KeyKit App Prototype
The “key” to a well-organized kitchen.
An app that helps users manage their food inventory and reduce waste. KeyKit is designed for people who want to keep track of what's in their fridge, discover recipes based on their ingredients, and get reminders before items expire.
Role
UI/UX Designer
Timeline
11/18/2024 - 12/2/2024
Class
Digital Lab 3
Tools
Canva & Figma
The Problem
Many individuals struggle to manage their food inventory effectively, leading to food waste, forgotten ingredients, and overspending on groceries.
This issue is significant because it not only affects household budgets but also contributes to environmental harm. For adults who cook at home and or families, reducing food waste is both a financial and environmental priority.
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The project started as a result of my personal frustration with overspending on groceries and not knowing what to do with leftover ingredients, which constantly led to food waste and left me feeling really guilty. I also used my notes app to list and manage my meal prep ideas or looked on Pinterest for recipe inspiration, but it felt like so much work having to switch between different platforms. So, I thought, why not create an app to address this issue, especially since it seems to be a common problem among home cooks?
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As a busy student living with
roommates, I want an app that
tracks the expiration dates of my
groceries, helps me discover new
recipes or suggest recipes based on
what I have, and keeps my grocery
spending within budget so that I
can reduce waste, save money, and
make the most of my ingredients. -
Keykit makes managing your food effortless by helping you track groceries, reduce waste, and plan meals with ease. With features such as a digital scanner to instantly add items to your inventory, get expiration alerts, and explore recipes tailored to what you already have—so you save time, money, and the planet.
User Research
For the User Research portion,
I conducted a user survey through Google Forms.
With 20 Questions
and 24 Respondents,
these were the reported results:
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Majority (91.7%) were aged 18-24.
62.5% lived with roommates.
Most respondents cooked meals at least once a week:
29.2% cooked daily or once a week.
25% cooked a few times a week.
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87.5% were not currently using any food waste management apps.
50% encountered food waste monthly.
91.6% used social media platforms like Pinterest, TikTok, or Instagram to explore and save recipes.
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Core Features:
83.3% found recipe suggestions based on owned ingredients helpful.
87.5% valued expiration reminders.
73.9% were motivated by the idea of rewards for reducing food waste.
Additional Features:
54.1% were likely to use a feature for tracking calories and nutrition.
91.6% favored a built-in grocery list that adds ingredients from saved recipes.
66.6% showed interest in an "Explore" page for recipe sharing.
37.5% wanted environmental impact statistics to motivate waste reduction.
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58.3% cited saving money as their primary reason.
29.2% were driven by the desire to fully utilize their groceries.
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Interest was evenly split between respondents who were neutral or uninterested and those who were interested in donating leftovers to local organizations.
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High Priority Features:
Recipe suggestions and expiration alerts to prevent waste.
Automated grocery list creation from saved recipes.
Improvement Areas:
Boosting interest in inventory tracking by linking it to recipes and nutritional information.
Gamification:
Rewards systems (points, discounts, badges) for reducing waste or consistent app usage.
Optional Features:
Donation tools and environmental impact displays.
Competitor Analysis:
KeyKit sets itself apart by tackling the gaps left by other apps, like managing food inventory, tracking expiration dates, and focusing on sustainability. While competitors like Yummly and SuperCook stick to basic recipe suggestions, KeyKit goes further by offering personalized recipes based on your diet, budget, and what you already have. It also adds unique features like receipt scanning to manage inventory, track expenses, and get nutritional insights, plus a rewards system to motivate reducing food waste. With donation options and eco-friendly tools, KeyKit is designed to make managing food easier, healthier, and more sustainable.
User Personas
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Jamie Karson
Age: 21
Occupation: Full-time college student
Living Situation: Shared apartment with 3 roommates
Tech Savviness: Comfortable with apps, frequently uses TikTok and Pinterest
Behaviors:
Cooks quick and easy meals 3-4 times a week.
Struggles with tracking groceries, leading to expired food.
Saves recipes on Pinterest but has trouble organizing them.
Sticks to a strict grocery budget and occasionally eats out with friends.
Goals:
Save money and avoid food waste.
Use recipes that match the ingredients on hand.
Track weekly grocery spending and stay within budget.
Earn rewards like discounts to stretch her budget further.
Frustrations:
Finds manual food tracking tedious and time-consuming.
Struggles to balance studying with cooking.
Has difficulty finding recipes for the ingredients she already owns.
Motivations:
Wants to save money and adopt sustainable habits.
Values convenience and rewards for reducing waste.
Seeks to make cooking stress-free and enjoyable.
How KeyKit Helps Jamie:
Tracks inventory via receipt scanning, sends expiration reminders, suggests recipes based on available ingredients, and offers rewards to motivate reducing food waste. -
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Ethan Wang
Age: 34
Occupation: IT Specialist
Living Situation: Lives alone in a city apartment
Tech Savviness: Uses fitness and meal-planning apps
Behaviors:
Prepares weekly meal plans to meet fitness goals.
Tracks calories and macronutrients meticulously.
Regularly explores healthy recipes online.
Buys quality ingredients but sometimes forgets to use them.
Goals:
Maintain a balanced diet while managing a busy work schedule.
Save time by integrating meal planning with nutrition tracking.
Discover recipes that fit his fitness goals and dietary preferences.
Minimize food waste and reduce his environmental impact.
Frustrations:
Spends too much time calculating nutritional information.
Finds meal prep repetitive without new recipe ideas.
Wishes for an all-in-one solution for food tracking and planning.
Motivations:
Simplifies meal planning to save time and stay healthy.
Enjoys finding creative recipes that match his diet.
Values tools that make calorie tracking and cooking more efficient.
How KeyKit Helps Ethan:
Provides integrated nutrition tracking, personalized recipe suggestions, and meal planning features, helping him maintain his fitness routine while reducing waste. -
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Kelly Newkirk
Age: 38
Occupation: Part-time teacher
Living Situation: Lives with husband and three kids in the suburbs
Tech Savviness: Comfortable with straightforward apps, frequently uses Facebook and YouTube
Behaviors:
Shops in bulk but often overbuys.
Prepares daily meals for her family, often using leftovers.
Tracks spending manually and uses coupons.
Looks for family-friendly recipes to keep meals exciting.
Goals:
Reduce food waste and teach her kids sustainable habits.
Stay within a monthly grocery budget without compromising nutrition.
Find creative ways to use bulk ingredients and leftovers.
Donate surplus food easily and conveniently.
Frustrations:
Loses track of what’s in her pantry or fridge.
Struggles to plan meals that everyone in her family will enjoy.
Finds manual budgeting and tracking tedious.
Motivations:
Simplifies her busy schedule while saving money.
Values tools that help her teach mindful shopping and cooking to her kids.
Enjoys cooking for her family when it’s stress-free.
How KeyKit Helps Kelly:
Tracks pantry inventory, sends expiration reminders, and simplifies meal planning with automated grocery lists and recipe suggestions. Donation features allow her to give back to the community effortlessly.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
To the drawing board we go….
With the research done and concept idea in mind,
it was time to layout my design.
User Flows
Managing Grocery List
Observing how users would use the quick add option to automatically add ingredients to their digital grocery list and if it was confusing in any way. To see in real-time their use of the checklist.
Scanning a Product and Adding to Inventory
Observing how users can scan a product and see it added to their inventory with nutritional details and expiration dates.
High Fidelity Wireframes
High Fidelity Wireframes
With my wireframes, I divided them into sections based on which part of the navigation bar they were going to be put in.
I had them listed in 5 sections (for the 5 icons on the navigation bar)
Fridge:
home
inventory
recipes
tracker (to be continued…)
Search/Explore
explore page
video content page (following)
video content page (for you page)
Scanner
receipt scanner
barcode/product scanner
successful product scan screen display
product scan results
Grocery List
straight-forward digital grocery list
Profile (to be continued…)