My Contributions:
User Research
Information Architecture
Product Design
Usability Testing
Prototyping
Tools:
Figma
Trello
Optimal Workshop
Maze
Stark
Timeline:
4 week Sprint (2024)
Food waste at the household level is a significant global challenge resulting in a substantial environmental impact. According to recent studies, between 30-40% of all food produced for human consumption is wasted each year.
This led my team and I to create FreshTrack, an innovative application that seeks to provide a practical, and effective way to help users minimize unnecessary waste.
Jump to:
Research
As a team we wanted to get a sense of what the current consumer’s behaviors were around food waste. We created two main research objectives; To understand how consumers keep track of their groceries and to identify pain points when keeping track of groceries to prevent waste. These objectives guided our user interview process.
User Quotes:
“I don’t have a system to prevent food waste. If I did it would be nice to be reminded about expiration dates so I knew how much longer something was good for.”
“I don't track expirations dates, I kind of just get surprised when I look at items in the moment.”
“When I throw out food it’s because I forgot about
it - especially with produce”
“I forget about what food is in the fridge”
Our primary discovery revealed that the majority of consumers lack an effective method for monitoring food inventory, resulting in forgotten items and subsequent waste.
Ideation
How might we empower users to track their inventory?
After synthesizing research data, our plan was to design an app that scans receipts and lists all the groceries with expiration dates, so consumers can stay on top of what's in their pantry.
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We also wanted to include a way to house grocery lists, find new recipes and an educational section where users can learn tips for reducing food waste.
So we have an idea of the features we need, but how should we organize them?
We created a sitemap to organize the layout of various features and conducted a tree test to gauge its user-friendliness.
Now we had an idea of how to organize the app, but how should it look?
Design
We conducted a usability test to discover any pain points users experienced when inputting and tracking groceries with the current design. We tested 6 participants in an unmoderated test designed with maze software.
What did we learn from our usability test?
Combine expiration date information
Users wanted expiration date information to be combined with inventory information.
Relocate Recipe feature
Users had a hard time finding the recipe page.
Define “List”
Users were unsure about the function of the list feature.
Adjustments we made:
Integrated the tracker section with the home page so that expiration information could be found whenever an item is clicked.
Moved the recipe tab to the bottom navigation bar to make it more visible to users and provide easier access.
Added detailed copy under each icon in the navigation. This provides the user with information about where they can navigate to within the app.
Design System
Our vision for the app was to emulate a clean and fresh feeling. We ensured our designs were accessible by using Stark contrast tools to align choices with W.C.A.G.
Final Prototype
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Reflection
I found that conducting tree test’s and creating sitemaps provided the framework needed to create user-friendly designs. These information architecture practices combined with user research help me feel confident that I’m creating a product based on real people’s needs.
Teamwork-wise, I enjoyed the dynamic we created where we focused on clear communication, hitting deadlines, and finding that sweet spot between group collaboration and taking ownership of sections.
If I were to continue to develop this project I would research what would be the best way for users to keep their items up to date.
Special thanks to Caitlin Harris (Research & Design)
& Sara Korman (Research & Design)