Pivoting Ecofixa's Employee Engagement
My role
Product Lead - Product Strategy, Visual Design
Team
- Douglas Hetherington, Engineering Lead
- Oliver Steward, CX
- Clayton Wallwork, CEO
Timeline & status
6 Months, 2020
Overview
As Ecofixa's first product hire, I transformed our struggling carbon reduction app through rapid validation and strategic thinking. A single spreadsheet revealed our financial incentives model wasn't viable, leading to a complete pivot. Within two weeks, we launched a reimagined platform focused on engagement
When I joined Ecofixa as their first hire, I thought I was stepping into a straightforward product challenge: build an app that incentivizes employees to reduce their carbon footprint. What unfolded instead was a crash course in startup pivots, user psychology, and the power of rapid validation.
The Wake-Up Call
Our initial concept was simple—split carbon offset savings with employees at year's end. It seemed logical: people are motivated by money, right? But something felt off about our assumptions.
Instead of diving into development, I convinced our team to run the numbers first. Armed with a spreadsheet and coffee, I modeled various scenarios until a sobering reality emerged:
"In our best-case scenario, an employee who drastically changed their lifestyle would earn... $40. Annual reward for biking to work all year? $40."
That spreadsheet saved us months of building the wrong product.
The Pivot Moment
This realization sparked a complete rethinking of our approach. Drawing from my experience with user engagement, I proposed transforming our annual financial incentive into something more immediate and engaging: monthly themed challenges powered by 'Fixa' points.
We moved fast:
- Monday: Prototyped challenge mechanics
- Wednesday: Built basic points system
- Friday: Created cross-platform MVP
- Following Monday: Launched alpha test
Quick Wins
The rapid test validated our new direction. Early users shared stories that confirmed we were onto something:
"This finally gave me the push to get that electric bike. The monthly challenges made it feel achievable rather than overwhelming."
Lessons in Leading a Pivot
- Trust Your Instincts, Verify with Data When something feels off about your product assumptions, it probably is. But don't stop at gut feelings—run the numbers.
- Speed Beats Perfection We could have spent months perfecting our pivot. Instead, we shipped in two weeks and learned from real users.
- Find the Human Story What looked like a financial incentives problem was actually about making sustainability feel personal and achievable.
The Result
Within months of our pivot:
- Partnered with every major carbon zero provider in New Zealand
- Saw consistent user engagement growth
- Started receiving inbound interest from multinational corporations
Looking Back
This journey taught me that product strategy isn't just about features and metrics—it's about having the courage to question assumptions, the analytical skills to validate new directions, and the leadership to bring your team along for the ride.
Most importantly, it showed me how rapid, thoughtful product decisions can align business success with positive environmental impact. Sometimes the best strategy is simply having the courage to say, "This isn't working. Let's try something new."