Re-Purpose: Solution for Household Food Waste

Team

Thu Tran
Caleb Race
Michal Lyons

Timeline

Sep - Dec 2024

Description

"Re-Purpose," an innovative app designed to revolutionize meal planning and combat food waste in large households. Through our case study, we hope readers will gain a deeper understanding of the challenges surrounding food waste and the  benefits of leveraging technology to create positive change in everyday life.

1. Empathize

Problem Statement
In the United States, food waste is estimated at between 30%–40% of the food supply.
About 96% of households food waste was in landfills, combusted, or sent into the sewers.
Food waste is a global issue that occurs at various stages of the food supply chain.
In this project, we aimed to create ways to reduce food waste of produce within residential spaces through composting methods. This is for households while considering retailers, keeping in mind that grocery and retail create additional factors to residential food waste. We aimed to create a better habit for people when engaging in produce consumption. 
Interviews
Speaking with 5 member's from each household, we realized that many shoppers make unplanned purchases, often without a clear understanding of the problems associated with food waste, but there is a desire to reduce the environmental impact of wasted food.

" ...try to be respectful of the planet ​because we got to share it. "

" It’s just going to go back to the ground anyway. "

" I go to market this week and have my shopping list in my head. Then I go to the food section and think what should I eat this week? "

" I always rush in and out of the store after my shift, I have to get my kids and get groceries for dinner within thirty minutes most days. "

Survey and Data
We've distributed a survey regarding shopping and composting habits to 17 households. We aim to gather insights into their routines and practices in these areas to better understand consumer behavior and environmental consciousness within our community.

2. Define

Personas
Through interviews and surveys, we crafted two personas focusing on distinct aspects of daily life. One persona delves into household composting challenges, shedding light on pain points and opportunities for improvement in waste management. The other persona explores shopping and food consumption habits, revealing insights that inform strategies for enhancing sustainability and efficiency in these areas. By creating these personas, we gain valuable insights into the diverse needs and pain points of our target audience, enabling us to tailor our solutions effectively.

3. Ideate

Insights
We focused on bringing parts of all these patterns together because they were already inherently intertwined. They intersect in how people’s lack of education and understanding of composting leads to them not knowing how to deal with food waste, which is generated through their shopping and consuming habits.
How Might We Statement

How might we help Maria, Dana, Johnathon, and their families to plan their groceries and spread education and awareness about composting, taking the food they consume and their eating habits into account?

4. Prototype

Food Tracking App + Smart Compost Bin Concept

Re-Purpose:Our app combines convenience and sustainability, helping families track food, manage waste, and reduce their environmental impact. With meal planning, nutrition tracking, and smart bin control for compost and trash, it simplifies household routines. Plus, users earn reward points for composting, adding an incentive for sustainable choices.

App Functions:

  • App tracks food comsunption throughout the week
  • Create produce and see if you need to compost
  • Go to local compost bin and use point system
  • Coupon rewards based on amount of food compost
Bin Integration
  • A scannable qr code for the app on the side or top
  • Scannable downloads app
  • There could be another scan code on a different part to give basic compost information, and then further/deeper information found in the app
  • The app could activate the compost breakdown.
  • The compost split could have a mechanical part that breaks down the compost.
Screen
Home Page

Additionally, it provides a convenient overview of meals planned for the week, aiding in meal preparation and grocery shopping.

Users can also stay informed with updates from their smart compost bin, fostering sustainability and environmental consciousness within the home ecosystem.

The home page serves as the central hub for users to manage their household efficiently. Primarily, it notifies users of impending grocery expiration dates, ensuring freshness and minimizing waste.

Reminder Page

The reminder page simplifies household management by presenting users with a clear and concise overview of expiration dates for their purchased produce. With easy-to-read estimates, users can quickly identify items nearing expiration and plan accordingly, reducing food waste and ensuring freshness in their kitchen.

Meal Planning Page

Family members utilizing the Planning page can individually contribute their preferred food items to a collective list. This feature offers a diverse array of product choices, which in turn generates suggested meal options tailored to their unique tastes and preferences.

Meal Suggestion

Upon selecting the "create your meal plan" button, the application seamlessly navigates users to a curated selection of meal recipes. These suggestions are personalized to accommodate the preferences of individual family members and the food items they have previously inputted. Additionally, a search functionality is available, allowing users to explore and discover recipes according to their specific culinary preferences.

Smart Compost Pin Page

By going to the reward button from the navigation bar, users are directed to an interface displaying comprehensive insights into their Wi-Fi-connected smart bin. This page provides real-time data on the quantity of composted food and the current fill percentage of the bin. Upon reaching designated compost thresholds, users are gratified with coupons redeemable at local markets, serving as incentives for sustainable waste management practices.

Full Prototype

5. Test

We've decided to test our app with individuals we've interviewed, specifically targeting those with large families. This group offers valuable insights into how our app functions within the dynamics of larger households. By observing their experiences and feedback, we aim to ensure that our app meets the diverse needs of families of varying sizes.

Test Feedback
Positive:
  • Users quickly found and were excited about the rewards system, showing a strong interest in incentives linked to their consumption habits.
  • The app’s seamless connection to the smart bin impressed users, who valued the innovative rewards for waste reduction.
  • All users showed strong intent to integrate the app into their routines, seeing its potential for streamlining shopping, meal planning, and food tracking to reduce waste.
Negative:
  • One user suggested a preference for a navigation sidebar rather than the bottom navigation, indicating potential usability improvements.
  • Despite overall positive reception, it's important to note that no feedback was provided on specific areas for improvement or additional features desired, which may suggest a lack of detailed feedback on potential enhancements.
Reflection and Next Step

Based on the feedback gathered from user testing, it's encouraging to see that the majority of participants demonstrated a clear understanding of the app's features and expressed genuine interest in its functionality. The positive response to the food planner's ability to aid meal planning and reduce food waste highlights its potential value in users' daily lives. After testing, we can change based on the feedback and keep testing to see further result.