Meet
Reducing waste, building community.
Submitted as Capstone project for CODE university of Abdullah Youssef
Research insights
When applying thematic analysis to the primary research data, a few key insights emerged relating to the motivations and barriers for P2P food-sharing. Those insights shape the core principles that any digital or non-digital solution should address in order to address logistical and social challenges facing community food-sharing in Berlin. Therefore, the designed solution should be:
01
Addresses logistical barriers
The solution should take away the friction of arranging a date & time for pickup, questions about packaging and kitchen boxes, and most importantly, make sure items are within walking distance to avoid over-commitment and no-show.
Example:
Common cooking kitchen
Community fridge/space
Someone delivering the food to you?
02
Addresses logistical barriers
The solution should enable users to offer as many details about their listing seamlessly and naturally. Food is a very intimate item for people, so they want to make sure the item they're offering is presented satisfyingly, and the items they're receiving match their dietary preferences and allergy concerns.
Example:
A sticky note with all dietary details
Food with labels and instructions
Someone telling you the ingriedents
03
Addresses social barriers
The solution aims to bridge the social gap and break the ice between neighbors. Therefore, it should reflect the community sense and offer a space that feels safe and humane for people to feel invited to exchange food items and even further bond over it, instead of being a mere transactional process.
Example:
Community dish-parties
utilizing screens in elevators
Stickers/posters in hallways
04
Progressive & Scalable
Addresses social barriers
The solution should adapt to the progressive nature of food-sharing as a trust-based activity that relies on the buildup of interactions and reciprocity. How can the individual build increments of trust from sharing maybe a pack of chips to sharing a loaf of bread to requesting some salt on a Sunday?
Example:
Trust badges and ratings
Airbnb/Couchsurfing trust models
05
Habit building
Addresses social barriers
The solution should focus on building new habits and a culture around the concept of food saving and sharing. Habit building is about repetition and linking of daily activities to new ones. Can we link evening social media scroll with new food-saving habits?
Example:
Streaks concept
Daily reminders
Donating a penny every time food is wasted
Now the goal is to assess which solution, digital or non-digital, can bring most benefits from above while introducing least struggles. To assess that, I conducted an assessment of different solutions based on the criteria above.
Solutions Overview
Community fridge/sharing space
Simple to integrate in daily-life, one-time setup
High cost, requires physical setup
Low-friction
Informing & Transparent
Inclusive & Community oriented
Progressive & Scalable
Habit building
House Group chats
Low-investment, no learning curve
Hard to establish habits, lacks structure
Low-friction
Informing & Transparent
Inclusive & Community oriented
Progressive & Scalable
Habit building
Food-sharing apps*
Easy to adapt and scale, clear focus
Requires digital presence, needs active integration in daily life
Low-friction
Informing & Transparent
Inclusive & Community oriented
Progressive & Scalable
Habit building
*Depending on the specific app, the values of the metrics above can change, so the values are just an indication of the potential of such solution compared to others.
Review of Existing Digital Solutions
Since my project is focused on digital solutions, I started reviewing apps that try to solve the same issue and analysed what works and what doesn't in their user experience.
The focus was on the "Olio" app, as it seems to be addressing a very similar segment and tackling the same problem with the same solution approach.
To develop insights, I conducted a UX audit by downloading the Olio app, taking screenshots, and highlighting what is working well and what seems to be confusing for the user. Additionally, I conducted online research through platform such as Reddit and online blogs where users express their happy moments and pain points with the Olio app.
In addition to Olio, I analysed apps that successfully build habits and social buzz around their experience. I specifically looked at "BeReal" and "Duolingo" as two of the most common apps that have their success hanging on the idea of consistent repeated visits for the app to understand how to engage users on regular basis. I also looked at the "Strava" fitness app, with a focus on the idea of "badges" and "challenges" and their role in keeping users engaged and motivated to achieve their workout goals.
