Kai
Facilitating food coordination between businesses and nonprofits.
Industry
Sustainability
Team
Self-directed
Role
UX Researcher
UX/UI Designer
Duration
8 weeks
Background
In the United States, 80 million tons of food is wasted every year
This amount equates to 149 billion meals. At the same time, nearly 13% of American households are food insecure. This statistic sparks the question: if so many people are struggling with hunger, why is so much food being wasted?
Solution
I designed an app that connects businesses and nonprofits to coordinate the facilitation of surplus food.
Kai is concerned about the environmental, economical, and societal impacts of food waste and they want to create an easy-to-use-app that facilitates food donations. Their goal is to bridge the gap between food waste and food insecurity.
Understanding the Issue
Research Goals
I deconstructed the problem into tangible subproblems
Upon establishing the challenge, I was cognizant of its complexities. Therefore, I deconstructed the problem into tangible subproblems, which I tackled by establishing research goals. I defined different research methodologies to collect data on each facet of the prompt in order to answer the research goals.
The what, where, when and why of executive dysfunction
Secondary Research + User Interviews
What tools and methods support executive functioning?
Secondary Research + Competitive Analysis
What is the cognitive process of executive functioning?
Secondary Research + User Interviews
Preliminary research
Businesses in New York are some of the largest contributors to food waste
Food waste is a massive problem that occurs at every stage of the supply chain, and the reasons behind it vary from location to location. Because of this, I needed to focus on a specific location and audience.
As a native New Yorker, I often see perfectly edible food being thrown away. I started with some secondary research, drawing from articles for insight and learned that New York is responsible for the 18% of the country's food waste, and businesses like restaurants, supermarkets, and food service companies are some of the biggest culprits, tossing out roughly 170,000 tons of perfectly good food every year. For this reason, I decided to focus on businesses in New York, since they have the potential to make a significant dent in waste reduction efforts.
Secondary research
Transportation and liability concerns were the two major barriers for businesses
In a research survey from the FWRA, it was revealed revealed that the two main obstacles to food donation in the restaurant industry were:
Transporting food is a complex process
Transporting food is not as simple as just moving the food from one location to another. It can be a complex process with many nuances to consider, such as keeping donations in food-safe temperatures, costs of fuel and labor, and ensuring that the necessary transportation infrastructure is available. I came to understand that transportation was a crucial aspect of food donation that needed to be addressed in our app.
Businesses fear the risk of getting sued
In today's litigious society, it's understandable that liability is a major concern for them. Many business owners express fear regarding liability issues, especially when it comes to serving food that may be considered "old." Fortunately, the government offers incentives for businesses to donate food, which include liability protection and enhanced tax deductions. To be eligible for these incentives, donations must be made to qualified 501(c)(3) organizations.
Interviews
I had conversations with people in the industry to understand their perspectives
To understand why food waste was such a big problem for businesses, I needed to dive into the challenges faced by folks in charge. Initially, I tried cold-calling restaurants, but that approach was met with a lot of skepticism.
This led me to tap into my personal network of friends and family within this industry and my interviews turned into six deep conversations. Participants included restaurant owners, managers, chefs, and even a farmer, giving me a wide range of insights.
People don’t know where to donate their surplus
Many interviewees cited struggling to find suitable places to donate their surplus food. Food banks typically have lists of items they cannot accept, such as hot foods, seafood, or desserts. These restrictions create obstacles for businesses looking to donate.
“I’ve tried to donate in the past, but they turned us away because they didn’t want bagels."
- Bagel store owner
People need rewards to warrant a change in their habits
In most scenarios, the restaurant atmosphere is chaotic and staff are handling numerous tasks simultaneously. Participants usually resort to habits that are efficient, but are open to alternatives if the benefits outweigh the efficiency.
“At end-of-day, if we have extra pastries, we give it to anyone who comes in because more often than not they turn into returning customers.”
- Café owner
Defining the findings
Design Principles
I defined four key pillars that would guide my design approach
Discoverability
Create seamless experience by connecting donors with the right recipients.
Rewarding
Incorporate incentives to encourage donation over other diversion habits.
Accessibility
Ensure the app is user-friendly and accessible to all, including those facing transportation barriers.
Speed
Donors should be empowered to make quick donations with as little distractions as possible.
Designing the Platform
Discoverability
Match businesses with the right recipients
By harnessing the power of technology, we can match businesses with the right recipients and to ensure surplus food finds its way to those who need it. This approach relieves users of the responsibility to actively search for recipients and helps to streamline the donation process.
Add item
Adding multiple entries is made easier with an "add item" button
This button allows users to input multiple food items for the same pickup time without having to re-enter pickup details repeatedly, saving them time and effort.
Scan and autofill
Automate tedious entries with scanning and autofill
The user can scan a barcode to automatically retrieve product details and populate specific fields in the listing. This includes the product name, category, and allergens. This convenient feature saves users time and effort, eliminating the need for manual input of this information.
Iterations and Final Designs
Usability Testing
I tested the prototype on five participants
I designed interactive prototypes of the flow and needed to test them on potential users to make sure that the design is usable. I asked each participant to go through four major flows:
Onboarding
Register your business.
Track Donation
Track donation and get receipt.
Donation Entry
List items and pickup details.
Auto-entry
List item through scanner.
Finding #1
There was a disconnection between the "servings" and "serving size" inputs
Original Design: Users expressed confusion during the "servings" and "servings size" because the inputs appeared as separate information resulting in a disjointed experience.
Iteration: I combined these two inputs into a single field and used progressive disclosure to reveal the serving size. This approach enhances the logical flow of information and ensures that users grasp the direct correlation between the inputs more clearly.
Original design
Iteration
Branding
I aimed for a design that struck a balance between simple yet easily recognizable
The result became a heart-shaped apple symbol which conveys the charitable act of donating. The apple also serves a dual purpose, representing food and the city’s nickname, 'The Big Apple.' This dual symbolism not only communicates the brand's altruistic mission but also establishes a unique connection with the community.
Style Guide
I created a style guide for a cohesive design
I designed key elements that are essential for maintaining consistency and usability, such as color palette, typography, basic layout components, and interactive elements.
Reflection
What I've Learned
This project has been a journey, filled with challenges, valuable insights and lessons that have shaped my approach as a UX designer. Here are some reflections from my experience that I look forward to applying in future projects:
Focus on the MVP
Because food waste is such a large issue that occurs on all levels of the food supply chain, there was an opportunity for improvement everywhere. As I delved deeper into the food waste problem, I discovered so many insights I wanted to tackle, but needed to be strategic about which ones to focus on to keep a healthy deadline. So, with guidance from my mentor, I refocused on my target audience and prioritized features that would make the greatest impact.
If I had more time…
Integrate surplus tracking for donors and recipients
During my research, I came across a significant challenge that numerous companies face: accurately measuring and tracking food waste. This presented a promising opportunity to help organizations reduce waste. While I would have liked to integrate a feature that automatically logs donations into a surplus, I decided to focus on the immediate needs of the users. However, the idea of giving users valuable insights into what food they are overspending on and where they can cut back is something to consider for future development.