Eco-Eaters, 2021
A user-centered problem solving design project aiming to tackle food waste in restaurants and small businesses.
Food waste is growing in the United States with over 40% of food being produced going to waste. Food wastage and improperly managed food supply occurs in every step of food production, from farming to the plating, and it greatly impacts profits and the environment. The focus of this project is to reduce food waste in the food industry, including restaurants, cafes, bars, and more.
My role —
ux researcher + ux designer + team member
User design & research
Prototyping
Designer
Timeline —
May - Jul 2021 (3 months)
Controlling food waste is challenging as it occurs in every step of the food service process and current food management practices lack intuitive tools to inform and motivate action against it.
Food waste occurs at every step of the food production process, from inventory to guest tables. Inadequate inventory management and improper food storage help contribute to food wastage before it is even prepared such as overly large portions, kitchen or employee mistakes, confusing menus, and ordering food software.
Food waste directly equates with money wasted for food businesses. Especially for smaller businesses, saving money through reducing food waste directly impacts profits. Reducing food waste results in maximizing usage of ingredients.
Food waste poses a great environmental threat. Every step of the food production process involves resources and energy being used. Overproduction and food waste leads to resources and energy wasted as well as a build up of greenhouse gases, contributing to the global warming crisis.
We conducted observations, surveys, and interviews with stakeholders, restaurant owners, managers, and workers to better understand food production practices and how food waste is managed. These insights helped us develop user personas, task analyses, and usage scenarios, which in turn shaped our usability goals, design requirements, and defined the problem space for our solution.
Stakeholders are largely unaware of food waste and lack sufficient training in reducing food waste.
There is a lack of software and/or technology systems for taking food inventory.
There is a lack of working policies in the food business to address food waste.
Not having enought traffic to the restaurants to consume the food helps contribute to the food waste.
Once we formally defined our problem space, outlined our requirements, and clarified our usability goals, we began exploring potential prototype ideas. Our initial concepts included a napkin holder infographic, a software-based inventory system, and a clean plate card. After evaluating these options, we ultimately chose to pivot toward a new prototype that takes concepts from each of the original designs into a more cohesive and impactful solution.
Click through the slides to view more.Design a prototype solution that informs and icentivizes customers regarding food waste effectively.
As we've honed in on the specific areas of the foodservice industry we aim to impact, we've chosen to focus our efforts on a single high-fidelity prototype. This decision stems from our belief that this particular solution best aligns with our usability objectives and core requirements.
We've selected a placemat menu prototype as it is a universally present item in restaurants. Its visibility and familiarity make it an ideal medium for engaging users and communicating food waste management strategies effectively.The placemat menu excels in meeting our usability goals due to several key advantages: accessibility, speed of implementaion, flexibility, transparency, cost-effectiveness.
The core objectives of this prototype are:
To educate users on practical methods for reducing and preventing food waste.
To motivate action through incentives and rewards
To help users visualize portion sizes before ordering, promoting mindful consumption.
Please select the full screen button on the top right of frame to fully experience the prototype.
Click through the slides to view more.
This project, I learned the importance of having adaptability, the ability to respond effectively to feedback, challenges, and shifting goals; and flexibility, the willingness to change direction and being open to alternatives. These skills were best demonstrated when we, after recognizing limitations in our initial prototype design, pivoted to a more versatile placemat menu that better aligned with both usability and accessibility goals. This experience not only strengthened my ability to navigate change but also reinforced the value of staying responsive, open-minded, and user-focused throughout the design process.
Empathy was the key in guiding both our research and design decisions. By engaging directly with restaurant staff, managers, and stakeholders through interviews, surveys, and observations, we gained a deeper understanding of their daily challenges and perspectives on food waste. These insights allowed us to design a solution that addressed practical needs and respected the lived experiences of those in foodservice. Our pivot to a placemat menu prototype reflected this empathy in action, such as responding to user feedback, prioritizing accessibility, and creating a solution that seamlessly fits into the dining experience while promoting meaningful change.