The Challenge

How can we reduce overall food waste?

The Process

Through comprehensive interviews, I unearthed a common underlying issue: the need for better comprehension regarding the shelf life of various foods, both cooked leftovers and fresh ingredients, once stored in their refrigerators. I endeavored to create a user-friendly solution that allowed for an accurate and easy-to-maintain food inventory management system. Furthermore, it included timely reminders for users to consume items before they went to waste and provided suggestions on how to utilize them effectively.

When users open the application, they look to do the following tasks below (in order of importance). This information was extrapolated from a set of interviews conducted in 2023 by me.

• Browse recipes

• Look at inventory

• Restock on kitchen essentials

• Expiration dates on food

I came up with the following design based on what users needed from the application

The Solution

The final design that I came up with emphasized the users seeing recipes upon opening the application. The recipes are labeled as "ready to make" because the application suggests dishes that can be prepared using ingredients you already have on hand, particularly those items that need to be used promptly

In addition, I later realized through user insights and research, that expiration dates should also be emphasized, especially if the item only had a couple of days left on its shelf life. I utilized a color scheme for ingredients’ shelf life, red indicating items for immediate use, yellow for items to be used soon, and green for those with a longer shelf life.