BuySmart

I care about the environment, and solving for problems using design brings me joy. In simple terms BuySmart is an app that helps you reduce food waste and saves you money, this is the core value of the app.

The Problem

Food waste is a massive environmental crisis, and it starts in our shopping carts.

In the United States, households waste approximately 76 billion pounds of food annually - equivalent to 1,000 Empire State Buildings. This waste contributes to:

21% of landfill volume (generating harmful methane gas)
$1,500 per household in wasted money annually
Massive carbon footprint from production, transportation, and disposal

Split image showing overflowing landfill vs. empty fridge to visualize the disconnect betw

The Root Cause

Through our research, we discovered that food waste begins with poor shopping decisions driven by :

Disconnected shopping - People buy groceries without knowing what they already have at home
Impulse purchases - Exciting new products end up unused while staples expire
Poor meal planning - Ingredients are bought without a clear plan for how to use them

The Opportunity

What if we could make sustainable shopping as easy and engaging as scrolling through social media?

Our challenge was to design a solution that would help environmentally-conscious consumers make better purchasing decisions while reducing the cognitive load of meal planning and inventory management.

User Research & Insights

Research Methodology

Given our one-month timeline, we implemented a focused research approach designed to maximize insights while maintaining rigor

12 in-depth user interviews (6 frequent grocery shoppers, 6 occasional shoppers)
Survey of 85 participants regarding shopping habits and food waste patterns
Observational studies conducted at 3 local grocery stores
Week-long digital diary study with 8 participants tracking food waste behaviors

Key Research Findings

Primary Insight: Consumers demonstrate strong intentions toward sustainable practices, but existing systems prioritize convenience and impulse purchasing over thoughtful consumption.

Critical Discoveries :

73% of participants purchased groceries without first assessing existing inventory
Average consumer makes 2.3 unplanned purchases per shopping trip
Meal planning frequency decreased significantly during periods of high stress or busy schedules
Food expiration emerged as the primary driver of waste, yet consumers rarely checked expiration dates during shopping

User Personas

Primary Persona: The Health-Conscious Professional

Sarah, 35 | Software Engineer | Chicago | $100K+ income

"I want to be more aware of food expiration and actively try to prevent food waste in our home, but it's challenging with my schedule."

Sarah represents busy professionals who prioritize health and sustainability but struggle with execution due to time constraints. She values nutritious eating and environmental responsibility but often finds herself overwhelmed by the cognitive load of meal planning and inventory management.

Goals:

Maintain organized meal planning and efficient grocery shopping
Consume nutritious food consistently
Minimize food waste and environmental impact
Reduce time spent on food-related decision making

Pain Points:

Shopping without awareness of existing inventory
Fresh ingredients expiring due to forgotten purchases
Difficulty maintaining meal plans during high-stress periods
Lack of real-time access to expiration date information while shopping

Secondary Persona: The Enthusiastic Explorer

Alex, 24 | Entry-level Employee | $40K-50K income

"Whenever I go shopping, I end up overpurchasing, even though I need to stay on budget."

Alex represents younger consumers who are passionate about food discovery and culinary exploration, particularly influenced by social media content. However, this enthusiasm often leads to impulsive purchasing decisions that exceed budget constraints and result in ingredient waste.

Goals:

Explore new recipes and culinary experiences
Maintain adherence to budget constraints
Make intentional purchasing decisions
Maximize utilization of purchased ingredients

Pain Points:

Limited awareness of existing grocery inventory
Susceptibility to impulse purchases influenced by social media
Purchasing ingredients without clear utilization plans
Decision paralysis leading to food waste and budget overruns

Secondary Persona The Health-Conscious Professional.png

Design Process & Ideation

From Insights to Solutions

With clear user pain points identified, we needed to translate research findings into actionable design opportunities. Our approach focused on reducing cognitive load while making sustainable shopping behaviors feel natural and engaging.

Key Feature Ideation

Problem: Users shop without knowing what they already have at home

Solution: Gamified Inventory Management
We designed a Tinder-style swipe interaction for quickly updating pantry inventory. Users can swipe left on items they already have (like carrots in the fridge) and swipe right on items they need (like tomatoes for the shopping list). This familiar gesture makes inventory management feel effortless rather than tedious.

Problem: Receipt entry is cumbersome and time-consuming

Solution: Smart Receipt Scanning
Users can photograph their grocery receipts, and our ML integration automatically updates their pantry inventory. This eliminates the friction of manual entry while ensuring inventory stays current.

Problem: Meal planning feels overwhelming and disconnected from available ingredients

Solution: Inventory-Based Recipe Suggestions
The app suggests recipes based on ingredients users already have, reducing waste while simplifying meal planning decisions.

User Flow Architecture

This user flow diagram illustrates a comprehensive journey for what appears to be a meal planning and grocery shopping application. Here's the detailed flow:

Main User Journey (Orange/Red Path)

The flow begins at the Tutorial screen, which branches into two initial paths:

Login/Sign Up → leads to Profile
Create Household (optional) → also connects to Profile

A persistent navigation bar provides access to four main sections:

Shopping List (Yellow)
Inventory (Green)
Recipe (Purple)
Meal Planner (Blue)

Feature Branches

Shopping List Flow (Yellow)

Displays Input Methods options
Users can Enter Items manually
A decision point asks "Use Shopping mode?"
- If Yes → Shopping Mode → Finish Shopping? → Add Extra Items if bought → Items added to Inventory
- If No → Returns to Shopping List

Inventory Management (Green)

Two input method entry points lead to:

A decision diamond "Add Existing Items to Inventory"
- If Yes → Recipe Interaction
- If No → Items Added to Inventory

Recipe Section (Purple)

Recipe Based on Inventory → Choose Recipe → Start Cooking

Meal Planning (Blue)

Enter Dietary Preferences → Enter Days → Meal Plan Created → Recipe Based on Inventory → Start Cooking

Information Architecture Decisions

Green Color Psychology: We selected a green-based color scheme to psychologically reinforce environmental consciousness and healthy eating associations, while ensuring accessibility standards for contrast ratios.

Tab-Based Navigation: Research showed users needed quick access to four core functions: Shopping List, Inventory, Recipe Suggestions, and Meal Planning. The bottom tab structure provides immediate access while maintaining spatial consistency.

Progressive Disclosure: Complex features like detailed nutrition information or environmental impact scores are available but not prominently displayed, preventing cognitive overload for casual users while satisfying power users.