CALEIGH CAUDILL
"One third of all food produced globally is either lost or wasted every year."
Food and Agricultural Organization
What is Near Infrared Spectroscopy and What Does it Have to do With Food?
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Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) uses near-infrared light to analyze materials by measuring how much light is absorbed or reflected, determining their chemical composition without invasive methods.
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It’s widely used in food processing, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals for quality and composition assessment. It can analyze various foods, such as fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy, without damage.
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NIR captures a molecular “fingerprint” to predict ripeness, shelf life, and measure food content like protein, carbohydrates, fat, moisture, and detect diseases.
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NIR is eco-friendly, cost-effective, and produces no waste or pollution.
The Problem
How do we solve food waste in
consumers homes and/or grocery store, and erase misconceptions of foods ripeness such as expiration dates or ‘ugly’ foods?
The Goal
To lessen food waste in the U.S. by
giving users more information about the food they are purchasing. To notify users about proper ways to discard unwanted foods as well as notify users before their food goes bad to make sure food is not thrown away and wasted.
Pain Points
This project is divided into four parts which include:
01
APP
02
SCANNER
03
PACKAGING
04
ECOMMERCE WEBSITE
A user-friendly interface that notifies users about soon to expire foods in their homes and prompts proper ways to discard food to avoid waste.
CLEAN
INTUITIVE
INFORMATIVE
A near infrared spectrometer combined with a barcode scanner that analyzes a variety of foods measuring nutritional values, ripeness and more.
HIGH-TECH
COMPACT
USER-FRIENDLY
Sustainable, biodegradable packaging that uses as little material as possible while still informative and visually interesting.
MINIMALIST
MINIMALIST
INFORMATIVE
A one product shop for selling AVO product as well as informational place for customers to ask questions about the product, show what the product does, and how to use.
HIGH-TECH
INFORMATIVE
01
APP
Sitemap
User Journey Map
7
interviews were conducted with 9 individuals during the high fidelity phase of app development- ages 20 to 68
INSIGHTS/
1
3 people suggested having some sort of instructional/ text/ faq that tell first time users how to use various functions
2
5 people couldn’t find ‘My Pantry’ immediately, each person went to Menu first instead of drop down
3
4 people suggested changing or adding to the green/ red graph on the info page, possibly
adding different icons or change the wording
Notable Features
SCANNER
02
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Near infrared spectrometer (NIR) combined with barcode scanner
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Analyzes makeup of fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, and dairy products
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Measures fat, moisture, protein, sugar, GMO’s, and the ripeness and estimated expiration date of the food
Ideation
Sketch inspiration began from common household handheld items such as dog leashes, remotes, and key fobs.
Following inspiration included fruits, vegetables, and other common foods.
Initial Concept
I decided to not continue with this direction because I felt the design didn't match the aesthetic I was going for, additionally I felt the ergonomics weren't as good as they could be.
Ideation
Additional sketches were completed to identify the design direction. With development of key ring and screen placement, and shape of the scanner.
Low Fidelity Prototypes
High Fidelity Prototypes
High Fidelity Prototypes
Chosen Model
Storyboard
Simply press the side button and hold up to food to receive information about the item
Compact size allows for easy storage from purses to keychains to a users back pocket
Select cart button to add to cart or press the plus to add directly to apps timeline
The scanner electronically sends all scanned information directly to app to be compiled
Scanned foods sent to app when added to cart is turned into QR code for easy checkout
Final Scanner
The button on the left activates the scanner allowing the screen to be on for one minute of inactivity before it turns itself off.
The two buttons on the right allow the user to switch between screens
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Percentage ring: ripeness/age/expiration
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Nutritional value information
Notable Features
SCANNER ACTIVATION BUTTON
SCROLL UP & DOWN
ADD TO CART & ADD TO TIMELINE
KEY RING & CHARGER PORT
Orthographics
PACKAGING
03
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Sustainable, biodegradable packaging material alternative
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As little material as possible
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Informing consumers while visually interesting
Packaging Materiality
CELLULOSE
Avocado
Peel
Peel Extract
Biodegradable Film
“Cellulose is abundant, with nearly 700 billion tons produced yearly, mainly from fruit residue such as avocado peels, which contain about 28% cellulose.”
(USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA))
“Films biodegrade in the soil within 30 days” at 22% soil moisture”(ScienceDirect)
“Films are strong and transparent.”
(ScienceDirect)
MYCELIUM
“Mycelium is a fast growing vegetative part of a fungus which is a safe, inert, renewable, natural and green material which grows in a mass of branched fibres.” (ScienceDirect)
“Mycelium packaging breaks down naturally within weeks to months under composting conditions.” (Meyers)
LIVING INK: ALGAE-BASED
“Algae Ink is a unique, innovative specialty environmentally friendly printing ink. It is similar to many traditional inks, except that the pigment component is completely bio-based and renewable.” (Living INK Technologies)
“Through a proprietary process, leftover algae from farms is repurposed into a powder or suspended liquid dispersion form.” (Stella McCartney)
“non-toxic and carbon negative pigment .” (Stella McCartney)
Ideation
Initially a more simple box was design however the excess material was unnecessary and shape too basic.
Next, additional sketches were created with as little material as possible while still structurally supportive and visually interesting.
Final Packaging Graphics
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Simple uncluttered graphics
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Natural green color
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Sleek but playful design elements
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Information about scanner, what can be scanned, and a QR code linked to app
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7.5 in x 3.2 in
ECOMMERCE WEBSITE
04
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A high-tech professional website
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A clear intuitive site with universal understanding
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Successfully selling the AVO product with all necessary information
