FoodBuddy
Save time, save food, save money
FoodBuddy is a smart meal management tool for the Walmart. It leverages IoT sensors and an intelligent recommendation system to help users manage fridge ingredients, plan meals, and optimize shopping processes, ultimately reducing food waste.
Project Problem
In the United States, food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the food supply. At the household level, most food waste comes from ingredients in the fridge that are not used in time.
September - November 2024, 10 weeks
Project duration
Target Audience
All Walmart customers who will buy and cook ingredients.
Screens
Ingredient utilization
+26.2%
User-testing
3 rounds, 6 tasks
21
outcome
Project overview
Help users prioritize the use of soon-to-expire ingredients to avoid waste.
Provide clear meal and shopping plans, enabling users to manage their time and resources more efficiently.
Offer a smart shopping list feature that ensures users know exactly what ingredients to buy, preventing overbuying or missing items.
Project Goals
Interview
We have talked to 10 potential users, gathered over 70 notes, and performed an in-depth analysis to identify their pain points and needs.
“Thinking about what ingredients I need to buy for my next cook always bothers me. ”
Darlene
“I would worry about not buying enough ingredients or missing something.”
Colleen
“I always forget what's in my fridge, and as a result, many items go bad.”
Angel
“I wouldn't mind buying near-expiry food if I knew I could use it soon.”
Marjorie
“Yeah, I don't mind that as long as there is a refund option in case they screw up my order.”
Esther
Design Process
To hit the deadline and ensure top-notch quality, we implemented the following design processes.
Seamless collaboration across research, design, and development ensures a cohesive project vision. A unified team approach from research to update guarantees consistent quality throughout the project.
research
week 1-2
week 3
ideation
week 4-5
UX Architecture
week 6-7
UI creation
week 8
rendering
week 9
testing
week 10
update
Product Users
All Walmart customers who will buy and cook ingredients.
Regular / Bold
Walmart Font family
Bogle
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Bogle is a sans-serif typeface created by HvD Fonts for Walmart. The font is a slightly modified version of the typeface Brandon Text. The name of the font originated from Walmart founder Sam Walton's assistant Bob Bogle, as a gesture of appreciation to the inventor of the name Wal-Mart.
About type face
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Main Features
Fridge Inventory Management
Users are able to view the expiration date and quantity of ingredients in the refrigerator in real time.
Purpose: To avoid users forgetting the ingredients in the fridge and to improve the utilization of ingredients.
Create, view cooking plans
Users are able to create and modify future cooking plans based on remaining ingredients.
Purpose: To help users better manage and plan for the ingredients they will need.
Shopping List
Users have a clear idea of the ingredients they need to buy next time. These ingredients are automatically generated based on the user's future cooking plans.
Purpose: To help users better manage and plan for the ingredients they will need.
Scan & Go
Users are able to view discounts on items while shopping at Walmart. These discounts change in real time based on the shelf life.
Purpose: Increase user motivation to buy expired goods and reduce food waste in supermarkets.
Detects the use of ingredients in the refrigerator and also evaluates the storage time of ingredients based on the refrigerator temperature and humidity.
Detects only when the refrigerator is open for extra-long battery life.
Refrigerator Sensor
Users can view a detailed inventory list within the app, where each item is labeled with its remaining quantity and recommended usage period.
My Items
Fridge Inventory Management
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Users often struggle to quickly plan meals for the coming days, particularly when it comes to prioritizing the use of soon-to-expire ingredients.
FoodBuddy recommends personalized meal plans based on ingredient expiration dates and user preferences. Users can effortlessly add suggested recipes to the Cooking Plan page, creating a clear and organized meal schedule.
Meal Plan Generation
The system automatically generates a shopping list based on the meal plan and inventory data. Users can quickly view the ingredients they need to replenish on the Shopping List page.
Smart Shopping List
While shopping, users often struggle to identify which ingredients they need to buy, leading to missed items or duplicate purchases.
“Why would I buy near-expired goods when they have the same price for different freshness?”
Robert Fox
We extended Walmart's existing Scan & Go feature. Users can scan products to access detailed information and sync purchase records directly with their shopping list.
Scan & Go
FoodBuddy-Save time, save food, save money
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Thanks for scrolling along!
I am Chu, a UI/UX designer.
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