Project Background

Nooze emerged as an innovative solution for restaurants struggling with surplus food and customers seeking great deals on meals. This project focuses on transforming the surplus into an exciting, budget-friendly dining option through mystery bags. With a keen emphasis on sustainability and affordability, Nooze has carved out a unique niche that benefits both businesses and consumers, making it a game-changer in the food industry.

Skills

User research

Information Architecture

UI/UX Design

Prototyping

Usability Testing

My Roles & Responsibilities

As Nooze’s Product Designer, my roles and responsibilities on this project included:

User Research & Analysis
- Planned and conducted in-depth user research, including interviews and surveys, to capture quantitative data on user needs, pain points, and preferences regarding affordable dining and sustainable food practices.
- Analyzed feedback from restaurant owners, managers, and staff to understand their daily challenges with food waste, surplus, and pricing strategies.
UI/UX Design
- Developed clear, intuitive layout structures that guide users through the Nooze website, ensuring that key information is easily accessible.
- Designed responsive layouts to ensure the platform delivers a seamless experience across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices, with careful attention to scaling and readability.
- Developed clear and concise microcopy for buttons, tooltips, and navigation elements to support user tasks and improve overall communication.
Collaboration with Cross-Functional Teams
- Worked closely with the development team to ensure that the design vision was technically feasible and implemented accurately.
- Incorporated feedback from the CEO, CPO, and other stakeholders to refine the design, ensuring it met business goals and user needs.
Testing and Iteration
- Incorporated feedback from usability tests, stakeholder reviews, and cross-functional team meetings to refine and enhance the user interface continuously.
- Adapted designs to accommodate technical constraints, ensuring a balance between aesthetic appeal and functional requirements.
Design Documentation & Handoff
- Prepared detailed design specifications and guidelines for the development team to ensure a smooth handoff and accurate implementation.
- Documented design decisions and processes for future reference and to support ongoing improvements.

The Challenge

<aside> 💡 How can we connect restaurants with surplus food to consumers, enabling restaurants to reduce waste while offering quality meals at a reduced cost?

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Why we chose to address this problem:

Reducing Food Waste: Restaurants often end up with surplus food that goes to waste. By connecting surplus with consumers, we help minimize this waste.
Promoting Sustainability: Transforming surplus into affordable mystery bags supports sustainable practices and reduces the environmental impact of unused food.
Affordability for Consumers: Budget-conscious consumers benefit from access to quality meals at reduced prices, making dining out more accessible.
Revenue Generation for Restaurants: Restaurants can monetize surplus food, generating additional revenue while lowering waste disposal costs.
Enhanced Customer Experience: Offering mystery bags creates an element of surprise and excitement, enriching the dining experience.

The Goal

<aside> 💡 Create a sustainable ecosystem that efficiently connects restaurants with surplus food to consumers, thereby reducing food waste, supporting environmental sustainability, and providing high-quality meals at affordable prices while generating additional revenue for restaurants.

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User Research

To design a platform that truly meets the needs of both restaurants and consumers, we conducted in-depth user research. Our goal was to understand the challenges restaurants face with surplus food management and the motivations that would drive consumers to seek affordable meal options.