Fridge
Mobile app
Overview
What
Android application on Google Play Store. Fridge was designed with a mission to reduce food waste and promote food sustainability by helping users find recipes that use refrigerator leftovers. Scroll down to learn more about my (literally) delicious journey!
Who
Helen He
When
Jan 2017 - June 2018 (high school junior year)
Skills and tools
Mobile app development, product development, design thinking, Android Studio, Java
Finished product
Available on Google Play Store
Story
The inspiration for the Fridge app hit the night of Thanksgiving 2017 when I stood before my refrigerator, gaping at the bulging shelves of leftover dishes and ingredients from making said dishes. I wanted to create a fun, easy solution where I could use up leftovers before they went bad and had to be thrown away.
My end product was a solution that could help not just me cook with leftovers, but also other home chefs use their own leftover dishes and ingredients in a fun, delicious way, while promoting sustainability and food waste awareness.
And during the app development process, I got to finish those Thanksgiving leftovers too!
Some relevant numbers
2/3
of household food waste is caused by food going bad before it’s used (source)
30-40%
food supply end up as waste through retail and consumer means (source)
User interviews
I talked to some family members, friends, and neighbors who cook regularly, so I could understand their dealings and difficulties with using up leftover food.
Main findings
Difficult to find recipes that use specific ingredients
Recipes sometimes require buying more ingredients, leading to more leftovers
Internet is a good source for recipes
Notable quotes
“It’s hard using up leftovers because the leftovers are very specific ingredients, and it’s not always easy finding ways to combine them in a dish.”
“I don’t like using recipes because they usually call for more indigents, which produce more leftovers.”
“I like to use the Internet for recipes. I can sometimes find creative, unusual recipes there that I normally wouldn’t be able to come up with.”
Prototyping
Using my interview findings, I created and tested a lo-fi mobile app prototype. Some notable features:
Users can specify ingredients and quantity of ingredients, so they don’t need to buy more
Recipes from Edamam API
Since AndroidStudio apps took time to create, most prototyping was done with pen and paper, while I worked on the actual app at a slower pace, only adding certain features after prototype feedback. Looking back, I wish I had learned about Figma prototypes at this time.
Iterating
“User flow is pretty good. Wish there was a reset ingredients button though, like if I change my mind on which ingredients to use and want to clear all at once.”
“It would be nice to see recipes that only use the ingredients I specify, so if I’m in a pinch, I don’t have to buy more ingredients.”
“It’s frustrating to have to measure ingredient weights. Like, is there a way I can just say 2 bananas, instead of having to get out a scale and specify 300 grams of bananas?”
Incorporating feedback
I was able to incorporate some feedback features, but not all, due to technical and time constraints. Main feature updates included:
Users can use ingredient itself as unit rather than weighing out ingredients (e.g. 2 apples instead of 200 g apples)
“Reset Ingredients” icon
“User Ingredients Only” section for recipes that only use user’s ingredients, no additional ingredients needed
Fixes
Extras
Branding
Theme color: #ff5329
Font: Carnas
For color, I picked #ff5329 for its playful, friendly tone. I chose Carnas as the font since, from measuring the right ingredients to calculating the perfect temperature, cooking is a science as much as it is an art. Carnas's modern, industrial look complements that task. Together, the color and font blend playfulness and experimentation in the kitchen.
Final color and font
Theme color exploration, studies have shown that warm colors evoke hunger
Experimenting with fonts
Usage fun
Some recipes I discovered and experimented with while testing the app. Recipe links are in titles. Needless to say, all Thanksgiving leftovers were finished by the time I published Fridge!
Chicken Nuggets with Mango and Avocado Salsa
Input:
- 2 lb chicken breasts
- 5 lb coconut flour
Input:
- 500 g pumpkin puree
- 200 g buttermilk
- 2 oz cream cheese
Input:
- 5 lb turkey
- 1 oz cream cheese
- 7 flour tortillas