WasteWatchers
An incentivized Mobile App for BU Students to track food waste and promote sustainability
A waste tracking mobile app
UX Design
UI Design
Web Design
Visual Design
The Event
BU TFC Civic Hackathon
Role
Conducting user research and designing the solution application
Duration
24 Hours
Team of Students in
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Data Analytics
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Web Development
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Data and Statistics
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Full Stack Development
Team at work during the Hackathon at Boston University
BU Student trashing waste in their mixed-recycling system
The Problem
Students at Boston University accumulate 40 lbs of edible food waste per hour and cannot identify the impact of their waste on environmental sustainability.
User Research
User Interviews
We conducted interviews with BU students to understand their lifestyle, paint points, and expectations.
What will encourage students to be conscious about their carbon footprint?
Can the solution increase awareness about the environment in the student community?
How will tracking the CO2 footprint benefit both the students and the environment?
We kept the above questions in consideration when interviewing the students
Key findings revealed:
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Students have a limited understanding of how habits and types of waste contribute to increasing their carbon footprint.
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There is a lack of motivation to track the carbon footprint and inadequate accessible sources to track food waste.
"We have a few tracking and sharing apps here at the campus which we(students) use regularly. This one should definitely be one of them."
- BU Junior
Competitive Analysis
ReFED is a national nonprofit resource center for battling food waste
Highlights
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Only for businesses.
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Focused on food waste reduction, not tracking and providing insights.
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Commercialized for business solutions.
User Data Mapping
We created a mind map to brainstorm and categorize potential functionalities for WasteWatchers.
This mind map helped us visualize the app's core functionalities, including waste tracking, resources, gamification elements, and potential integrations with university services.
A sketch of the mind map with key functions and features
User Persona
Sarah is a second-year student environmentally conscious yet struggles with managing food waste.
Name: Sarah
Age: 22
Job: Second-year Student
Location: Boston, MA
Attributes
Socially active, schedule,
fitness-driven, loves pets,
moderately environmentally
-conscious, busy student
Interests
Reading, Social Media Surfing,
Exploring Food, Photography
Frustration
Waste generated during food exploration, stale food due to busy schedule
Brainstorming
We mapped key research findings, pain points, and user persona to develop a user flow diagram with the primary functions to form a design foundation.
Primary User Journey PointsÂ
Routine Management
Motivation
to track
Sustainability Score
Reward Redemption
CO2 footprint Tracking
Scanning
Waste
Points Scoring System
Key moments with essential touchpoints like scanning, score generation, waste management, and reward redemption.
User Flow Diagram
User flow diagram representing the application functions and navigation
Design Outcomes
Rough Design Sketches
The team executing ideas and solution
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
Visual Design
We aimed to design an attractive interface for young population which was influenced by color psychology. Our palette features colors evoking environmental responsibility.
Hex: F5625D
Hex: FBAE00
Hex: 357960
Logo Design
The logo represents eco-friendly approach to manage food waste using the brand colors.
Leaf denoting sustainability
Food and Drinks to denote foodwaste
Typography
Quattrocento Sans
Hex: 0CABBA
The proud team
Iterative Update
We managed one iteration due to time constraints. We aimed to improve the onboarding screen by changing "Continue without an account" to "Continue as a Guest" with an updated font color for usability.
Challenges
Limited Timeframe
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Tight deadline of only a few hours.
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Prioritized, streamlined workflows.
The dilemma between wireframing optimal user flow or primary screens
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Not enough time to design an onboarding guide.
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Lack of standard user flow with the focus being on key functions.
Key Takeaways
Power of User Research
Understanding user needs and behaviors is essential to creating a successful and impactful solution.
Value of User Testing
Refining the design based on user feedback allows for a more intuitive and user-friendly experience.
Collaboration is Key
A team with diverse skills and a common goal fosters a holistic approach to problem-solving.