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mood buddy hero image
Role

Product Designer

UI/UX Designer

UI/UX Designer

Design Research

Product Designer

Design Research

UI/UX Designer

Design Research

Team

Collaborative Project

Collaborative Project

Timeline

Fall 2024

Fall 2024

Summary

In Fall 2024, a collaborative design research studio project was tasked to me and my project partner. We began this semester with researching problem spaces all over the world, looking for possible design solutions for them. Me and my partner both found a similar problem space in food waste with general consumers. We discovered that besides the typical American wasting tons of food each year we found that there aren't a whole lot of sustainable ideas to have less waste, more taste. Thus began our research project to understand the problem, and design a reliable solution using design research methods.

Phase 01

Project Frame

Excessive food waste in the cincinnati is driven by a lack of consumer awareness and widespread misunderstandings of food lifetime, leading to the premature disposal of still-edible food.

The Problem

There is a lack of effective systems in place for managing food waste within the home, making it difficult for people to take meaningful action. Without the proper guidance and education, households have become one of the largest contributors to food waste in landfills.

Our Solution

“Less waste, more taste” is a design campaign that raises awareness about food waste and prevention for the average household, providing them with actionable tips and tools to decrease waste.

Our Intended Project Outcomes

Phase 02

Our Approach to Data Collection
Research Methods + Insights

Phase 03

Final Proposal
Proposal Intended Outcomes

Phase 04

Conclusion
Next Steps
Key Takeaways


  • Research drives design decisions. Data and insights uncover opportunities we couldn’t achieve through intuition alone.

  • This project reinforced the importance of deeply understanding a client’s real-world challenges. Without research and empathy, it’s impossible to design solutions that truly address their needs.

Project Highlights
Project Testing
Project Testing
Project Display
Project Testing
In-Class Testing

Watching real people interact with the prototype for the first time always reveals what no amount of self-reviewing ever could, especially for a design research project

Prototype Testing

Every mark and note taken during testing directly shaped the next iteration of the design

Prototype Display

The full prototype system laid out together. Seeing every piece of the project as one cohesive set made all the work feel worth it

Research Interviews

Yes, we actually asked people to take pictures of their fridges and explain their food use habits

Let's work together!

Let's work together!