Save Me Some
Spring 2023 / Personal + Class Project
A user experience ecosystem designed to help people prevent food waste in their household.
USER EXPERIENCE
USER INTERFACE
DESIGN RESEARCH
HYPOTHESIS
Preventing food waste in your own home is one of the most effective actions individuals can take to save money and lower their carbon footprint. To help households today easily reduce the amount of food waste that they produce, I have proposed a UX ecosystem that helps prevent food waste in the home by tracking: food items in the pantry and refrigerator, the food’s expiration date, the period the food has been in the household, and soon to expire items.
RESEARCH & INTEGRATION
To identify my hypothesis, I researched facts surrounding food waste in the United States. I took a good hard look at my and others’ food storage habits. I also interviewed others to document the life span of foods and the experience of the people once those foods are no longer safe to eat.
Secondary Research
To put the problem into perspective …
1/3 of all the food in the United States goes uneaten.
These resources go into a year of food loss and waste in the United States:
Greenhouse gas emissions of more than 42 coal-fired power plants.
Enough water and energy to supply more than 50 million homes.
The amount of fertilizer used in the US to grow all plant based foods for US human consumption.
An area of agricultural land equal to California and New York.
Primary Research
My personal findings …
Ecosystem Map with Touchpoints
The research, experience map, and ecosystem map all informed my organization of the information present in my application.
Experience Map
Using the data I collected, I compiled an experience map based on my and others’ actions, thoughts, emotions, and pain points while shopping for, eating, and storing food in a household.
