Timeline

1 Month

SECTOR

Food Sustainability

Design Role

UX Research, UX/UI Design

Paper

Smart Food Waste Management

Reducing Food Waste in Restaurants through Ubiquitous Computing

Project overview

Food waste poses significant economic, environmental, and social challenges globally, with restaurants accounting for a substantial portion of this waste. In the United States alone, restaurants contribute significantly to food wastage, necessitating innovative solutions to address the issue. This project proposes a technology-driven approach through the development of a mobile application to bridge the gap between restaurants with surplus food and community organizations such as food banks.

Introduction

  • Develop a user-friendly mobile application to facilitate seamless donations from restaurants to food banks.

  • Implement features for automated tracking of food waste and streamlined donation scheduling to enhance efficiency.

  • Address food waste issues in the restaurant industry while simultaneously supporting food-insecure populations in local communities.

Objectives

Process

  • Conducted in-depth interviews with restaurant workers to gain insights into food waste challenges and current practices.

Research Phase

  • Analyzed existing applications and services addressing food waste to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.

  • Utilized affinity mapping and user flow visualization techniques to synthesize data and identify key pain points and user needs.

  • Created comprehensive user flows for both restaurant and food bank users, ensuring a seamless experience throughout the donation process.

Design Phase

  • Designed intuitive and visually appealing interfaces for the mobile application, prioritizing ease of use and accessibility.

  • Incorporated essential features such as automated tracking, donation scheduling, and social sharing to enhance user engagement and efficiency.

  • Developed a high-fidelity digital prototype of the mobile application, integrating user feedback and design principles.

Prototype Development

  • Implemented advanced functionalities to connect restaurants with food banks seamlessly, leveraging ubiquitous computing technologies.

  • Conducted rigorous usability testing with representative users to evaluate the prototype's effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.

Testing and Iteration

  • Iterated on the design based on user feedback, focusing on enhancing usability, addressing pain points, and refining features.

  • Ensured thorough documentation of the entire design and development process for future reference and continuous improvement.

Results

  • Successfully designed a mobile application wireframe prototype that effectively addresses food waste challenges in the restaurant industry.

  • Implemented innovative features for automated tracking, donation scheduling, and social sharing, enhancing user experience and engagement.

  • Received positive feedback from usability testing, with users praising the app's intuitiveness, efficiency, and potential impact on reducing food waste.

  • Identified opportunities for future enhancements, including additional features, integration with emerging technologies, and collaboration with stakeholders to address food safety concerns.

Conclusion

The project exemplifies a human-centered approach to addressing complex societal challenges, leveraging technology to drive positive change. By empowering restaurants to donate surplus food efficiently and supporting food-insecure populations, the mobile application offers a scalable and sustainable solution to reducing food waste and fostering community resilience

Future Work

  • Explore opportunities for further innovation and refinement, including the integration of emerging technologies such as AI and IoT to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

  • Collaborate with food banks, NGOs, and governmental organizations to address regulatory and food safety concerns and optimize donation processes.

  • Continuously gather user feedback and iterate on the application to ensure ongoing usability, relevance, and impact.

  • Scale the solution globally, leveraging partnerships and collaborations to maximize reach and effectiveness in addressing food waste and food insecurity on a larger scale.

Restaurant Users Flow

Food Bank Users Flow

Paper

Restaurant & Food Bank User Flow Model –

Full Link

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