Savour, Share, Save:
PantryPals is a community where surplus food can find a new home!
Problem Space
Both developed and developing countries waste a staggering amount of food each year - 670 million tonnes and 630 million tonnes respectively. Shockingly, almost half of all fruits and vegetables produced globally are wasted annually. In Canada, food waste is mostly generated at the household level due to overbuying, poor planning, and mismanagement."
My Role:
UX/UI Designer, UX Researcher, Prototyper
Timeline:
2 Weeks, 2024
Tools:
Figma, Google Docs, Slack, Canva
Team:
Alice Fae, Vidushi Pandey, Jaswinder Kaur
Research
Canadian households waste over 79kg (or $1300) of food a year.
63% of Canadian household food waste is preventable.
Where food waste occurs through Canada’s food value chain
The staggering volume of food waste is caused by inappropriate decisions at all stages of the food chain. The opportunity is to engage all players in an integrated, national food waste reduction strategy. is to engage all players in an integrated, national, food waste reduction strategy.
Goal
Creating practical methods for Canadian households to utilize and share excess food within the family and community.
HMW
How might we enable Canadian households to share quality food items with others, in order to foster a sense of trust and community while reducing overall food waste?
Interviews insights
7 out of 10 interviewees shop approximately every one to two weeks
5 out of 10 interviewees are the people responsible for cooking at home
5 out of 10 interviewees has a positive outlook on sharing surplus food with their loved ones.
7 out of 10 interviewees have hesitation with trusting strangers.
Jane
“I love gathering with my whole family for a meal together. These are such beautiful moments when everyone talks about their day and we laugh together.”
Age: 33 y
Occupation: Marketing manager
Hometown: Toronto
Family: Husband and 2 children
Jane tends to buy groceries in bulk. Through the week she uses the items she needs but ultimately gets busy with her work schedule. At the end of the week, Jane notices that many of her items went unused and began to rot. Jane ultimately has no choice but to throw those items away. Jane needs a trusted solution that will allow her to share her food surplus with others so that she can be more ecological without giving up the ability to buy what she wants.
MID-FI Wireframes
Usability Testing
Introduction:
Welcome, and thank you for participating in this interview about the PantryPals app. Your feedback is valuable to us as we strive to improve the app and make it more user-friendly. Before we begin, could you tell us a little bit about your experience with the app and how often you use it?
Understanding the User Experience: Navigation and Interface
-How intuitive did you find the navigation within the app?
-Were you able to easily locate the features you were looking for, such as the network map, image sharing, event planning?
-Did you encounter any challenges while navigating through different sections of the app?
Network Map
-How helpful did you find the network map feature in locating surplus food items shared by other community members?
-Were you able to effectively utilize the map to find surplus items in your area?
-Is there anything specific you would like to see improved or added to the network map feature?
Image Sharing
-Did you find the image sharing feature useful in understanding the quality and quantity of items being shared by other users?
-Were the images clear and informative enough to help you make decisions about which items to request or share?
-Any suggestions for enhancing the image sharing functionality?
Buy/Sell Food Items
-How often do you utilize the buy/sell feature to exchange surplus food items with other users?
-Was the process of buying or selling food items straightforward and efficient?
-Are there any additional features or improvements you would like to see in the buy/sell section?
Event Planning
-Have you participated in any surplus food sharing events organized through the app?
-How did you find the event planning feature in terms of creating, managing, and attending events?
-Do you have any recommendations for enhancing the event planning functionality?
Overall Feedback
-On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to recommend the PantryPals app to your friends or colleagues?
-What do you believe sets our app apart from other similar platforms?
-Is there anything else you would like to share with us regarding your experience with the app or any additional features you would like to see implemented in the future?
Closing:
Thank you once again for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. Your insights will play a crucial role in shaping the future development of our PantryPals app. If you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to us anytime!
Tester Thoughts
First unsure of the app’s purpose
Unsure if selling, buying etc. when listing items
Wanted to see all listed items
Liked the aesthetic (images, color scheme, spacing, fonts)
Loved camera A.I. food detection feature
Changes Were Made
Added mission statement
Added user-friendly instructions
Added to improve direct, simpler user navigation.
Fine-detailed these aspects
Improved to show both fresh and spoiled food
HI-FI Wireframes
HI-FI Prototype