INTRODUCTION
Lettuce Stop Wasting: The Future of Sustainable Grocery Management
A mobile app that scans groceries and sends reminders when items are close to expiring, suggesting personalized recipes and shopping lists.
Role
Research
Strategy
UX/ UI
Team
1 PM
2 Engineers
1 QM
Duration
3 months
Sector
Food + Nutrition
Consumer Goods + Grocery
Environmental Sustainability
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Food ain't cheap- use it before you lose it.
Every year, U.S. households waste 30-40% of their food supply, amounting to over 130 billion pounds of food and $1,500 lost per family annually. Most of this waste happens because people forget what they have, don’t use items in time, or struggle to plan meals efficiently. This app tracks freshness, sends reminders before food expires, and suggests recipes based on what you already have—helping you save money, reduce waste, and eat smarter.
Excessive Food Waste
People often forget about grocery items they’ve bought until it’s too late, leading to overconsumption.
Financial Setbacks
Without visibility into what’s already at home, people overbuy and overspend, contributing to unnecessary spending.
Envrionmental Footprint
Food waste is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and unsustainable resource use.
OBJECTIVES
Seasoned thinking for fresh solutions.
The goal was to empower users to make smarter decisions about their groceries, reduce waste, and promote sustainability. By combining convenience, financial savings, and eco-conscious habits, we aimed to create a seamless experience that supports a more responsible and mindful way of managing food.
Key Objectives
Minimize food waste: Develop an intuitive mobile solution that empowers users to track groceries and reduce unnecessary food waste by sending timely expiration reminders and suggesting recipes based on ingredients nearing their expiration date.
Improve financial savings: Help users save money by preventing over-purchasing and reducing food spoilage, ultimately leading to smarter grocery management and more efficient meal planning.
Foster sustainable living: Promote sustainability by encouraging responsible consumption, reducing environmental impact, and supporting eco-friendly habits in users’ daily routines.
Enhance user experience: Design a seamless, easy-to-use interface that allows users to quickly scan groceries, track items, and access personalized recommendations, ensuring consistent engagement and long-term retention.
Create data-driven insights: Enable users to better understand their purchasing patterns and food usage habits through insights, helping them make informed decisions about what to buy, eat, and waste less of.
APPROACH
Blending it down.
I structured the project into three key phases.
1. Discovery
User Research
Interviews
Competitive Analysis
Heuristic Analysis
Market Trends
Consumer Behaviors
2. Ideation
Strategy Development
Key Solution Elements
Brainstorming Findings
User Flows
Iterative Testing
Feedback Sessions
3. Design
Wireframes
Collaborative Iteration
Accessibility Considerations
Edge Cases
Prototypes
Usability Testing
JOURNEY MAPPING
The Crumb Trail
This map visualizes pain points in the multi-role dental procurement process—especially the approval flow between staff and dentists. It helped prioritize friction-reducing features and shape our collaboration strategy.
USER RESEARCH
No half-baked ideas.
The core users of the app are busy professionals, health-conscious shoppers, and budget conscious families- all with their unique responsibilities, challenges, and needs. Keeping the users in mind, I made sure that the platform not only streamlined grocery management but also provided personalized, actionable insights to help them reduce waste, save time, and make healthier, more cost-effective choices.
I conducted thorough research to ensure the project was grounded in real user needs and market insights. This began with interviewing potential users to understand their pain points, behaviors, and motivations around grocery shopping, food storage, and waste management. The interviews revealed consistent struggles around keeping track of perishable items, underutilizing ingredients before they spoil, and the financial burden of wasteful grocery habits.
Busy Professionals
"I need to reorder supplies quickly and without errors to ensure the office never runs out of essential items."
Responsibilities
Manage supply inventory and ensure timely ordering of essential materials
Coordinate with vendors for order delivery and track order statuses
Supervise the overall supply chain process, including budgeting and cost control
Train staff on how to use ordering systems and ensure proper inventory procedures are followed.
Needs
A quick, error-free way to reorder essential supplies
Centralized view of inventory across all departments
Smart reminders or low-stock alerts
Clear vendor information and pricing
Goals
Streamline vendor communication and order history
Maintain smooth day-to-day operations by minimizing downtime due to missing supplies or managing reorders
Pain Points
➜ Dealing with fragmented vendor systems and tracking multiple spreadsheets for inventory management ➜ Managing inventory manually using spreadsheets ➜ Placing duplicate or missed orders due to lack of visibility ➜ Limited clarity on product availability or delivery timelines
Key Insight
Office Managers are juggling multiple responsibilities and need an intuitive, centralized system that automates reordering and tracks inventory in real-time.
Health-Conscious Shoppers
"I need to track bulk orders efficiently so I can manage inventory levels and keep costs in check."
Responsibilities
Oversee bulk ordering and stock management for larger dental practices
Compare vendor pricing, inventory availability, and negotiate better deals
Maintain inventory levels and ensure supplies are ordered before running out
Track orders and deliveries to ensure timely availability of supplies
Needs
Ability to compare pricing and availability across multiple vendors
Easy-to-read bulk order summaries and historical data
Forecasting tools for smarter purchasing decisions
Integration with inventory tracking systems
Goals
Ensure a steady supply of inventory while minimizing excess stock and keeping costs under control.
Pain Points
➜ Complex workflows across different vendor systems ➜ Difficulty keeping stock levels optimized (either over- or understocking) ➜ Time-consuming comparisons for bulk orders ➜ Lack of automation or alerts for restocking
Key Insight
Procurement teams need visibility and control over purchasing data to make high-volume, cost-effective decisions and minimize operational risks.
Budget-Conscious Families
" I need to approve supplies quickly so I can continue delivering top-quality care without interruptions."
Responsibilities
Approve necessary supplies for procedures, ensuring high-quality materials are used
Review stock levels and communicate any critical inventory shortages to the office manager
Collaborate with the office manager on special requests or custom orders
Ensure the practice runs smoothly by having all required tools and supplies available for patient care
Needs
Visibility into product quality and reviews
Confidence that necessary, high quality tools and supplies are always available
Simple interface to easily and quickly approve or flag needed items
Fast reordering for emergency or high-use items
Goals
Ensure high-quality care by approving the best supplies available without delays.
Pain Points
➜ Interruptions during procedures due to supply shortages ➜ Limited time and say in supply decisions despite being primary users ➜ Unclear information on quality or origin of supplies ➜ Lack of input into the procurement cycle
Key Insight
Dentists want assurance and control, even in a secondary role—they benefit most from a seamless supply chain that doesn’t interfere with patient care.
THE DISCOVERY PROCESS
User Interviews
Identified common pain points like forgotten fridge items, expired food, and a lack of meal planning strategies.
Competitive Analysis
Assessed usability, features, and design patterns to highlight gaps in user experience and opportunities.
Market Trends
Explored broader trends in sustainability, smart kitchens, and food tech.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Aisle Be Back: Outshining the Competition
The food management app space is growing, with products like NoWaste, Fridge Pal, and Too Good To Go addressing parts of the food waste problem. While these tools offer inventory tracking, grocery list management, or surplus food deals, many lack a seamless, proactive experience.
I conducted a competitive analysis of existing apps to understand how they approached expiration tracking, user engagement, and recipe suggestions. This helped surface gaps in automation, limited personalization, and poor cross-device sync.
To further evaluate usability challenges, I ran a heuristic analysis focused on key UX principles like user control, visibility of system status, and error prevention. Common friction points included clunky onboarding, confusing input methods for item tracking, and missing notifications when items neared expiration.
Key Gaps
How This Platform Differentiates
Cumbersome Item Input:
Most apps require manual entry for every grocery item, leading to user fatigue and abandonment. Without scanning or automation, managing inventory feels like a chore rather than a convenience.
Seamless Inventory Capture:
Uses smart scanning and receipt parsing to auto-populate pantry items, dramatically reducing manual entry. This streamlines setup and daily use, helping users stay engaged without extra effort.
Inaccurate or Passive Expiration Tracking:
Expiration tracking is often unreliable or passive, with unclear timelines and poor notifications. This results in missed reminders and wasted food, undermining the core purpose of the app.
Proactive Expiration Alerts:
Provides smart, customizable notifications based on item types and freshness windows. The app learns from user behavior to time reminders effectively—preventing waste before it happens.
Generic Recipe Suggestions:
Many platforms recommend recipes that don’t reflect a user's real inventory or dietary needs. This disconnect reduces the app’s usefulness and leads users to look elsewhere for meal inspiration.
Personalized, Context-Aware Recipes:
Suggests recipes that reflect real-time pantry contents, dietary preferences, and urgency (e.g., “3 items expiring soon”). This turns forgotten food into inspired meals with minimal decision fatigue.
Low Household Collaboration:
Most apps are designed for solo users, ignoring the dynamics of shared kitchens or families. Without shared inventory or sync features, items get duplicated or forgotten, defeating the purpose of organized tracking.
Household Syncing:
Includes shared access and collaborative tools for households, allowing multiple users to manage inventory together. No more duplicate purchases or miscommunication about what’s already in the fridge.
Lack of Sustainability Integration:
Sustainability is often treated as an afterthought. Users don’t see the impact of their habits, and apps miss the opportunity to tie food management to broader eco-conscious behavior.
Sustainability Tracking & Insights:
Visualizes users’ impact over time—like pounds of food saved or CO₂ reduced—to encourage behavior change. Sustainability is woven into the core experience, not an optional add-on.
Minimal User Delight or Retention Strategy:
Few platforms make the experience enjoyable or sticky. Without engaging design, motivational feedback, or smart reminders, users lose interest and fall back into wasteful habits.
Gamified Retention Loops:
Incorporates badges, streaks, and gentle nudges to create motivation beyond utility. Celebrates waste reduction milestones and nudges users back into the habit loop with delightful micro-interactions.
MARKET TRENDS
What the Market's Serving:
Finally, I researched macro-level market trends — including the rise of multi-location dental groups, increasing reliance on digital procurement platforms, and growing pressure for cost-efficiency — to ensure the product direction aligns with industry shifts and business priorities.
Key Market Trends
Consumer Demand for Sustainable Solutions
A significant shift in consumer behavior shows that sustainability is no longer a niche concern. According to a 2024 survey, 54% of consumers are willing to pay a premium for sustainable products and services, up from previous years. This growing eco-consciousness indicates a strong market for tools that help individuals reduce their environmental footprint.
Advancements in Smart Kitchen Technology
The integration of AI and IoT in kitchen appliances is transforming how households manage food. Smart fridges and AI-powered ovens can now monitor food freshness, suggest recipes, and optimize cooking processes. These technologies aim to reduce food waste and enhance convenience.
Policy Initiatives Targeting Food Waste Reduction
Governments are implementing policies to combat food waste, reflecting its importance on the public agenda. In 2024, several states introduced measures like date labeling reforms and organic waste bans to encourage better food management practices. Such regulatory actions create a favorable environment for solutions that assist consumers in adhering to these new standards.
US Market Trends
US Market Trends
While specific market data for dental supply management platforms is limited, the U.S. dental practice management software market is projected to grow from $780M in 2022 to $1.6B by 2030 — indicating a strong trend toward digitization in dental operations. This growth reflects an increasing demand for software tools that streamline supply and inventory workflows.
Global Market Growth of DPMS
2023 - The global DPMS market was valued at approximately $2.6 billion.
2024 - Growth to $2.89 billion.
2025 - Projected to reach $3.18 billion.
2030 - Forecasted to surpass $4.67 billion, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.9%.
2034 - Expected to attain $7.71 billion, maintaining a CAGR of 10.2% from 2025.
US Market Trends
2023 - The US DPMS market was valued at approximately $851.4 million.
2024 - Growth to $830 million was observed.
2030 - Projected to reach $1.768 billion, with a CAGR of 8.8%.
2034 - Expected to surpass $2.25 billion, growing at a CAGR of 10.49% from 2025.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
Key Solution Elements for Users
Product Information Transparency
Dentists and clinic managers could now process orders faster, reducing supply chain errors.
Centralized Issue Resolution
Provides an in-platform help desk where users can report issues (e.g. missing items, delayed shipments) and communicate directly with vendors, all from one dashboard.
Built-In Approval Workflow
Office managers and procurement staff can browse, add items to the cart, and save orders as drafts. The dentist must review and approve the cart before finalizing the purchase.
One-Click Reordering
Allows users to quickly restock commonly used products
Intuitive Search and Filters
Advanced search functionality with filters for product type, brand, and regulatory compliance.
Customizable Order Bundles
A feature that allows users to create customized product bundles for recurring needs.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
Key Solution Elements for Stakeholders
Sales Insights and Analytics
A data-driven insights dashboard that tracks purchasing trends, product demand, and sales performance.
Offers stakeholders key business insights to optimize products, inventory, and pricing strategies, identify best-sellers and trends, and enable targeted marketing to boost sales and revenue.
Supplier Management Tools
Easily manage relationships with multiple suppliers, track inventory levels, and negotiate bulk pricing.
Streamlines operations for stakeholders, enabling them to make informed decisions about suppliers and maintain a competitive edge, increasing profit margins and reducing overhead costs, ultimately leading to higher revenue.
Dynamic Pricing Engine
A flexible pricing model that adjusts product prices based on demand, seasonality, and market trends.
Increases revenue by allowing stakeholders to maximize pricing opportunities while remaining competitive in the market.
Customizable Reporting
Generate custom reports on sales, orders, customer preferences, and inventory turnover.
Offers flexibility to analyze data in ways that support better decision-making for both short-term and long-term business goals, allowing stakeholders to make data-informed decisions to improve sales performance and identify potential areas for growth.
Compliance and Regulatory Tracking
A built-in compliance tracker that ensures all products meet industry regulations and certifications, and provides necessary documentation for audits.
Protects stakeholders from legal and financial risks by ensuring that all products meet regulatory requirements before being sold to dental clinics.
Subscription Model for Recurring Orders
A subscription option for dental clinics to set up regular orders for frequently used products (e.g., consumables, gloves, dental kits).
Generates steady, predictable revenue streams, while ensuring the dental clinic remains stocked with necessary supplies and reducing churn.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
Well-Done Interfaces
Creating a Community of Sustainability
Enabling social features like sharing recipes or tracking food waste goals fosters a sense of belonging and community. Users can feel that their sustainable choices contribute to a collective good.
Why It Matters: Community-driven features help reinforce the idea that small actions can have a larger impact, strengthening the relationship between users and the app. It’s about creating a movement for positive change.
Empowering Users Through Transparency
Providing users with clear information about product origins, sustainability, and the impact of their actions within the app fosters trust and encourages eco-friendly choices.
Why It Matters: Transparency around the app’s features, how data is used, and the impact of reducing waste helps build a stronger bond with users, empowering them to make informed, responsible decisions that align with their values.
Building Long Term Relationships with Users
Designed with long-term user engagement in mind, the app offers ongoing value by continually evolving with user needs, trends, and new sustainable practices, making users feel like they’re part of a growing solution.
Why It Matters: Fostering a lasting connection encourages users to integrate the app into their daily lives, resulting in a more enduring relationship built on shared goals of sustainability and reducing food waste.
Accessibility for All
The app is easy to use for a diverse range of users, including those with different abilities and needs, so that sustainability and waste reduction are accessible to everyone.
Why It Matters: An inclusive design broadens the app’s appeal and fosters a sense of shared responsibility for reducing food waste, making the eco-friendly mission accessible and inclusive to all users.
EDGE CASES
When Things Go Sour
In developing a food management app aimed at reducing household waste, I considered a variety of edge cases to ensure a smooth and intuitive experience across a range of real-world behaviors—whether users forget to scan items, share fridges with roommates, or log vague expiration dates. Below is a breakdown of key edge cases, potential friction points, and how the design effectively addresses them to maintain usability and trust.
FINAL USABILITY VALIDATION
The Final Taste Test
After building out the prototype, I conducted a final usability validation with potential users to validate the effectiveness of the design.
Key Tests
Task-Based Testing
Dentists were asked to complete key tasks (e.g., order supplies, re-order, and compare products) while I observed their interaction.
Surveys
I collected feedback on ease of use, clarity, and overall satisfaction.
Insights & Iterations:
Dentists appreciated the bulk ordering and quick reorder features, but needed better inventory alerts (e.g., low stock warnings).
Streamlined price comparison was helpful, but needed clearer visual cues for pricing trends over time.
Results:
30 users tested the flow and provided feedback:
98% understood how to navigate the supply dashboard within the first 5 minutes
82% engaged with the vendor comparison tool during their first session
+42% increase in perceived efficiency (before vs. after using the prototype)
“This would seriously save me hours every week.”
“I love how everything’s in one place—I don’t have to dig through five tabs just to reorder gloves.”
RESULTS
The Last Bite
After refining the platform based on feedback, I handed off the final designs to the development team for implementation. The platform was launched successfully and began to streamline the procurement process for dental practices, with an emphasis on speed, accuracy, and easy reordering.
Impact
Increased Efficiency
Dentists and clinic managers could now process orders faster, reducing supply chain errors.
Cost Savings
Transparent pricing and vendor comparison allowed for better budgeting and savings.
Customer Satisfaction
By focusing on user needs, we improved retention rates and built trust among dental professionals.