SaveThePlate is a mobile application where restaurants are able to connect with customers by selling meals at a reduced cost in the hopes of reducing their food waste. By doing so, restaurants owners will be able to salvage some of their lost income while preventing additional waste of food.
This mobile application was a course project where we had to come up with a solution for a problem in our community. Our lead developer, after working in the restaurant industry for years, came up with the idea of a mobile application to help reduce food waste in Vancouver, while helping restaurant owners. After having decided which problem we wanted to help with, we had to work in a team to design and build the solution. Over the course of 16 weeks, I worked closely with the lead developer to design SaveThePlate and develop the mobile application. We did weekly team meetings with multiple check-ins every week to make sure we were on track to be able to present our project in December 2021 in front of members of the technology industry.
Based on research and user surveys, we learned that most of our respondents were struggling trying to balance their budget while ordering healthy meals on food ordering apps. Our respondents also mentioned that food waste is a very important issue in their eyes.
SaveThePlate was designed as a solution to these issues. It would be a win-win situation for restaurant owners and customers. Owners would have the chance to at least cover the cost of groceries, while customers would get the option to get some meals at a reduced cost. These meals would be good to eat, most of them just being imperfect according to the order.
For this project, we started by identifying issues in our community. We brainstormed on ideas for applications that would provide a solution to one or multiple of these issues. After selecting our idea for SaveThePlate, we started with sending a questionnaire to identify our users and their needs for this application.
To better understand the user’s needs regarding the application and its use, we conducted two user surveys: one survey containing questions centered around customers and one other survey containing questions centered around restaurant owners/employees.
The survey centered around customers focuses on their preferences and usage of food delivery applications and our competitors. Through 19 questions, we were able to establish their pain points and must haves for our application.
of our survey takers considered the issue of food waste important
of our survey takers spend at least $30 per week on food delivery applications
of our survey takers spend between 10 to 60 minutes per week on food delivery applications
of our survey takers would use an application like SaveThePlate
of our survey takers mentioned that the prices of meals and the delivery fees are too high for their budget
of our survey takers mentioned that they liked the simple and easy to use interface of our competitors
The survey centered around restaurant staff focuses on their usage of food delivery applications, our competitors, and how they deal with food waste. Through 24 questions, we were able to establish their pain points and must haves for our application.
of our survey takers are currently partnered with food delivery apps
of our survey takers said that unsold dishes are directly going to waste
of our survey takers are looking for a solution to deal with food waste
on average is lost in revenue per month by our survey takers in their respective restaurant
of our survey takers would use an application like SaveThePlate
of our survey takers mentioned that the app needs to be easy and simple to use to be worth their time
After conducting our user surveys, we analyzed the data we gathered to identify our users, theirs needs and experiences with food delivery apps. We established our typical customer user and restaurant staff user. We were also able to establish their pain points and must haves for our application, SaveThePlate.
After establishing who our users are, we started looking into the functionality of the app. We did a design sprint to understand the key features of the app and create user flows for customers and restaurant staff. We also created task models for both of our personas on how they would use the app, allowing us to visualize their process to achieve their goals.
With a design sprint, we were able to identify the features that we wanted and needed for the app. We determined that we would have two similar interfaces with key differences depending on the user, either a customer or a restaurant staff.
Following the key features for the app, we used flow charts to help us visualize these functions on each page. We were then able to understand how the user would navigate the app.
With the help of the user flow, we created two task models, one for each user. Based on one goal, we generated the process that each user would go through in the hopes of achieving this specific goal.
Having our research and ideation done, we started to create the first layout of what SaveThePlate would become. With my tablet, I sketched the screens and elements of what would make our app.
Having the user flows, the task models, and the sketches, we were able to create wireframes for our app. Without focusing on design elements, we were able to shift our attention to the information architecture and user flow. We were able to create an intuitive and minimalistic layout to help the user achieve their goal.
The original concept was a plate with cutlery on top and a pin in the middle of the plate to represent the location. I wanted the logo to represent the idea behind the app, which was to help reduce food waste.
I kept the same concept of the plate with the cutlery on top. I replaced the pin for an arrow representing the three Rs of waste management, with "reduce" in mind.
Following our research and ideation process, we jumped into user testing. We conducted these testing sessions with our target audience to gather their thoughts on the design of SaveThePlate. We applied the changes that were pointed to us to create the best version that we could build for our app.
Some participants couldn't find the Account icon. It was previously located at the top of the page. We decided to add it to the navigation bar, with the other icons.
Initially, after confirming the order, the customer would be brought back to the Home page. Participants were confused regarding the status of their order, we then added a pop-up to let them know that their order was confirmed.
In our first iteration of the app, we didn't include any notification or sign of having items in the cart. Participants pointed that that it would be best to include the amount of items in the cart by the icon.
With the brand design established and the user testing confirming our ideas, we built our high-fidelity prototype. We made sure the overall user experience was intuitive, as we wanted in the beginning. Below is the final prototype which showcases what the final result of SaveThePlate will look like once it is fully developed.
View prototypeOne of the next features that we are planning on adding to SaveThePlate was asked from both the customers and restaurants employees: a chat. This feature is already designed, but we focused on making sure that our key functionality was working: listing an item on the restaurant's side and claiming it on the customer's side. Our next step will be building the chat and implementing it for the version 2.0 of SaveThePlate.
The next feature that was also planned was a tutorial that the user would get after signing up or the first time they log in. The tutorial would be different on the interface that they signed up for, either for customers or for restaurants. It would briefly explained the interface and where to find what they might need to get ready to put meals up on the app or to pick them up.
In the context of this project, I also developed promotional materials for our presentation. I designed a brochure explaining what SaveThePlate was about. I also designed business cards that could be distributed to promote the app and make connections.
