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Designed a system that helps users make smarter food decisions in real time — turning intention into action through simple, guided interactions.

Case Study: 5 Day Design Sprint
May 15, 2021 - May 19, 2021

How I Approached the Problem

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My Role

I led key parts of the sprint, focusing on turning insights into clear product decisions.

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  • Recruited and screened users to ensure relevant feedback

  • Identified patterns in user behavior during testing

  • Contributed to defining the core solution direction

  • Collaborated across ideation, prototyping, and testing

Why This Problem Matters

World Food Waste Stats
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Day 1: Define the Problem

Expert Interview

We spoke with a food waste expert to understand why waste happens in real households.

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Key insight: People don’t lack options — they lack clarity in the moment.

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Food is often discarded not because it can’t be used, but because users don’t know how or when to use it.

What This Revealed

  • Users need guidance, not more information

  • Decisions happen in the moment, not in planning

  • Without clear direction, food gets wasted

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Day 2: Decide

Brainstorm Solutions

Explored multiple directions using “How might we…” to frame the problem.

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What we explored:

  • tracking systems

  • recipe tools

  • reminders

 

Key insight:
Most ideas added complexity — not clarity.

Users need a clear next step, not more options.

How Might We?

Long Term Direction

Build a system that helps users make better food decisions using what they already have.

  • Reduce food waste through everyday actions

  • Make food usage more visible and intuitive

  • Support behavior change without adding effort

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Can We...?

Key Questions

  • How might we guide users to take action in the moment?

  • How can we surface what matters without overwhelming them?

  • How do we reduce effort while increasing impact?

Competitive Analysis & Lightning Demos

  • Reviewed existing products to understand how food tracking and recipe tools currently work.

  • Most solutions focused on storing information — not helping users decide what to do next.

  • This reinforced the need for a more action-oriented approach.

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Ideation & Diverging

Explored multiple solution directions through sketching and storyboarding, focusing on how users make decisions in real-life moments.

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Evaluated concepts based on:

  • how quickly users could take action

  • how much effort was required

  • how clearly the next step was communicated

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Most concepts focused on:

  • community sharing

  • large databases of tips and recipes

  • content-heavy solutions

 

These ideas required too much effort and didn’t support quick decision-making in the moment.

Storyboards

This phase focused on evaluating different product directions to determine what would actually help users take action. Content-heavy and information-based concepts required too much effort and didn’t support quick decision-making. The final direction prioritized a simpler, action-oriented experience that guides users to what to do next using what they already have.

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The Final Concept

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Day 3: Prototype

User Flow

Defined a flow focused on helping users quickly decide what to do with the food they already have.

The structure prioritizes:

  • immediate visibility into available ingredients

  • clear next-step actions (use, plan, or save)

  • minimal input to reduce friction

 

Instead of navigating through features, users are guided toward a decision in each step.

Prototype

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Welcome Screen

Home

Inventory Selection

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Community Posts

Recipes

Rewards

Day 4: User Testing

User Testing

Conducted usability testing with target users to evaluate how effectively the product supports real-time decision-making.

 

Focused on whether users could:

  • quickly understand what to do next

  • use existing ingredients to take action

  • navigate without confusion or extra effort

Test Group

5 participants who regularly manage grocery shopping and meal decisions. View the User Test Script

Key findings:

  • Users preferred clear, immediate suggestions over browsing content

  • Too many options slowed decision-making

  • Simpler flows increased confidence and speed

Feedback Capture Grid

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Day 5: Recap

Reflection & Lessons Learned

Designing for behavior change requires more than providing information — it requires reducing friction in the moment.

 

Key takeaways:

  • Users need clear direction, not more options

  • Simplicity drives action

  • Decision-making happens in real time, not during planning

 

This project reinforced the importance of designing systems that guide users toward action, not just store information.

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