Tentatively named “Foodly|” is a food waste management application that I am developing along with 3 other co-founders and several other U of T students. This project first started in a design competition in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Toronto known as “the Game”. For this competition, all 9 groups started with the notion of trying to make the world a better place. Over the 8 month period, each group framed and re-framed this goal; our group did so until we landed on our current frame of food waste management. After framing, we researched and verified our assumptions, the existence of a problem, and user needs. We also designed our mobile application which garnered our 1st place designation in the competition. The application will target household users and, through the use of backseat algorithms, will not only facilitate the reduction in food waste, but will also nudge them toward food waste management. Further, through using our design for usability focus, we hope to give users the most efficient and user-friendly experience possible. By fall, we hope to have developed an alpha-release prototype and will continue developing both the product and the company throughout the year.
---Christopher Choquette