Foodkeeper
Reducing household food wastage through support and education.
Product Design - Mobile App
Project Overview
Based on a study conducted by the Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre reported in the Food Waste Australian Household Attitudes and Behaviours National Benchmarking Study Report (2020), the combined average reported food waste per household over 7 days, equated to 2.65 litres.
I joined a team of developers and marketers in their mission to tackle the issue of household food wastage.
My role was to optimise the user experience and connect user goals with the app's mission.
Role
Product Designer
Team Members
Linh Tranh
Elizabeth Pham
Hani Azman
Jack Hu
Tam Tranh
Tools
Figma
Google Forms
Google Docs
Zoom
The Problem
According to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australia produces about 7.6 million tonnes of food waste annually.
The hospitality industry wastes more than 250,000 tonnes of food every year.
Households throw away about $2,500 dollars worth of food per year.
Around 70% of wasted food is still perfectly edible.
This food supply chain inefficiency contributes to food insecurity, economic loss and social inequality.
Environmental Impact
Global food waste is responsible for about 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Food rotting in landfill releases methane – 28x stronger than carbon dioxide. Source
Food waste also wastes water, energy, and land. Think about it: growing fruit, vegetables, and livestock requires huge amounts of resources.
Throwing away one burger wastes the same amount of water as a 90-minute shower. Source
Financial Impact
For businesses, food waste means lost profits.
Food waste costs our economy $36.6 billion a year. Source
One third of all food produced is lost or wasted – around 1.3 billion tonnes of food – costing the global economy close to $940 billion each year. Source
Businesses lose money on wasted ingredients, disposal costs, and inefficient inventory management.
Social Impact
While food is wasted, many Australians struggle to afford meals.
One in six Australians experience food insecurity or (3.4 million households) —meaning they don’t always have enough to eat. Source
The number one reason households in Australia struggle to put food on the table is the cost of living. Source
Discovery
I interviewed 7 participants to understand their perspective on food preparation and storage practices in their homes.
So, why do we waste so much food?
Plan better – Order only what you need and use stock rotation.
Store food properly – Keep food fresh for longer with correct storage.
Reduce portion sizes – Offer different portion options to minimise plate waste.
Repurpose ingredients – Use leftovers for soups, sauces, or staff meals.
Donate surplus food – Partner with food rescue organisations to fight food waste.
Educate staff and consumers – Teach best practices for reducing waste at every stage of the food value chain.
→ Household managers grossly underestimate how much food they are wasting.
Encourage government support – Policies and incentives can help businesses and households reduce food waste on a larger scale.
Notes from the interview transcripts highlighted key insights and pain points into food preparation for our target audience:
How might we address the issue of food waste in way that appeals to household food managers?
Key pain points into food preparation for our target audience:
Varied energy, cravings and time to cook
Participants noted that day-to-day their energy and cravings varied — meaning they often failed to execute or disliked their planned meals.
"It isn't about finding recipes I like or not..."
"…critical to make sure I have 'lazy foods' in the house…"
Dislike of repeated meals
Multiple participants mentioned a dislike of repeated meals which was more common amongst single person households due to grocery portions.
"[Insert quote]"
Challenge of cooking for a household with diverse tastes
Participants, particularly parents, struggled to cook meals that could be enjoyed by all members of their household.
"[Insert quote]"
Lack of cooking skill / knowledge
Participants blamed a lack of experience with preparing certain dishes for producing lack luster results.
"[Insert quote]"
Finding cooking & shopping tedious
Some participants preferred to shop during off-hours to avoid crowds at supermarkets and get out quicker. Other shoppers mentioned chore balancing with other household members — so they could avoid cooking.
"[Insert quote]"
Reliance on frozen / microwave-ready meals, despite health goals
Participants noted that day-to-day their energy and cravings varied — meaning they often failed to execute or disliked their planned meals.
"[Insert quote]"
Interview Participants fit into the profiles of:
Single professional
Working parents
University students
Ex-supermarket employee
Ex-chef
Single parents
Define
Pain Points
Lack of time / Time consuming
Boring / Tedious
Mentally and physically energy consuming
Tastes bad
Portions are not appropriate to situation
Conflicting preferences amongst eaters
Lack of knowledge / skill on how to cook
Planned meal does not match users' current mood / craving
Note: We considered designing for small to large food businesses but found…
User Requirements
Flexible to users' energy levels, cravings and time.
Assists in management of portion sizes
Understand users' level of skill / experience in cooking
Considers users' budget and personal goals (e.g. nutrition, skills, etc.)
Adjusts to multiple users' preferences in tastes and tasks
Can make cooking and shopping less tedious — even delightful
Head of household (Parent)
Time-poor
Often caters to many preferences
Single professional
Time-poor
Energy-poor
Struggles with portions
University student
On a budget
Occasionally time-poor
May dine out often
Ideate
I came up with 8 ideas that addressed different pain groupings of pain points and categorised them based on the function and value to users.
I evaluated and eliminated ideas based on similar current market offerings and sketched out the more unique ideas.
Design
I came up with 8 ideas that addressed different pain groupings of pain points and categorised them based on the function and value to users.
I evaluated and eliminated ideas based on similar current market offerings and sketched out the more unique ideas.