TYPE OF WORK
Team project
CATEGORY
Product Design
TIME
Oct 2023 - Jan 2024
Overview
SustainaBear is a persuasive virtual companion designed to help reduce household food waste through reminders, motivational cues, and educational content. The project leverages RFID technology to track food items and integrates a smart fridge magnet and mobile app to engage users directly in their kitchens.
SustainaBear tackles the pressing issue of food waste, which contributes significantly to environmental degradation. By blending technology with behavioral design, the project encourages sustainable practices at home, simplifying food management and inspiring long-term habit changes.
SustainaBear tackles the pressing issue of food waste, which contributes significantly to environmental degradation. By blending technology with behavioral design, the project encourages sustainable practices at home, simplifying food management and inspiring long-term habit changes.
Platform
Mobile app with a smart fridge magnet (IoT)
Mobile app with a smart fridge magnet (IoT)
Team
Group of 5 students from different backgrounds such as Computer Science, Psychology and Digital Marketing
Group of 5 students from different backgrounds such as Computer Science, Psychology and Digital Marketing
My contribution
I led SustainaBear’s design from user research and ideation through to prototyping as the sole designer, and created the final showcase video.
I led SustainaBear’s design from user research and ideation through to prototyping as the sole designer, and created the final showcase video.
What is the problem?
Globally, over one-third of all food produced for human consumption is wasted each year, contributing to an estimated annual carbon footprint of 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent. While food waste occurs throughout the supply chain, a significant amount of waste is generated in domestic settings. In the UK alone, household food waste accounted for 60% of the total national food waste in 2021, indicating that a major portion of this issue can be attributed to unsustainable consumer behavior.
Aim
To align with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals 12 and 13, the aim of the project is to propose a persuasive design solution aimed at promoting sustainable consumer behavior, thereby reducing domestic household food waste
Research
We reviewed studies that identified factors behind household food waste, including poor inventory knowledge and unsustainable buying habits. Additionally, we conduced a competitive analysis and user surveys to gain further insights into user habits.
Existing solutions
Previous solutions, like EatChaFood and Fridge Pal, provided basic tracking but relied heavily on manual data entry, which often deterred users from sustained engagement. These apps lacked elements to educate and emotionally engage users, highlighting an opportunity for improvement.
Survey
Since food waste is a universal problem, we did not set a specific age range, aiming to capture general patterns rather than limit our findings to a single group.
From our analysis, 70% of participants reported finding expired products in their fridges, 46% of them attributed this to forgetting about the items they had purchased, while 37% of them admitted to buying more food than necessary, showing a gap between awareness and effective food management at home.
From our analysis, 70% of participants reported finding expired products in their fridges, 46% of them attributed this to forgetting about the items they had purchased, while 37% of them admitted to buying more food than necessary, showing a gap between awareness and effective food management at home.
Ideation
The ideation process for SustainaBear began with key "How Might We" questions to address core user needs:
1. How might we ensure users have up-to-date supply knowledge without time-consuming data entry?
2. How might we increase user awareness on optimal food storage and management?
3. How might we motivate users to engage in and maintain sustainable food practices?
To evaluate potential solutions, the team used a weighted matrix, rating concepts based on criteria like cost-effectiveness, educational value, and potential for habit-forming. This led to selecting a hybrid approach with an automated RFID tracking system, a playful virtual companion, and a fridge magnet for reminders.
A conceptual model was developed to visualize SustainaBear’s interactions, showing how each component—app, RFID system, and magnet—would work together.
Solution
SustainaBear is a virtual companion designed to help users reduce food waste through interactive reminders, automatic tracking, and personalized rewards. Living inside users’ fridges, SustainaBear’s virtual environment visibly reacts to food management habits: when food is left unused, a melting iceberg appears, reflecting the real-world impact of waste.
With RFID-tagged groceries and a fridge-mounted reader, SustainaBear automatically tracks inventory as items are placed inside, eliminating manual data entry and keeping users up-to-date on freshness.
SustainaBear actively engages users by suggesting storage tips or recipe ideas for items approaching expiration, sharing these prompts through a digital notebook. Users can access SustainaBear updates via a fridge magnet and a smartphone widget, ensuring they’re always aware of upcoming food reminders and their companion’s status.
As users minimize food waste, they earn accessories to personalize their SustainaBear. The app also tracks and displays CO₂ savings in relatable terms, making sustainable actions both visible and rewarding.
User Testing
To validate SustainaBear’s usability and effectiveness, we conducted a Wizard of Oz study with four participants, simulating the intended user experience across three realistic kitchen scenarios:
- Scenario 1 - Accidental Purchase of Near-Expired Food: Participants placed groceries in the fridge, where the RFID scanner detected items close to expiration. SustainaBear sent a storage tip via the magnet and app to help extend the food’s shelf life.
- Scenario 2 - Using Soon-to-Expire Food: The app suggested a yogurt parfait recipe to use up items nearing expiration, and participants prepared the meal, integrating SustainaBear’s guidance into their routine.
- Scenario 3 - Customization and Rewards: Participants received virtual rewards, such as accessories for the SustainaBear, in recognition of their sustainable actions, experiencing how the app encourages continued engagement.These scenarios allowed us to observe how users interacted with SustainaBear in a real-world context, gathering insights to refine its features and usability.
Results
User feedback was gathered through post-study interviews and analyzed with an affinity diagram to extract key themes. Participants found SustainaBear easy to use and appreciated its role in simplifying food management. Key insights included:
- Effectiveness of Reminders: The fridge magnet’s visual alerts were a favorite, as they offered at-a-glance reminders without requiring phone checks.
- Educational Impact: The app’s tips and recipe suggestions were valued, helping users with daily food preservation and inspiring more sustainable habits.
- Emotional Engagement: Some participants connected emotionally with the virtual bear, while others suggested more interactive features, like feeding or petting, to increase attachment.
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