SustainaBite Mobile App

SustainaBite mockup

Overview

SustainaBite is a mobile application designed to tackle the significant problem of household food waste. This project was a human-centered design challenge where our research guided every step of the process. We used a mixed-methods research strategy, combining qualitative user interviews, quantitative surveys, and competitive analysis to deeply understand user behavior, motivations, and pain points.

The core finding was a clear paradox: people are motivated to reduce waste but lack efficient, proactive tools to do so. Our research revealed that forgetfulness and over-purchasing were the primary causes of food waste. This led us to create a solution that directly addresses these issues by providing users with practical, tangible value. The result is an intuitive app that empowers users to reduce waste and save money with minimal effort.

My Role: UX Researcher & Designer

The Problem

Globally, 2.5 billion tons of food are wasted each year, with the U.S. alone accounting for nearly 40% of that total. This waste is not just an environmental issue; it's also a significant economic one, valued at approximately $218 billion annually in the U.S.

From a user experience perspective, the challenge was to move beyond these large-scale statistics and understand the problem on a personal, human level. We wanted to uncover the daily habits and frustrations that lead to waste and discover why existing solutions fail to help. We found a significant gap in the market, as existing apps were fragmented, offering separate tools for meal planning and grocery lists but nothing that provided a cohesive, all-in-one solution focused on sustainability.

Research & Discovery

Our research process was designed to move past assumptions and uncover genuine user behaviors and needs. We had three main goals:

• Uncover the behaviors and barriers surrounding food waste.

• Assess the appeal of potential app features.

• Analyze the competitive landscape to identify opportunities for differentiation.

Qualitative Insights: The "Why"

I conducted semi-structured interviews with six primary grocery shoppers to gain in-depth insights. The findings revealed that most people relied on informal, unstructured methods like memory or mental lists to manage their groceries. We also learned that highly perishable items like vegetables, herbs, and dairy were the most common items to be wasted. The primary causes were spoilage, expiration, and simply forgetting about items. This highlighted a clear opportunity for a digital solution to provide proactive reminders that manual methods can't.

Quantitative Insights: The "What"

To validate our qualitative findings on a broader scale, we surveyed 35 participants. The data confirmed our initial findings, with forgetfulness (71.4%) and over-purchasing (17.1%) as the leading causes of food waste.

Most importantly, the survey data gave us clear direction on feature prioritization. Participants showed a strong preference for practical, money-saving features like "Tracking Savings" (80% interest) and "Grocery Tracking" (73.5% interest). In contrast, there was significant disinterest in superficial elements like "Sharing Progress" and "Achievement Badges." This evidence-based discovery was a pivotal moment, leading us to strategically refine the product's feature set and focus on what users truly value.

Solution & Design

Our design strategy was a direct result of our research findings. We prioritized a streamlined set of core features that addressed users' most urgent needs.

Key Features:

• Intelligent Grocery Tracking: Users can easily log items they have at home. The app includes features like barcode scanning and receipt uploads to reduce the pain point of manual data entry.

• Real-Time Expiration Alerts: The app sends proactive push notifications for items nearing their expiration date, directly addressing the primary cause of forgetfulness.

• AI-Driven Recipe Generator: This feature automatically suggests recipes based on the ingredients a user has on hand. This was a key design decision to address the needs of our personas, who have limited time or a tight budget.

• Savings & Impact Tracker: Instead of superficial badges, the app provides a tangible summary of a user's personal financial and environmental impact. This directly appeals to the user's motivation to save money and reduce waste.

From Research to Prototyping

The research findings were translated into two distinct personas:

Jessica Knight, an eco-conscious parent who values simplicity, and Mitchell Clark, a budget-conscious college student who prioritizes efficiency. By designing for these two archetypes, we ensured the final product would be robust and accessible to a wide audience.

We began with low-fidelity paper wireframes to test core user flows, followed by high-fidelity prototypes. Usability testing confirmed that the core flow was intuitive but also highlighted a desire for clearer incentives. This feedback helped us refine our approach to gamification, moving from "pointless" badges to a purposeful savings tracker that provides a meaningful reward.

High Fidelity Prototype

Conclusion & Takeaway

SustainaBite demonstrates how a rigorous, data-driven research framework can transform a project from a simple concept into a purposeful and impactful solution.

The key learnings from this project are:

• Integrated Research is Powerful: Combining qualitative and quantitative methods was essential. The interviews uncovered the "why," and the surveys provided the statistical validation needed to make strategic decisions.

• Prioritize User Needs: By focusing on features that users genuinely value, we were able to create a lean, focused, and effective product that maximizes the app's potential for adoption and long-term engagement.

• Design for Tangible Value: Users were not interested in digital rewards that lacked tangible value. The design was reframed to provide purposeful feedback, such as tracking savings and environmental impact, which directly aligns with their core motivations.