Overview
Ecora leverages auditory & visual cues to help users better manage their food waste at home. It aims to encourage potential users to take on an active role in defining realistic goals towards minimizing food waste. The objective is to positively influence user's behavior and nudge them towards a more sustainable food-lifestyle.
Current scenario
Global Impact: Every year, 1.6 billion tonnes of food is wasted.
Carbon Footprint: The food industry is a major contributor to CO2 emissions. Reducing food waste could save about 4.4 million tonnes of CO2 annually.
Methane Emissions: Wasted food in landfills decomposes, releasing methane—a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than CO2.Urgent Call for
Action: Minimizing food waste is critical for combating climate change and safeguarding our planet's future.
Although we know that we should not waste food, we still find it challenging to change our behavior. Why is that? One of the reasons is that we lack feedback, making it hard to realize the consequences of our actions.
Identified design challenge
01. Behavior change is a gradual, long-term journey. How can we make this journey more enjoyable, turning it into a positive and engaging experience?
02. Food waste is not a new topic. A lot of people already get tired of the educational cliche. How might we approach this topic dynamically and playfully?
What we did
01
Visualized the behavior change process to make it more tangible
02
Gamified Experience to craft playful micro-interaction, creating an engaging user journey
03
Leveraged the hardware touchpoint- physical bio-bin to detect food waste, classify different food waste types, and encourage users to manage their food waste towards a more sustainable way.
Design Process
This was a two-week sprint project, so given the time constraints, we focused on quick ideation, rapid prototyping, and efficient implementation throughout the design process.
Quick ideation & Draft Prototyping
Digital design ideation & wireframe
Wizard-of-oz prototyping to test the experience
Final Interface Design and Prototype
Ecora product ecosystem
Ecora includes a physical product—a smart bio-bin, and a digital product—an app connected with the physical bio-bin to collect the bio-waste data, providing feedback and suggestions.
Ecora app- set weekly food waste goal
Through the ecora app, users can set new weekly goals based on their previous week's waste amount. By integrating a gamified experience, just like eliminating block puzzle, we aim to transform the food waste management into a playful journey, making the process more engaging and enjoyable.
ecora app- weekly "sound aura" report
Based on the data collected from the bio-bin, the ecora app will generate a summary of the user's personal weekly waste, displayed in a dynamic "sound aura" on the screen. Through the use of color, motion, and sound on the aura, it provides an overview of users' behavior in a playful way, avoiding overwhelming them with detailed static numbers.
ecora app- tips collection
ecora provides users with practical recommendations and tips to reuse or reduce food waste. These small tips assist users in making smarter decisions regarding bio-waste management in their household, promoting a more sustainable and eco-friendly approach.
ecora - eco-bin
The smart bin, your new kitchen buddy is designed to transform the way you handle food waste at home. It's equipped with sensors that measure everything from how much you toss to the conditions inside the bin, and it uses sounds to help guide your waste habits.
