VEGA
Lifestyle App for Redefining Sustainable Eating
6 months
2023
The VEGA project was developed as part of a master’s final project over six months in collaboration with a talented team of UX/UI designers and researchers:
Ana Carvelli: UX/UI Designer and Researcher
Helena Silva: UX/UI Designer and Interaction Designer
Leonardo Longato: UX/UI Designer and Interaction Designer
Olena Volkova: UX/UI Designer and Researcher
The project aimed to empower users to embrace sustainable eating habits through a user-centred app. Targeted at eco-conscious, tech-savvy individuals aged 20-40, VEGA integrates motivational challenges, personalized recipes, and a product scanner to support users’ journeys toward eco-friendly dietary practices.
Context of the Project
Why the Food Industry?
The food industry plays a pivotal role in global environmental sustainability:
Around 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food production.
The meat industry alone accounts for 57% of CO2 emissions in the food sector.
75% of interviewees acknowledge the environmental impact of their dietary choices.
Through interviews, surveys, and behavioural analysis, we identified two user profiles:
Expert - Users aiming to consistently reduce their ecological impact.
Motivated - Users looking to gradually decrease their environmental footprint.
User Frustrations:
Difficulty initiating change and tracking personal environmental impact.
Concerns about finding and sourcing alternative foods.
Limited availability, high cost of alternatives, and time constraints.
User Concerns & Awareness:
Users expressed a strong desire for educational resources, transparency about industrial practices, and awareness about ecological impact. These insights shaped our design direction to support informed and motivated food choices.
Challenges
The project faced several key challenges, including addressing users’ difficulty in initiating dietary changes, providing clear information about environmental impacts, and designing an intuitive interface that seamlessly integrates educational and motivational elements. Other obstacles included users’ concerns over the cost and availability of sustainable food alternatives and the need for customization to fit diverse lifestyles.
Research and Investigation
Stakeholder and User Interviews:
Conducted 7 stakeholder interviews and 8 in-depth user interviews to understand users' habits, challenges, and motivations.
Key insights:
75% of interviewees acknowledged their dietary choices impact the environment.
Users expressed frustrations with sourcing alternative foods and calculating personal footprints.
User Surveys:
Surveys collected from 68% of meat consumers revealed:
57% had tried alternative products.
42% explored vegan or vegetarian options.
Focus Groups:
We did a focus group session with 3 participants each providing qualitative feedback on app features, including the usability of the scanner and recipe suggestions.
User Flows:
Developed user flows to map key interactions, such as selecting challenges, searching for recipes, and scanning products.
Flows were tested and iterated based on user feedback to ensure seamless navigation.
Usability Testing:
Conducted 3 usability testing sessions with 3-5 participants each to evaluate the app's wireframes and prototypes.
Key findings:
Users appreciated the traffic light system in the scanner but requested clearer explanations of product ratings.
Recipe search filters needed improvement for more personalized results.
Design Solution
To address these challenges, we designed the app with a focus on three core features:
Challenges: Engaging in weekly or monthly tasks that motivate users to reduce their ecological footprint. These challenges include progress tracking, environmental impact summaries, and recipe suggestions to guide users.
Recipes: A database of diverse, sustainable recipes with detailed instructions, nutritional information, and saving options, catering to a variety of dietary preferences.
Scanner: A barcode scanner that evaluates food products using a traffic light system (Levels 1-5) to indicate their ecological impact, providing detailed product data and alternative recommendations.
The design process followed a structured methodology involving multiple iterations:
Wireframes: Initial low-fidelity designs focused on mapping the user journey for features like challenge selection and product scanning.
High-Fidelity Designs: Incorporating user feedback, these designs emphasized clarity and engagement, with a visually appealing interface that maintained usability.
Prototyping and Testing: Interactive prototypes were tested with users through three usability test sessions and focus groups, enabling the refinement of features like the scanner’s feedback system and recipe navigation.
Outcomes
The VEGA app successfully addressed the challenges of promoting sustainable eating habits. Through engaging challenges, personalized recipes, and a user-friendly scanner, the app provides a comprehensive solution for users aiming to reduce their ecological footprint. Users praised the motivational and educational aspects, noting increased awareness of the environmental impact of food choices.
Read next
VEGA
Lifestyle App for Redefining Sustainable Eating
6 months
2023
The VEGA project was developed as part of a master’s final project over six months in collaboration with a talented team of UX/UI designers and researchers:
Ana Carvelli: UX/UI Designer and Researcher
Helena Silva: UX/UI Designer and Interaction Designer
Leonardo Longato: UX/UI Designer and Interaction Designer
Olena Volkova: UX/UI Designer and Researcher
The project aimed to empower users to embrace sustainable eating habits through a user-centred app. Targeted at eco-conscious, tech-savvy individuals aged 20-40, VEGA integrates motivational challenges, personalized recipes, and a product scanner to support users’ journeys toward eco-friendly dietary practices.
Context of the Project
Why the Food Industry?
The food industry plays a pivotal role in global environmental sustainability:
Around 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food production.
The meat industry alone accounts for 57% of CO2 emissions in the food sector.
75% of interviewees acknowledge the environmental impact of their dietary choices.
Through interviews, surveys, and behavioural analysis, we identified two user profiles:
Expert - Users aiming to consistently reduce their ecological impact.
Motivated - Users looking to gradually decrease their environmental footprint.
User Frustrations:
Difficulty initiating change and tracking personal environmental impact.
Concerns about finding and sourcing alternative foods.
Limited availability, high cost of alternatives, and time constraints.
User Concerns & Awareness:
Users expressed a strong desire for educational resources, transparency about industrial practices, and awareness about ecological impact. These insights shaped our design direction to support informed and motivated food choices.
Challenges
The project faced several key challenges, including addressing users’ difficulty in initiating dietary changes, providing clear information about environmental impacts, and designing an intuitive interface that seamlessly integrates educational and motivational elements. Other obstacles included users’ concerns over the cost and availability of sustainable food alternatives and the need for customization to fit diverse lifestyles.
Research and Investigation
Stakeholder and User Interviews:
Conducted 7 stakeholder interviews and 8 in-depth user interviews to understand users' habits, challenges, and motivations.
Key insights:
75% of interviewees acknowledged their dietary choices impact the environment.
Users expressed frustrations with sourcing alternative foods and calculating personal footprints.
User Surveys:
Surveys collected from 68% of meat consumers revealed:
57% had tried alternative products.
42% explored vegan or vegetarian options.
Focus Groups:
We did a focus group session with 3 participants each providing qualitative feedback on app features, including the usability of the scanner and recipe suggestions.
User Flows:
Developed user flows to map key interactions, such as selecting challenges, searching for recipes, and scanning products.
Flows were tested and iterated based on user feedback to ensure seamless navigation.
Usability Testing:
Conducted 3 usability testing sessions with 3-5 participants each to evaluate the app's wireframes and prototypes.
Key findings:
Users appreciated the traffic light system in the scanner but requested clearer explanations of product ratings.
Recipe search filters needed improvement for more personalized results.
Design Solution
To address these challenges, we designed the app with a focus on three core features:
Challenges: Engaging in weekly or monthly tasks that motivate users to reduce their ecological footprint. These challenges include progress tracking, environmental impact summaries, and recipe suggestions to guide users.
Recipes: A database of diverse, sustainable recipes with detailed instructions, nutritional information, and saving options, catering to a variety of dietary preferences.
Scanner: A barcode scanner that evaluates food products using a traffic light system (Levels 1-5) to indicate their ecological impact, providing detailed product data and alternative recommendations.
The design process followed a structured methodology involving multiple iterations:
Wireframes: Initial low-fidelity designs focused on mapping the user journey for features like challenge selection and product scanning.
High-Fidelity Designs: Incorporating user feedback, these designs emphasized clarity and engagement, with a visually appealing interface that maintained usability.
Prototyping and Testing: Interactive prototypes were tested with users through three usability test sessions and focus groups, enabling the refinement of features like the scanner’s feedback system and recipe navigation.
Outcomes
The VEGA app successfully addressed the challenges of promoting sustainable eating habits. Through engaging challenges, personalized recipes, and a user-friendly scanner, the app provides a comprehensive solution for users aiming to reduce their ecological footprint. Users praised the motivational and educational aspects, noting increased awareness of the environmental impact of food choices.
Read next
VEGA
Lifestyle App for Redefining Sustainable Eating
6 months
2023
The VEGA project was developed as part of a master’s final project over six months in collaboration with a talented team of UX/UI designers and researchers:
Ana Carvelli: UX/UI Designer and Researcher
Helena Silva: UX/UI Designer and Interaction Designer
Leonardo Longato: UX/UI Designer and Interaction Designer
Olena Volkova: UX/UI Designer and Researcher
The project aimed to empower users to embrace sustainable eating habits through a user-centred app. Targeted at eco-conscious, tech-savvy individuals aged 20-40, VEGA integrates motivational challenges, personalized recipes, and a product scanner to support users’ journeys toward eco-friendly dietary practices.
Context of the Project
Why the Food Industry?
The food industry plays a pivotal role in global environmental sustainability:
Around 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food production.
The meat industry alone accounts for 57% of CO2 emissions in the food sector.
75% of interviewees acknowledge the environmental impact of their dietary choices.
Through interviews, surveys, and behavioural analysis, we identified two user profiles:
Expert - Users aiming to consistently reduce their ecological impact.
Motivated - Users looking to gradually decrease their environmental footprint.
User Frustrations:
Difficulty initiating change and tracking personal environmental impact.
Concerns about finding and sourcing alternative foods.
Limited availability, high cost of alternatives, and time constraints.
User Concerns & Awareness:
Users expressed a strong desire for educational resources, transparency about industrial practices, and awareness about ecological impact. These insights shaped our design direction to support informed and motivated food choices.
Challenges
The project faced several key challenges, including addressing users’ difficulty in initiating dietary changes, providing clear information about environmental impacts, and designing an intuitive interface that seamlessly integrates educational and motivational elements. Other obstacles included users’ concerns over the cost and availability of sustainable food alternatives and the need for customization to fit diverse lifestyles.
Research and Investigation
Stakeholder and User Interviews:
Conducted 7 stakeholder interviews and 8 in-depth user interviews to understand users' habits, challenges, and motivations.
Key insights:
75% of interviewees acknowledged their dietary choices impact the environment.
Users expressed frustrations with sourcing alternative foods and calculating personal footprints.
User Surveys:
Surveys collected from 68% of meat consumers revealed:
57% had tried alternative products.
42% explored vegan or vegetarian options.
Focus Groups:
We did a focus group session with 3 participants each providing qualitative feedback on app features, including the usability of the scanner and recipe suggestions.
User Flows:
Developed user flows to map key interactions, such as selecting challenges, searching for recipes, and scanning products.
Flows were tested and iterated based on user feedback to ensure seamless navigation.
Usability Testing:
Conducted 3 usability testing sessions with 3-5 participants each to evaluate the app's wireframes and prototypes.
Key findings:
Users appreciated the traffic light system in the scanner but requested clearer explanations of product ratings.
Recipe search filters needed improvement for more personalized results.
Design Solution
To address these challenges, we designed the app with a focus on three core features:
Challenges: Engaging in weekly or monthly tasks that motivate users to reduce their ecological footprint. These challenges include progress tracking, environmental impact summaries, and recipe suggestions to guide users.
Recipes: A database of diverse, sustainable recipes with detailed instructions, nutritional information, and saving options, catering to a variety of dietary preferences.
Scanner: A barcode scanner that evaluates food products using a traffic light system (Levels 1-5) to indicate their ecological impact, providing detailed product data and alternative recommendations.
The design process followed a structured methodology involving multiple iterations:
Wireframes: Initial low-fidelity designs focused on mapping the user journey for features like challenge selection and product scanning.
High-Fidelity Designs: Incorporating user feedback, these designs emphasized clarity and engagement, with a visually appealing interface that maintained usability.
Prototyping and Testing: Interactive prototypes were tested with users through three usability test sessions and focus groups, enabling the refinement of features like the scanner’s feedback system and recipe navigation.
Outcomes
The VEGA app successfully addressed the challenges of promoting sustainable eating habits. Through engaging challenges, personalized recipes, and a user-friendly scanner, the app provides a comprehensive solution for users aiming to reduce their ecological footprint. Users praised the motivational and educational aspects, noting increased awareness of the environmental impact of food choices.