Asset Management

MANDATE

As part of this project, we had to develop a forward-looking and innovative digital product or service concept, responding to a real problem of our choice, taking into account human factors and the characteristics of our target customers.

PROBLEMATIC

The issue that I have decided to address is that of food waste. In the majority of industrialized countries, it’s a major problem, yet its magnitude remains relatively unknown to consumers. In fact, about 40% of the food produced in America is said to be thrown away before it even reaches the consumer’s plate. In our materialistic society, beauty occupies a place of choice and the food industry is no exception. The quest for perfection is one of the main causes of food waste. In fact, the consumer is so used to having fresh, round, glossy and almost perfect products, those that do not meet these beauty criteria will, most of the time, remain on the shelf and end their journey in the waste container.

DESIGN PROCESS

Theoretical Research

Problematization

Field Observation

Semi-Structured Interviews

Surveys

Affinity Diagraming

Personas

Concept Idea

Wireframing

Creation of Brand Identity

User Interface Design

Personal Journey Map

“Unfortunately, despite the significant monetary losses caused by food waste, I generally prefer to throw out older products rather than sell them at a reduced price to avoid it affecting my corporate image.”
SANDRA DESCHENES – OWNER OF IGA DESCHENES

OBJECTIVE

Concretely reduce food waste by promoting a change of mentality and being profitable as much for consumers and grocery owners

CONCEPT

“On sale” food products are often frowned upon, they look old, unhealthy and the people who buy them are often frowned upon as well. The objective of “Les Rejets” is therefore to change the status of less beautiful / fresh products by making them look trendy, engaged, healthy and sold at a fraction of the price. The system aims at supporting the consumer before, during and after their shopping experience.

The system is made up of four components: a strong corporate image, paper bags, a mobile app and a display.

In each of the participating businesses, there would be a display full of paper bags. Within these would be the less beautiful / fresh products. Different bags could be found there: bags of fruits, vegetables, breads, pastries, etc. depending on the needs of the merchant. These would be opaque in order to prevent consumers from “searching” in the bags when they want something specific. In order to provide more precision, there would be various pictograms of product categories which would be checked by the employees who fill the bags. For example, one could see if a bag contains citrus fruits or berries.

In addition, in order to prevent the solution from affecting the positioning of participating businesses, a brand image would be created. Thus, it would not be the participating business that would sell its products at a discount, it would only be associated with “Les Rejets” in order to help reduce food waste. In doing so, its image would instead be improved!

Ultimately, the application would have three main features. The first would allow consumer to find the various participating businesses nearby and to know, in real time, what types of bags are still available. The second would support the consumer after their shopping experience by suggesting different simple and economical recipes based on the contents of their bag. This feature would also offer tips and tricks for food preservation, which would also reduce food waste at home. Finally, the last feature would aim to retaining and educating consumers by presenting them in a fun way an overview of their evolution as well as the positive impact that their purchases have caused. This feature would also allow the user to obtain benefits after a certain number of purchases.

THE BRAND

A trendy brand identity provides to older products a positive status while not affect the positioning of participating businesses.

THE BAGS

The opaque bags, sold at a fraction of the price, include pictograms that gives an overview of the content

THE DISPLAYS

The displays help improve the image of the merchant and the products. It’s visibility would help raise awareness towards the issue of food waste.

THE APP

The application allows to locate participating businesses and offers recipes and conservation tips. Its gamification aspect would reinforce engagement towards the brand by displaying stats and offering benefits