Brief
Design for the Future of Food
My key starting point was to explore the autonomy and ethics of our food choices in a playful yet practical way.
Key Insights
Extensive user research and engagement highlighted the following insights:
1. People generally want to make more ethical choices than they currently do
2. Education and effort proved to be the key barriers to prevent customers from shopping to their own ethical standards
Concept Development
It was important to give users full control of their own ethical views whilst providing the information required. The most convenient place for users to challenge their own ethical choices proved to be at the point in the supermarket they pick the item up.
An app and Smart Shelving integration was designed to provide users with personalised insights into the food within any given supermarket aisle. The Smart Shelves would show relevant information to the app users through Bluetooth connectivity. For example - food miles, allergens, dietary and production condition information.
Final Solution
Source empowers customers to meet their own ethical standards in a convenient, person-centred way. Users download the Source app on their phone and input what matters to them when buying food - including animal welfare, dietary restrictions, allergens and food miles.
As customers walk through the shop, the Smart Shelving design will present them with personalised information on each product to enable everyone to make more informed decisions. Traffic light coding along the top of the Smart Shelf display allows shoppers in a rush to quickly see what items meet their personal standards.
