Clearo
Clearo is an AI-powered email cleaner that helps people reduce digital waste by deleting unnecessary inbox clutter, visualizing CO₂ savings, and rewarding sustainable habits. Built during the UX Design-a-thon hosted by the NYU UX Club in collaboration with Manus AI, our team explored how everyday digital habits quietly contribute to environmental impact.
My role
Product Designer
Team
Darcy (Designer), Sibyl (Designer), Pheobe (Designer)
Year
Problem
Busy individuals or heavy email subscribers often have unread emails sitting in their Gmail inbox. These emails contributes to unnecessary digital waste and energy consumption.
So we asked:
How might we help people clean their inbox in a way that feels effortless, rewarding, and environmentally impactful?
Research & Insights
We surveyed 20+ young professionals and found pain points of:
Email cleaning feels tedious, time-consuming, or low-priority
Overall awareness in digital sustainability is not strong
Behavioral insight
Clean digital workspace isn’t enough motivation. People need a visible benefit and immediate reward.
We need a stronger user motivation and rewards system in order to foster a long-term cleaning habit.
User Flow
The Design
Smart AI Cleanup
Summarize your inbox, learn your habits, and automatically organize or delete emails
Impact Tracking
Visualize CO₂ savings and your digital cleanup progress
Eco Rewards
Earn discounts and rewards from shops like 2nd Street, Depop, and other sustainable lifestyle brands
A motivation and reward system that sustain long-term habit
Users declutter their inboxes —> earn rewards that encourage sustainable purchases —> more aware of their overall environmental impact —> continue using the app
Impact of Clearo
Deliverables
In less than 48 hours, we accomplished:
A survey with 20+ responses
Secondary research on digital sustainability with Manus AI
Feature Requirement Doc
A working MVP prototype
Design UI/UX of AI automation system
Reflection
This project changed how I think about digital waste. Sustainability isn’t just about physical trash, it’s also about the invisible data we store every day.
I learned how important emotional trust is when designing AI automation. People want control before convenience.
Clearo showed me how small digital decisions can accumulate into real environmental impact, and how design can make that visible.
What's next for Clearo
Our next step is to move beyond the prototype stage and conduct usability testing to understand how users interact with Clearo. This will help us identify which parts of the design need improvement and ensure the experience is intuitive and effective. We also plan to expand Clearo beyond emails to help users manage other areas like photos and files. We also plan to partner with AI companies, like Manus AI, in the reward systems to help motivate users to maintain sustainable digital habits.