Go Share

Reducing Food Waste Through Grocery Sharing Platform

Reducing Food Waste Through Grocery Sharing Platform

Go Share addresses the issue of portion distortion in UK supermarkets, where packaging sizes exceed individual needs and cause food waste, particularly affecting students. It is a platform that aims to connect students to share groceries by letting users split and purchase items in smaller quantities.

Overview

Overview

Team

Tan Kangpanichkul
Ming Hong Li
Madhura Nanjundaiah
Dan Hao
Loukia Ioannou

Team

Tan Kangpanichkul
Ming Hong Li
Madhura Nanjundaiah
Dan Hao
Loukia Ioannou

Contributions

UX Designer: Led the design of user interactions and flows based on research insights
Prototyper: Created prototypes from low to high fidelity using paper prototypes and Figma
UX Researcher: Conducted user interviews to identify needs and pain points, followed by comprehensive user testing to validate and refine design solutions

Contributions

UX Designer: Led the design of user interactions and flows based on research insights
Prototyper: Created prototypes from low to high fidelity using paper prototypes and Figma
UX Researcher: Conducted user interviews to identify needs and pain points, followed by comprehensive user testing to validate and refine design solutions

Objectives

To design a system that can help students reduce food waste by understanding their behaviours, situations, and underlying reasons. This deep understanding of student life patterns and food consumption habits allows us to create targeted solutions that address the root causes of food waste in student communities.

Objectives

To design a system that can help students reduce food waste by understanding their behaviours, situations, and underlying reasons. This deep understanding of student life patterns and food consumption habits allows us to create targeted solutions that address the root causes of food waste in student communities.

Solutions

Introduce a platform that connects individuals to share groceries through seamless integration of digital (mobile app) and physical touchpoints (on-site machines). This creates fluid user experiences through intuitive app interfaces and convenient collection points, making grocery sharing effortless for the student community.

Solutions

Introduce a platform that connects individuals to share groceries through seamless integration of digital (mobile app) and physical touchpoints (on-site machines). This creates fluid user experiences through intuitive app interfaces and convenient collection points, making grocery sharing effortless for the student community.

Challenges

Students vs food waste

The project emerged from my firsthand experiences of student life, where living alone presents a daily challenge with grocery shopping. Supermarket portions, designed for families or larger households, frequently result in food waste or unnecessary expenditure for individual students. This recurring problem inspired an investigation into how portion sizes affect student food waste, leading to the development of a solution that could help students better manage their grocery purchases and reduce waste.

Project Aims

1

1

1

Identify Problem

To understand and address the portion distortion problem faced by students living alone.

2

2

2

Create Solution

To develop a solution that helps students reduce food waste from oversized grocery packaging.

Process

The project progressed through 5 key phases: starting with research to understand the issues, followed by collaborative ideation to explore potential solutions. Design iteration phase developed both digital and physical prototypes, which were then evaluated through user testing. The process concluded with final designs that integrated user feedback into both digital and physical touchpoints.

1

1

1

2

2

2

3

3

3

4

4

5

5

research

Ideation

Ideation

Design Iteration

Design Iteration

Final Deisgn

FInal Design

Evaluation

4

5

Final Deisgn

Evaluation

Tools & Methods

Field Research

Interview

Card Sorting

State-of-the-art revew

Personas

Scenarios

User journey map

Wireframing

Paper Prototype

Usabilty Testing

Heuristic Evaluation

Miro

Miro

Figma

Figma

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop

Background Research

Understanding the Problem

The research process began with investigating student consumption behaviour through secondary research and existing studies. This background research examined literature around portion distortion, student living costs, and food waste patterns in the UK.

Key Background Research Findings:

Root Source

Portion
Distortion

manufacturers consistently package products in oversized quantities

Manufacturers consistently package products in oversized quantities

Direct Impact

46%

46%

of food waste among students stems from quantity issues - 23% from cooking too much and another 23% from products being sold in too large quantities

Ultimate Consequences

Food waste
Overconsumption

  • Throwing away expired food

  • Eating more than needed

  • Health implications from larger portions

  • Unnecessary spending on excess quantities

Field Research

Validating the Reality

I conducted field research by visiting supermarkets to verify if portion distortion is a real problem. I visited Tesco, Asda and documented common student grocery items, analysing their packaging sizes, serving portions, and shelf life.

This field research confirmed that:

  1. Package sizes are consistently too large for individual consumption

  2. Food shelf life doesn't match the serving quantities

  3. Students living alone face a practical challenge: finish large portions quickly or risk wastees, serving portions, and shelf life.

User Research

Hearing the Stories

In-depth interviews were conducted with 4 students, with each session lasting 12-16 minutes. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling, focusing on students who handle their own grocery shopping. The research aimed to understand their shopping behaviours, challenges with portion sizes, and current solutions they employ to manage food waste.

Key Survey Findings:

Shopping Behaviour

  • Students shop weekly but struggle to plan portions

  • Price often forces them to buy larger packages despite knowing they can't finish them

  • Bulk pricing encourages overbuying

Waste Patterns

  • Regular food waste due to inability to consume full packages

  • Feeling of guilt about throwing away food

  • Financial impact of wasted groceries

  • Environmental concerns about waste

Coping Strategies

  • Some share with flatmates when possible

  • Freezing portions when feasible

  • Avoiding certain products due to package size

  • Planning meals in advance to minimise waste

Ideation

Card Sorting Ideation

Following comprehensive user, field, and background research, a collaborative card sorting session was conducted using Miro's digital workspace. This online platform enabled digital collaboration and this method help exploring of potential solutions.

The card sorting process categorised ideas into 4 key dimensions:

  • User Types (considering different student behaviours and needs)

  • Platforms (various digital and physical touchpoints)

  • Interaction Methods (different ways users could engage)

  • Value Exchange (systems for trading and sharing)

Through this structured ideation process, multiple scenarios emerged by connecting those dimensions. This systematic exploration of scenarios helped identify the most promising solution:

A platform connecting users to share groceries.

This concept emerged as the optimal way to address the portion distortion problem while accommodating various user needs and behaviours.

State of the Art Review

Exploring Existing Solution

After conceptualizing the grocery sharing platform, a comprehensive review of existing market solutions was conducted to understand current approaches to food sharing.

After conceptualising the grocery sharing platform, a comprehensive review of existing market solutions was conducted to understand current approaches to food sharing.

Key Takeaways:

  • Health and hygiene considerations are more prevalent in sharing food.

  • The common platforms for food sharing are getting food from restaurants and supermarkets.

  • The food sharing amongst users is typically a donation.

  • There is no application for peer-to-peer sharing of groceries.

  • People are more cost-conscious when they have to pay

Design Concept

A Grocery Platform

The concept began with a simple yet powerful idea: connecting students digitally to share their grocery purchases. As the solution evolved, it became clear that while digital connections were essential, students needed a practical way to exchange groceries during their shopping journey as seen in the scale of interaction diagram

Both digital and physical platforms will support users seamlessly, creating an integrated ecosystem where students can choose their preferred way to participate in grocery sharing. The mobile application serves as the primary platform for connecting and coordinating with other students, while the physical machines act as convenient touchpoints for immediate sharing opportunities during shopping.

Personas

To better guide the design and enable everyone on the team to empathise with our users, I further synthesised the interview results and came up with the following personas:

Alice the Shopper

Scenario:

  • Already at the supermarket doing regular shopping

  • Finds portions too large for individual consumption

  • Wants to purchase but only needs half the quantity

Needs:

  • Immediate solution while shopping

  • Simple way to find share partners

  • Secure payment splitting

Frustrations:

  • Buying full portions leads to waste

  • Limited storage space

  • Spending more than necessary

Jane the Browser

Scenario:

  • Needs specific ingredients for cooking

  • Avoids buying due to large package sizes

Needs:

  • Connect with reliable sharing partners

  • Browse available sharing opportunities

Frustrations:

  • Limited budget for full packages

  • Waste from previous experiences

  • Difficulty finding others who want to share

Scenarios

Following persona development, key scenarios were visualised to demonstrate how different users interact with the grocery sharing solution. Two main user journeys emerged: the shopper who discovers they need to share while at the supermarket, and the browser who plans ahead to purchase shared portions.

User Journey Map

The user journey map illustrates how the grocery sharing solution connects individuals through both digital and physical touchpoints. The map traces 2 distinct paths, showcasing how users can initiate their sharing journey either from the supermarket or through the mobile application. These interconnected touchpoints demonstrate how the platform seamlessly bridges physical and digital interactions, ensuring users can engage with the system in ways that best match their shopping context and preferences.

Design Iteration

Paper Prototyping

To explore how the physical sharing kiosk would work in practice, a quick paper prototyping session was conducted. This hands-on approach offered a fun and collaborative way to generate ideas and test basic interactions. The team crafted a cabinet-style prototype with multiple compartments, allowing everyone to physically interact with the concept and understand how users might engage with the actual machine.

Low-Fidelity Wireframes

Following the physical prototype, low-fidelity wireframes were created in Figma to visualise the mobile application interface. The wireframes focused on two essential functions that connect users:

  • 'Get Groceries' for those looking to purchase shared items

  • 'Put in Groceries' for those wanting to share their excess portions.

This dual functionality ensures seamless interaction between sharing and receiving users through the platform.

Usability Testing

User testing was conducted to evaluate the application's interface and interaction design. The testing focused on three main tasks: getting groceries, managing points, and putting in groceries. Four students who live alone and experience portion distortion problems participated in 15-20 minute cooperative evaluation sessions, using think-aloud techniques to share their thoughts while navigating the interface.

The sessions revealed both strengths and areas for improvement:

  • Navigation clarity needed enhancement

  • Point system required simplification

  • Location features needed better visualisation

  • QR code scanning suggested as an alternative to manual code entry

This feedback provided valuable insights for refining the interface design and improving user experience.

Heuristic Evaluation

Following user testing, a heuristic evaluation was conducted using Nielsen's criteria to analyse usability issues. Each problem was assessed and assigned a severity rating based on its impact on user experience:

Major Usability Problems:

  • Points currency system created confusion due to value mismatch with real money

  • Numeric code entry was cumbersome compared to QR code alternative

  • Location information lacked specificity and clear visual representation

Minor Usability Problems:

  • Menu terminology ('get' and 'put in') needed clearer illustrations

  • Search functionality required refinement for better flexibility

The severity ratings helped prioritise which issues needed immediate attention in the next iteration of the design.

The sessions revealed both strengths and areas for improvement:

  • Navigation clarity needed enhancement

  • Point system required simplification

  • Location features needed better visualisation

  • QR code scanning suggested as an alternative to manual code entry

This feedback provided valuable insights for refining the interface design and improving user experience.

Final Design

Kiosk Visualisation

Based on insights from the paper prototype and team discussions, the physical sharing kiosk concept was visualised using image collage techniques. This method helped illustrate how the machine would integrate into a real supermarket environment, showing key features and user interaction points while maintaining product freshness and accessibility.

High-FIdelity Prototype

Based on user testing insights and heuristic evaluation, the interface design was refined in Figma. Key improvements focused on resolving usability issues: simplifying the points system, implementing QR code scanning, enhancing location visualization, and clarifying navigation labels with supporting icons. The final design creates a more intuitive user experience that seamlessly connects digital interaction with physical sharing.

Start Menu

Get Menu

Put In Menu

Profile

Key Takeaways

Reflections

RefLections

Starting from a personal student challenge with portion sizes, the project evolved into a broader solution for food waste. Through collaborative ideation and systematic design processes, the concept developed into a comprehensive platform that could benefit diverse user groups. Working in a multidisciplinary team brought varied perspectives, enriching the solution's scope and effectiveness.

Next Steps

The next phase focuses on validating the design through high-fidelity prototype testing and detailed exploration of the physical machine mechanics. The solution shows potential for expansion beyond the student community, aiming to include local residents and users without mobile devices. Establishing partnerships with local supermarkets and communities will be crucial for piloting the system in real-world settings, allowing for practical testing and refinement of the sharing concept.

Contact

Always open to new connections and creative conversations!
Send me a message and let's explore ideas together!

tanstkk@gmail.com

Email Copied

Contact

Always open to new connections and creative conversations!
Send me a message and let's explore ideas together!

tanstkk@gmail.com

Email Copied