connecting communities to help those in need
PlatePal is a design-led project done in collaboration with Coursera's Google UX Design Certification Program. PlatePal is a mobile application and website that will facilitate connections between people in the community who have food to give and those who cannot afford it.
As UX designer, I contributed to the overall design process and oversaw aspects related to product scoping, user flows, wireframes, prototyping, and usability testing.
Additionally, I conducted user research and synthesized research findings to produce evidence-based design outcomes.
Design an app and website that will facilitate connections between people in a community who have extra food and those in need.
4 weeks
Using PlatePals’ national and local data on food affordability and waste, I developed interview questions to conduct user interviews. Most participants expressed concern for those unable to afford food but lacked knowledge of ways to help. Participants who couldn't afford food reported a lack of knowledge of available local resources. Feedback received through research revealed users would be willing to help people in need and reduce waste with an easy-to-use tool.
Two critical factors driving this problem: lack of technology to connect local food resources and the community, and food waste, which perpetuates the problem.
I wanted to ask questions that would help gauge the target market's needs, expectations, and highlight potential challenges regarding a platform like PlatePal. Questions like these helped guide the design process.
Utilizing user research and interviews, I started to look at different UI to design the best visualization for a user to find food nearby, and a user looking to offer food. Sites like Facebook Marketplace, Google Maps, and Nextdoor were sources of inspiration!
When it came to designing the home page, my focus was specifically on finding available food items near the users location. However, user interviews revealed people would be susceptible to offer food if the option was readily available to them.
Research showed that most marketplace-type transactions fall apart due to back-and-forth communication between parties. Reserving an item and allowing the user to select a date and time predetermined by the poster, removed a pain point expressed in user interviews and creates a more seamless interaction.
Based on the insights from the usability studies, I applied design changes like providing a responsive map feature to find available food in any given area.
For my low-fidelity prototype, I decided to focus on the "finding" task flow. This included finding available food, reserving the item for pickup, and messaging the poster to confirm or edit any details.
Findings revealed that users would utilize a filter option that would allow them to sort by distance, select dietary preferences, and view postings from "verified" users. Additionally, incorporating a responsive map feature resulted in positive feedback for users who are willing to travel farther.
With the app designs completed, I started work on designing the responsive website. I used the PlatePal sitemap to guide the organizational structure of each screen’s design to ensure a cohesive and consistent experience across devices.
The designs for screen size variation included mobile, tablet, and desktop. I optimized the designs to fit specific user needs of each device and screen size. Users shared that the app made it easier to find available food in their community. One quote from a user who posted listings said, “Using PlatePal made me feel good that I can help a neighbor in need.”
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I learned that even though the problem I was trying to solve was a big one, diligently going through each step of the design process and aligning with specific user needs helped me come up with solutions that were both feasible and useful. It felt really good to work on something that can positively impact peoples lives. Next time, I'll know to:
1. Be cautions, and never assume. As it is my goal to design with as much empathy as possible, this project made me learn to be extremely sensitive with topics that deal with economic or social disparities.
2. Connect with local resources. The goal of this project was to help as many people as possible. There are many local resources that people are not aware of. Bringing awareness and connecting people with local resources like food banks, food pantrys, summer lunch programs for kids would go a long way.