WasteNot
An end-to-end solution for seeing, using and saving your food.
Role
UX/UI Designer
Test Moderator
Job duties
UX Research
User Interviews
Product Design
Prototyping
Usability Testing
Tools
Figma
Figjam
Otter.ai
Timeline: 5 Weeks
Case Summary
For this capstone I created a mobile app offering an end-to-end solution that reduces household food waste by providing tools for people to better track, understand, and use the food they already have.
The Problem
The broad challenge of solving :
Common weekly food waste
Emotional frustration of keeping an up-to-date inventory
Noticing invisible expiring items before its too late
Many existing tools focus on recipes or shopping lists in isolation, but few support the full lifecycle of food once it enters the home.
One of the most valuable lessons experienced from mistakes made was:
Recognizing how essential clear in‑app guidance and UX guardrails are when designing a feature‑rich solution.
Early user issues when switching different task flows helped me understand how to better navigate their experience & also empower users to fully benefit from the product’s capabilities. This capstone strengthened my progression & confidence with:
The capstone concluded with a refined, pre-MVP prototype featuring validated core workflows and a sophisticated user guidance system informed by multiple rounds of research through usability testing
Efficiently conducting user research
Moderating usability tests
Translating user insights into meaningful design
Iterations that directly improve clarity and usability.
A final round of feedback from my mentor uncovered opportunities for even deeper refinement for a more streamlined and supportive user journey. This led to a strategic shift in the final prototype:
Next was to refine the microcopy across specific labels for cards and folders, thus improving overall feature comprehension across the prototype.
During high-fidelity design, I addressed previous navigation challenges by prioritizing the first-time user experience as a core design pillar. To bridge the gap in feature comprehension, initial iterations were made by:
Integrating site instructions into the onboarding process.
Old
New
Adding targeted tooltips, like an instructional message for the "shared shopping list" feature.
Old
New
Replacing ambiguous labels with intuitive, action-oriented text to ensure task flows felt more intuitive
Instead of burying vital navigation guidance into a standard onboarding tutorial, instructions were integrated directly onto the home dashboard for immediate context.
The goal is to provide these instructions to first-time users as they explore app features so the process feels as intuitive as possible.
Old
New
These early testing insights highlighted both the concept of solution, as well as areas that required refinement to ensure a smoother, more intuitive user experience.
Early test sessions unveiled a few usability issues with site navigation among test subjects. Some users also expressed uncertainty about how to use certain features.
Early stages of testing mid-fidelity wireframes validated the core logic of the inventory‑tracking flow
5/5 testers completed the "Sort Inventory" task within the given time limit
Despite some minor navigation issues, users still recognized the app’s potential to meaningfully reduce household food waste, reinforcing that the product concept addressed a real and relevant need.
efficient inventory input through receipt scanning
expiration tracking
shared shopping lists syncing
recipe recommendations prioritizing expiring inventory items
This diverse range of personalities defined an opportunity for a low-friction, non-judgmental system focused on building awareness rather than enforcing perfection. The next step was to map an end-to-end user journey supported by:
After collecting interview data, I synthesized findings into behavioral patterns, pain points, and emotional drivers that resulted in detailed personas representing a range of grocery behaviors, from careful planners to impulse buyers. This ensured the solution addressed diverse household needs.
Low awareness of pantry and fridge items
Duplicate purchases
Unnoticed food expiration
Ongoing cognitive burden of deciding what to cook
Identifying insights through affinity mapping revealed four core drivers of food waste:
Some platforms help you track food, others help you use it, but none connect inventory awareness with timely, actionable decision-making.
To ground these findings in real behavior, I also interviewed heads of households to understand the root causes of mental fatigue around meal planning and food inventory tracking.
I conducted a competitive analysis of existing food management and grocery apps to identify gaps in how current solutions address household food waste.
Process
Identify Critical Waste Drivers
Enhance Mindfulness, Prevent Wastefulness
Uncovering Usability Issues
Refined UX Through Iterative Testing
Learning Opportunities
Closing Insights
Multiple users expressed confusion about creating an account vs. logging in during the onboarding process.
Solution: Change microcopy of CTA's so they are consistent from screen to screen.
From: "Login"
To: "Account Setup"
When testing between "Inventory" & "Recipe Search" tasks, one user clicked back and tried the search using the "Expiring Soon" instead of using the "Recipes" button on bottom nav bar.
Solution: Integrate site navigation instructions on the home dashboard that provides immediate context first time users.
