an engaging, human-centred experience.

Overview

The challenge

Capturing everyday experiences of nature at scale.

ECEHH researchers wanted to better understand the relationship between environmental exposure and wellbeing - not just through controlled studies, but through people’s daily lives.

Traditional research methods struggled to capture this complexity. They were often time-intensive, limited in scale and disconnected from the moments when people were actually spending time outdoors.

The challenge was to create a tool that:

  • Enabled large-scale data collection in real-world settings.
  • Was simple and rewarding enough to encourage ongoing participation.
  • Generated meaningful research data without burdening users.

The challenge

Our approach

Co-designing a research tool with people at its heart.

We worked collaboratively with ECEHH researchers and partners through a series of co-discovery workshops to shape both the research model and the digital experience.

Using a design-led methodology, we:

  • Translated academic research requirements into a clear, accessible user journey.
  • Designed a citizen science workflow suitable for everyday use.
  • Developed and tested a mobile-first prototype with the University of Exeter.
  • Explored how digital engagement could support long-term participation and data quality.

This approach ensured the platform worked for both researchers and participants, aligning scientific value with human motivation.

Our approach

Key insights

Turning research goals into a usable digital experience.

The Health in Habitat prototype enabled participants to actively contribute to research by recording:

  • Time spent outdoors and location data.
  • Activities undertaken in natural environments.
  • Environmental features and landscape characteristics.
  • Personal perceptions of the space.
  • Self-reported wellbeing measures such as happiness, relaxation and alertness.
  • Photos of visited locations.
  • Favourite or frequently used natural spaces.

In return, users could view their own patterns over time - identifying places and activities that positively influenced their wellbeing. This dual value exchange helped make participation meaningful, not just extractive.

Wireframes and user flows focused on:

  • Clear onboarding and consent.
  • Short, regular wellbeing check-ins.
  • Simple location and landscape capture.
  • Personal dashboards showing activity and wellbeing trends.

Key insights

Outcomes and impacts

Evidence for nature-based wellbeing and future research.

Prototype testing demonstrated measurable positive effects on participants’ wellbeing when engaging with natural environments.

The project showed how digital citizen science platforms can:

  • Increase public engagement with environmental health research.
  • Empower individuals to reflect on their own wellbeing.
  • Generate rich, large-scale behavioural and environmental datasets.
  • Inform future public health and environmental policy.
  • Support the development of nature-based wellbeing interventions.

Health in Habitat also demonstrated the power of interdisciplinary collaboration - laying the groundwork for future platforms that connect environmental stewardship, public health and citizen participation.

Outcomes and impacts

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