Discover
The starting point was conducting exploratory research in order to develop insights into the causes of household food waste and try try to gain a deeper understanding of the problem.
Exploratory research
Researchers find that the average U.S. household wastes 31.9% of the food that its members obtain. That translates to roughly $408 billion worth of food each year. The study found that more than two-thirds of households have food waste estimates of between 20% and 50%. This waste has a clear economic impact, as well as effects on our health and the environment.
Survey
FI knew household waste was an issue, but I had never really thought about the different ways we so passively waste food without giving it a second thought. I created a survey in attempt to find out what this experience is like for others.
Here are the questions asked:
1. What best describes your living situation?
2. How much food would you say that your household usually throws away each week? (very little - an excessive amount)
3. In what ways do you try to reduce the amount of food waste in your home?
4. Thinking back over the last month, what types of foods most often end up in your garbage at home?
5. Why do these foods end up in your garbage?
6. While grocery shopping, how often is food waste (food that gets thrown away) on your mind?
7. What is the top reason food waste is on your mind while grocery shopping?
9. While eating out, how often is food waste (food that gets thrown away) on your mind?
10. What is the top reason food waste is on your mind while eating out?
11. In what ways do you try to reduce food waste while eating out? Please select all that apply.
12. How would you personally rate yourself at managing food waste?
13. What motivates you to avoid food waste?
14. How would you rate your level of concern regarding household food waste? (Couldn't care less- I've never known peace)
Key results
Analysis
Over the course of a few days, I received 21 responses from my target group of college-age individuals. I chose this group of people because this is typically the period of one's life where they move out and are on their own for the first time. You are presented with a whole new world of personal consumption and waste management. I didn’t find the results to be quite surprising, but there were a few points I wanted to call out.
76%
of respondents said that produce was most often the food that goes to waste
86%
of respondents waste the most food because they don’t finish it before it goes out of date
Something I found to be incredibly interesting was that the majority of people considered themselves to be poor at personal waste management while at the same time, reported being incredibly concerned about household waste.
This helped me come to the conclusion: people want to be better at household waste management, they just don’t know how!
After analyzing my survey results and considering what I learned in my exploratory research, I decided that the best solution to this problem would be a mobile app that helps people learn about household waste management strategies through doing. The aspects I considered to be the most vital were logging what one has, learning proper storage techniques, being reminded when items are soon going out of date, and simplifying local donation processes.
Competitor research
Competitive analysis
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