FoodPrint is a compost bin management idea designed to help Gen Z with the food waste composting process.



Year:             2023
Theme:         UI,UX, Research, Wireframing, HMI

Team:            Jerry Cai, Cherry Hu,e Clair Li,  Sunniva Long             


Problem Statement

How might we encourage Gen Zers (18+) to regularly compost their food waste?


Solution

A smart compost bin app that transforms the composting experience into a time-efficient and enjoyable activity for Gen Zers.





Main Features




Compost Bin Tracking

Real-time updates, visual compost progress tracking, and user-friendly guidance accommodate various lifestyles




    



Give & Take

Easy reach out locals for free composting materials and donate surplus compost with the community






Compost Guidebook

Make help resources readily available, providing clear solutions to common problems and allowing users to request additional assistance






Personal Impact

Visualize your compost impact to the ecosystem, provide feedback and encourage user with progress and motivation









Reseach Progress

Understanding Compost in Current Society


“Students interested in gardening are influenced by older relatives, or personal involvement with organization/school club.”








After gaining an initial understanding of the current challenges with composting, we begin attending site visits and workshops to learn more about the process and various composting methods.


1. LA County Composting Workshop       2. LA Compost Drop Off Food Waste      3.  ArtCenter Compost Garden







User Interviews


We conducted interviews with a group of 9 participants to understand user behaviors, needs, motivations, and pain points. By learning and observing what stood out during these in-depth user interviews, we gained valuable insights from our participants.













Afinity Mapping

We synthesized the data from 9 user interviews into an affinity map to develop insights that are valuable and inspiring for our challenge.





We categorizing all the insights on our affinity map,  we then use to transform into potential opportunities. By pursing discussion and voting, we develop our focus.









“How might we encourage Gen Zers (18+) to regularly compost their food waste?”







Usertype


We conducted interviews with a group of 9 participants to understand user behaviors, needs, motivations, and pain points. By learning and observing what stood out during these in-depth user interviews, we gained valuable insights from our participants.

















Ideation Brainstorm






Usertest and Refinement

Paper Prototypes


After conducting in-depth research, we identified five major features that address the problem. To receive feedback from users, we set up five tasks for them to complete and simulated the circumstances, allowing us to refine the design and user flow.


1. Setup Compost Bin

2. Add in Greens

3. Away Mode 

4. Give & Take 

5. View My Impact 






Usertest Takeaways and Design Iteration




Main Page Iteration


1. Anti-mapping of the drawer and the status bar of the ingredients on the landing page

2. User was confused by the status bar shown without consistent visual language

3. Users puzzled by the icon for adding materials without accompanying
 
4. textStatus bar category should be grouped with the bin instead of the current status






Give & Take Iteration


1. Forum screen overwhelms with excessive information

2. Information for give and take, guidance needed

3. Distinction between Forum and Q&A features is unclear, making it difficult to discern the difference

4. Chat-style forum discussion ineffective, better on computers

5. Search pop-up for recommendation and guide answers



My Takeaways1.  The importance of understanding Users’ needs By going out from the classroom and engaging, interviewing with people from the community, we gained a true understanding of users' needs.

2.   User Testing Facilitates Effective Iteration
Conducting two rounds of user testing helped us identify problems that were not initially apparent. This process allowed us to uncover issues with the help of the users we are designing for, enabling us to iterate quickly and effectively.