Oct 2023 - Dec 2023 | 5 weeks
MyFoodie Smart Labels + App
To help prevent food spoilage, the Smart Labels display freshness levels of food items. These devices pair with an app that organizes food items, notifies users of food expiration dates, provides meal recommendations, and offers grocery shopping support.
Design Research
UI/UX Design
3D CAD Modeling
Project Type /
University Individual Project
Brief
Students will research a critical issue and apply new technology to design a product or system that enhances user experience.
How Big is the Food Waste Problem?
According to an NRDC report
Food produced is lost
or wasted in the U.S.
Nearly 1/3 of Americans forget about their leftovers
People often waste about 238 lbs of food annually
“When your fridge is organized [and labeled], you’re more aware of its contents and more likely to use foods before they turn bad.”
- Abbie Gellman, RD, Chef at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York
Greensaver
Produce Keepers
$22.99 | 4.4/5 stars
Samsung Smart Refrigerator
$3,149.99 | 4.4/5 stars
Removable
Adhesive Label
$9.00 | 4.4/5 stars
PantryChic
Smart Storage
$399.95 | 4.0/5 stars
Existing solutions are
either too big or restrictive
Insights from target users revealed
various challenges and issues.
- Peggy Thai, 20, College Student
- Madison Smith, 43, Software Engineer
- Tara Lee, 48, Stay-at-Home Mom
“With a large family, everyone has different food preferences, making planning and storage challenging.”
"I love cooking for my family, but we always end up with a lot of leftovers in the fridge."
"When I get takeout, the leftovers usually sit in the fridge until I forget about them."
Exploring Technological Implementations
Systems Design & Digital Integrations
​
A focus on creating systems that blend physical and digital elements for enhanced functionality.
RFID/NFC Connection
​
RFID and NFC are wireless technologies for short-range data exchange and tracking.
Immersive Media - AR/VR
​​
Immersive media contains AR and VR technologies that provide interactive, engaging experiences.
What's the Main Problem?
Many households forget about the items in their fridges and pantries, leading to food spoilage and waste.
What's the Design Goal?
I will design an innovative solution using technology that helps with kitchen organization and food waste reduction.
4 Product Value Propositions
During ideation, I developed several ideas to help people stay organized in the kitchen and reduce food waste.
I created 4 key value propositions to implement in the solution and developed personas to align with each one.
Food Expiration Date Reminder
I created the MyFoodie app for Luna to sync with grocery apps, track food purchases, organize her inventory, and send expiration notifications.
Organizing Food In Fridge/Pantry
For Tori, an unorganized home cook, I designed three sleek, compact concepts for food organization and chose to move forward with the "Smart Label" idea.
Meal Prep Support
For Adam, a cooking newbie, the MyFoodie app suggests meals based on his inventory to reduce waste. He can also save recipes and plan meals in a calendar.
Grocery Shopping Support
For Mia, the MyFoodie app lets her add missing ingredients to a shopping list and sync it with grocery apps. She can use it in-store or order items online for convenience.
Prototyping MyFoodie App
After creating the user flow charts, I prototyped the MyFoodie app on Figma using wireframes as a guide and designed user scenarios to demonstrate how the app helps each persona.
FoodSwap App
Walkthrough Based on User Scenarios
For the Heavy Grocery Shoppers
Track your food & get expiration reminders
Import shopping history, organize food items by expiration date, and receive reminders for upcoming expirations.
For the Unorganized Home Cooks
Organize & track food freshness with Smart Labels
Organize food by freshness levels on the app and use Smart Labels to display the freshness status on containers and bags.
For the Cooking Newbies
Get personalized meal ideas & explore recipes
Receive meal recommendations based on fridge/pantry inventory, explore recipes, and plan meals daily using the meal plan calendar.
For the Shopping Newbies
Sync recipe ingredients to your grocery list
View recipes, add missing ingredients to a shopping list, and sync with grocery apps to transfer the list seamlessly.
Inside the MyFoodie Smart Labels
The ABS plastic will be injection molded, and the LED circuit board, battery, magnets, and adhesive will be outsourced and attached separately.
Freshness Level Color Breakdown
Food Is Fresh
Green Light
Food Is About To Expire
Yellow Light
Food Expired
Red Light
