FOOD SHARING STATION
Date
2020.4 - 2020.05
Type
Service design, UI/UX design
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Theme
Food waste, Humanistic care
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Skill
Rhino, Keyshot, Figma, Photoshop
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Introduction
This system connects supermarkets and sanitation workers with an app, to solve food waste problems in fresh supermarkets.
Background
At present, starvation is still a huge obstacle to the development of many countries. However, more than one-third of the food in the world is wasted. Lots of food either rotted in the ground was lost on the way to the market, or was thrown into the trash can.
In 2019, a piece of news caught people’s attention: A lot of edible food was thrown away before the fresh supermarket closed at night.
Research
Through my research and brainstorming process, I noticed that supermarkets throw away a lot of fresh food every night. After talking to the store staff, I found that they do this to ensure the taste and freshness of the food, even though discarded food was often still edible at the time of disposal.
"The shelf life of some fresh foods is 3 days, but in order to ensure the quality of the food, we only sell them for 2 days. If we sell the food that is about to expire, once a problem occurs, the merchant will be under pressure from public opinion, which will have a negative impact on the brand.”
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Who will need the food? To solve the problem of food waste at night, I focus on the people who work at night: Drivers, Nurses, Gas stations, Overtime employees, Sanitation workers, and Homeless people.
I observed how many sanitation workers were working in the middle of the night with heavy workloads and low wages while breaking normal eating patterns during night shifts where they cannot eat hot food.
Proposal
Therefore, I came up with the idea of distributing food that is still edible but about to be discarded to sanitation workers for free. In this project, I built an app to match supermarkets and sanitation workers and set up a food sharing station in their area. Before the supermarket closes, the clerk will check the quality and shelf life of the food, and then volunteers will deliver this food to the sharing station. Sanitation workers can select food at the sharing station with the obtained verification card and enjoy free night snacks.
Storyboard
Sketch
Model
Prototype
Interface design
User testing and feedback
After presenting the concepts, functions and operation methods of the app to the user, the user has the following general comments:
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Concept
The idea is very innovative, which can not only solve the problem of food waste but also reflect humanistic care.
• How to organize volunteers to participate in food delivery is a problem, and the process of volunteer activities should be detailed.
Product
The appearance of the product is inspired by the honeycomb, and the warm yellow gives a warm and comfortable feeling. • Although different sizes of food can be placed in the food sharing station, the number of grids is limited and the number of food placed is limited.
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Interface
The interface is concise and clear, allowing users to quickly understand the functions. • It is possible to reach a consensus with the supermarket in advance and enter the basic information and pictures of the food, which can reduce the daily workload of the supermarket clerk.
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