Project Overview
Problem Statement
Addressing the high amount of leftover food at local restaurants while providing a way
to give back to underserved communities.
According to the United Department of Agriculture, over 133 billion pounds of food waste is generated in America every year (USDA). The United States is one of the top food waste-producing countries, yet food insecurity remains a consistent issue in the country. In 2019, an estimated 35 million Americans were affected by food insecurity. More so, due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, over 42 million people may be experiencing food insecurity, including a potential 13 million children (Feeding America, 2020). Is hunger in America an issue of quantity, or distribution?
We believe we can address the issue of overproduction of food in relation to food loss, and the issue of food insecurity in America by changing the way we interact with members of our communities and local organizations, and the current practice of disposing of usable food to an act of gratitude and opportunity to help out one’s friends, family, and neighbors. By connecting restaurants, bakeries, markets, and other food establishments with local nonprofits, after-school programs, women’s and children’s shelters, and more, excess food can be distributed to groups that are vulnerable to the effects of food insecurity, that would otherwise be thrown out and contributed to the ongoing food waste problem.
​
In this four-month-long project, our team (Kathryn Thompson, Malana Chan, and Natalie Sangakalo) used a series of research and design methods to develop a solution to this pressing crisis. These methods include exploratory research, persona, and scenario building, storyboarding, user flow journeys, sketching and prototyping designs, low-fidelity wireframing, and the evaluation and critique of designs to produce an interactive high-fidelity prototype.
Research Phase
Literati Bookstore’s primary target audience consists of retirees and young professionals that seek the unique and personal experience a local, independent bookshop like Literati provides. As stated by the client, the primary complaint about the website is that it doesn’t reflect the memorable and captivating environment that customers obtain by visiting the store in person. Since its original development in 2013, the website has expanded in inefficient ways that disrupt the structure and flow of the website resulting in a difficult-to-navigate site that evokes a negative user experience for users engaging in processes like purchasing a book online, especially on mobile devices.
​
​
To guide our research and designs processes, we kept the following questions in mind:​​
-
How can we best connect restaurants and community members?
-
What other anti-food waste platforms are out there?
-
How do we create the motivation to donate leftover food, instead of implying throwing it out?
Competitive Analysis Findings
To learn more about the problem space, we conducted a competitive analysis of other online platforms whose mission is to address food waste. These platforms included Too Good to Go, Olio, Food for All, and YourLocal.
These platforms were evaluated on their mission, audience profile, cost and delivery methods, scope of service, benefits/ incentives to use, limitations, and general pros/cons.
Main Takeaways
After researching existing anti-food waste platforms, it was interesting to see that several platforms currently exist,
but most still require some form of payment which gives the perception that the business's needs are being prioritized as opposed to community members. Our platform aims to change this interaction to be an act of gratitude towards community members, especially individuals that currently can't participate in existing platforms because of technological limitations. Moving forward, we will have to look into the perspective of restaurant owners and how current interactions between them and customers, (selling discounted food without having to coordinate delivery/pick-up), may impact their likeliness to participate in a platform that addresses food waste but does not directly cover financial loss from it. Lastly, considering an option for offering free, surplus meals to individuals from restaurants directly may also be something to look into. ​
Interview Findings
Our team identified our target users as food industry workers, restaurant owners or managers, and as nonprofit staff workers. My role was to conduct interviews with individuals in the food industry. The first interviewee (Interviewee 1) is a team manager at Panera Bread, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Interviewee 1 has been working there for about two and a half years. The second interviewee (Interviewee 2) is a local restaurant manager in Pontiac, Michigan, called Fillmore 13. Their restaurant opened in 2017 and has stayed at the same location since. A part of the movement to bring growth to downtown Pontiac, the Fillmore 13 has hosted charitable events and community events such as comedy nights, one-man bands, and other fundraising dinners. Below are the main takeaways I gathered from the two interviews I conducted, along with my partner's interview data as well.
-
Interest and Attitudes towards Community Involvement
-
Restaurants have a positive view of community involvement and are open to participating in food donation initiatives.
-
Efforts such as collaborating with local causes and donating profits demonstrate their commitment to giving back.
-
​​
-
Variability of Surplus Food
-
The expected surplus food can vary depending on factors like the season and sales consistency.
-
While some periods may result in significant amounts of leftover food, other times may have limited excess.
-
​
-
Challenges with the Closing Process​
-
​The closing process in restaurants can be time-consuming, and often handled by a limited number of staff.
-
Adding additional tasks, such as food donation, may pose challenges, especially during closing shifts.
-
​
-
​Considerations for COVID-19 Guidelines:
-
The platform needs to ensure compliance with COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.
-
The impact of the pandemic on restaurant operations and staff availability should be taken into account.
-
​
-
Reasons for Non-Participation
-
Restaurants may have reasons for not participating, such as understaffing issues or insufficient surplus food.
-
Understanding these concerns can help address potential barriers to engagement.
-
​
-
Variability in Activity and Donation Availability
-
The platform's activity and the availability of surplus food may fluctuate, leading to variations in donations to target communities or organizations.
-
Managing expectations and communication regarding donation frequency could be important.
-
​
-
Types of Surplus Food
-
Cooked meals are less likely to be available for donation, but items like pastries, bread, and fresh produce are often unused and suitable for donation.
-
Expanding the target audience to include other food establishments that consistently prepare immediate-order items may increase donation potential.
-
​
-
Scheduling and Planned Donations
-
Including a "scheduling" feature could facilitate planned meal donations to local community organizations.
-
This feature could be particularly relevant for local businesses that may have specific schedules for meal preparation and donation.
-
User Personas & Scenarios
After the team conducted user interviews, we analyzed the thoughts and opinions from this data to identify archetypes representing their target audience. They created personas for a shelter worker, a restaurant employee on the closing shift, an MDining employee on the closing shift, and an employee at a low-waste restaurant. The latter two personas were categorized as secondary users, requiring different treatments. The shelter worker and the restaurant employee on the closing shift were identified as the primary personas, representing the target audience. Their needs and behaviors were the primary consideration during the design process. The team aimed to incorporate a variety of motivations and skill levels within the personas to cover a wide range of potential users. This allowed them to consider different user interactions and demographics for inspiration. Developing personas helped the team maintain empathy for their target users and ensured that user perspectives were considered throughout the design process. It helped the team understand potential sticking points, such as technological constraints for less experienced users.
Example of a Non-Profit Shelter Employee Persona
Scenario 1
As the external engagement and outreach coordinator of her town, Jennifer is looking to reach out to local businesses to plan a donation event for the fall. A colleague has told her about a new platform that connects restaurants and food establishments in her area to nonprofits accepting donations in the form of meals. She searches for the name of the platform on Google and clicks on the first link. It opens the website up in her browser and she proceeds to create an account for a profile for the homeless shelter she works for. After completing the sign-up process, she sees there are a number of local restaurants with profiles already established. After scrolling through the different accounts, she chooses to send an outreach message to the family-owned restaurant, “Giovanni’s.” In the meantime, she sees that a local cafe and bakery, “Avalon Cafe”, is offering a bag of bagels and baked goods for pick up at the end of the day. She excitedly clicks on the offer and messages the store that she will be there to pick them up at the end of the day. After a few hours, the owner of the restaurant responds saying that he and his staff would love to set up a day to package and donate sandwiches and subs to donate to the homeless shelter.
Research Takeaway
Through research, interviews, and personas, we gained valuable insights for our anti-food waste platform. Restaurants showed interest in community involvement, but surplus food amounts can vary, and the closing process can be time-consuming. We also identified the need to address COVID-19 health and safety guidelines and potential reasons why restaurants may not participate, such as understaffing or insufficient surplus food. Existing platforms often prioritize business needs over community members, so our platform aims to change this dynamic and promote gratitude towards recipients. We should consider the financial impact on restaurant owners and explore options for offering free surplus meals directly to individuals. By managing variability, understanding restaurant perspectives, and addressing operational challenges, we can create an effective platform that fosters community involvement and reduces food waste.
Design Planning
Based on the research findings and observations, it was time for our team o begin exploring our design solutions. To do this, we developed sketches and storyboards to envision how we see the product being used. From there, we went through the process of developing low, mid, and high-fidelity prototypes. Choosing this design process allowed us to
Sketches & Storyboards
As a team, we drew several sketches and storyboards representing situations in which our application would be accessed and used. Shown below is an example of a nonprofit worker finding an offer, selecting ad messaging the donor, and completing the transaction. This allows us to consider user feelings and priorities along each step of the way, and what we need to consider in our design solution.
User Flow Mapping
Since our platform included two different user groups, with varying needs from the platform, we developed a user flow map to visualize what those possibilities look like. This allowed us to identify dependencies and interactions between different screens, features, or functionality. It also served as a common point of reference for our team, moving into the wireframing stage.
Wireframing & Prototyping
With our user flow established, it was time to begin designing! We went through an iterative process of developing low, mid, and high-fidelity prototypes. Choosing this design process allowed us to refine the user interface, test, and iterate on design ideas, and gather feedback from stakeholders and potential users at a relatively early stage of the design process. It allowed for the exploration and validation of key design decisions before investing significant time and resources into high-fidelity prototyping and development.
Low-Fidelity Prototyping
Before investing any time in developing digital creations, we created a paper prototype to serve as a low-fidelity prototype. This allowed us to plan out how many screens we would need to develop and experiment with different user-interface designs to determine what layout would work most effectively for our users. Before moving any further, we each conducted a usability inspection of the platform to uncover flaws in the app's functionality. What we found was that users could be unsure of the next steps, commonly used features were not easily accessible, and parts of the interface were oversimplified. Improvements will be made by providing clearer instructions, enhancing feature visibility, and adding more details to the interface moving into mid-fi wireframes.
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
Next, we designed some initial screens at a mid-fidelity level of our main functionalities, including account creation, browsing, and messaging features. They helped provide a clearer picture of the layout, content, and functionality of the app without getting into the fine details of visual aesthetics.
High-Fidelity Wireframes
With our high-fidelity prototype, we present a mobile iOS application called Food for Thought. Tasks that users can perform include creating accounts and profiles, connecting with local restaurants and nonprofits, browsing offers, and messaging partner organizations, which enable users to foster connections in their community. The app is meant to streamline the donation process and ensure any surplus food makes it to where it is needed most.
User Testing Phase
With our high-fidelity prototype created, our next step was to conduct usability testing with participants. During the usability test, a few usability issues were identified in the Food for Thought app. Users found the wording and phrasing confusing, and some icons were unclear. The claim process was also cumbersome, leading to incomplete offers and user confusion. Overall, users responded positively to the concept of the app, but provided feedback on cosmetic improvements and highlighting important information. To address these issues, we will incorporate clearer descriptions, adjust graphics and icons, and provide upfront details such as quantity and pick-up time. We will also reorganize screens to prioritize essential information and improve the overall user experience. The feedback and identified defects will inform the updates in the next iteration of the digital prototype.
Usability Logs
Key Features & Solutions
Different Accounts Types based on Roles
The design flow begins with the Food for Thought login page, which provides a swipeable description of the service and its mission, as well as buttons to create an account, sign in, and recover a forgotten password. The user is asked if they represent a donor organization or a nonprofit, accompanied by a brief description of both. It then moves through the account creation, prompting the user to add the logo, name, address, email, and website of their organization with an optional about us section for the company’s mission statement and links to the organization’s social media.
.png)
Browsing Offers and Viewing Details
Once on the homepage, the user may browse recent offers in their area by clicking View All Offers or the Offers button to expand the list of offers shown or view the messaging functionality by clicking the text box in the upper left corner of the screen. The user then has the option to expand and minimize a map that logs the location of each organization offering donations in their area, as well as favorite certain offers by clicking the bookmark icon on the upper right corner of the offer card. Once the user chooses an offer, they can click on the offer card to learn more information, including the allergy details, pick-up instructions, and location of the store. The user can then click the organization’s profile to learn more about its ratings, tags, mission statement, and employees, the claim button to reserve the donation, or the message button to get in contact with the users associated with that account, splitting the flow into three avenues. From the profile, users can click the back arrow to exit back to the offer description page, claim to reserve the donation, or message to get in contact with the users on that account.
Messaging Collaborators and Claiming Offers
From the claim button, pickup details are reiterated, and the user is able to either proceed to the homepage or cancel the offer in the event of an error. From the message button, the user is brought to a direct messaging functionality that allows them to send messages and call the organization they are attempting to contact. From the messaging functionality, the user is able to view the organization’s offers and profile and exit back to the previous screen. Once the user has returned to the homepage, they are offered the same functionality as the initial homepage with the addition of a Confirm Pick-up button that allows the user to confirm with the application when they have completed the donation.
Rating
Once the donation has been confirmed, the user is prompted to rate the partner organization or cancel their confirmation in case of an error. When reviewing the organization, the user is asked to rate the organization out of five stars, add premade tags about their experience and leave optional comments. The user may then submit their rating or cancel their confirmation, which will take them back to the application’s homepage with their connection with the organization confirmed. this is to add social accountability and prevent no-show pick-ups and as a way to show appreciation to the donor.
Impact Value
The Food for Thought app empowers local food establishments to support underserved community members and combat the pervasive issues of food waste and insecurity. By facilitating direct engagement between individuals in the food industry and nonprofit sector, the app enables the effective distribution of excess food to those in need. Participating restaurant owners, managers, and professionals can make a positive impact on their community while practicing environmental consciousness and promoting their reputation as contributors to community well-being. This fosters a stronger sense of community support, particularly during challenging times like COVID-19, and instills a sense of pride in third-party drivers and deliverers who actively contribute to reducing food waste and insecurity in their neighborhoods.
Potential Negative Consequences & Ethical Considerations
An ethical consideration in our platform was that members of underserved communities may face barriers to technology access, preventing them from participating in current food donation applications. For instance, while researching other food donation applications, we found that many exist, but can only be discovered and used through a smartphone device. In addition, another ethical consideration was that individuals may not have transportation access to personally pick up meal donations.
To ensure that underserved community members have a fair opportunity to benefit from the Food for Thought platform, we require users to be affiliated with non-profit organizations if they wish to pick up food offers. Similarly, non-profit workers will be responsible for picking up the meals they wish to give to their community unless further discussed with the donor. This ensures that excess food can be given to those who may be in most need of it, and there will be a predetermined way of transporting the meal to the intended recipients.
Final Thoughts
This project has been truly fulfilling as it tackles two crucial issues by serving as a bridge between food waste and supporting communities in need. Witnessing the presence of other platforms dedicated to addressing this very challenge and utilizing technology to make a positive difference has been incredibly inspiring. It reinforces the collective effort and commitment to leveraging technology for the betterment of society.