FRIDGFUL
A mobile application that enables users to track the expiration dates of their food ingredients, ultimately helping them better utilize their food purchases.
Product Experience
Problem Space
Household Food Waste
Problem Statement
How might we make tracking the best before dates and providing alternative uses of food ingredients easier for working adults so that they can fully utilize purchased food items.
Problem Background
Food waste is a crucial global issue and unfortunately households are significant contributors to this problem. According to a 2022 article by Heather Brown, Canadian households account for 14% of food waste in the supply chain [1]. A lot of the time this ‘waste’ stems from leftovers or expired foods, otherwise known as avoidable food waste [2]. Avoidable food waste refers to food items that could have been consumed if better managed [3].
In a 2022 Canadian household food waste research study conducted by the National Zero Waste Council, it was discovered that 63% of the food being thrown away by households could have been consumed [4]. Wasted food items were mainly vegetables, fruits, dairy, eggs and baked goods. This amounts to 140 kilograms of wasted food or $1300 worth of food per year for the average Canadian household.
Research Insights
To further understand the food waste problem within households, I conducted a survey amongst 59 participants and user interviews with 6 participants. The research revealed several pain points.
User Pain Points
- 55.9% of survey participants found that food items going past their best before dates led to them having surplus food which eventually gets thrown out.
- Two-thirds of the users expressed that their having surplus food items was due to forgetting the expiration or best before information which resulted in items going bad.
- Secondarily, 50% of the participants expressed not having an immediate use for the forgotten food item.
Landing on the Solution
Based on the user pain points and feedback, it was clear that users needed an easy way to log and track the expiry dates of their various food items whilst having access to recipe suggestions or alternate usage suggestions for their food items.
Fridgful MVP
The minimum viable product will be developed with the following goals in mind
- Enable users to easily search or scan food items after which they can manually enter the expiry dates or have the app generate a date (this will be especially useful for fruits and vegetables).
- Notify users when food items are nearing their best before or expiration dates.
- Provide users with alternate options on how to use their leftover ingredients.
Lo-fi Wireframes
App Mock-up
Future Steps
Looking beyond the MVP,
- I would like to develop the features within the app to include a meal planning and smart shopping function. I believe these additions will help further address the habits that lead to households having surplus food items that inevitably get wasted. Habits such as a lack of meal planning.
- I would also like to introduce a feature that connects users to food banks or charities where they can easily donate any excess food items.
- Establishing partnerships with organizations that also share the mission of food waste reduction within households.
References
- Food Waste in Canada: An in depth review
- What is Surplus Edible Food (and Why Should You Care)?
- Towards Zero Waste
- Love Food Hate Waste
Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
Omagie Mimi Eshilama
During my time as a Product Manager within Co.Lab, I have had a lot of learnings but these were the top 3.
- Focusing on the Problem: It’s very easy to get carried away with the solutions when looking at a problem space but I’ve learnt the importance of fully understanding the problem being worked on. Taking a problem-centric approach allowed me to keep an open mind and focus on my target audience. I discovered that the solutions can only be developed when the problem is in focus.
- Importance of User Research: I learnt how valuable proper user research is. Specifically with user interviews, the questions being asked have to be properly crafted to uncover pain points. In addition to this, within user research, our personal biases need to be set aside, if not it can significantly affect the results.
- Adaptability: There were a lot of moving parts during this program. I learnt to make changes quickly when necessary and embrace all the changes that came.
Designer Learnings:
Designer Learnings:
Jo Sturdivant
- Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
- Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.
Developer Learnings:
Developer Learnings:
Vanady Beard
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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.
Developer Learnings:
Stephen Asiedu
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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.
Developer Learnings:
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Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
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- Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
- Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
- Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.
Developer Learnings:
Jeremiah Williams
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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.