Savor | Product Design

Save more.
Waste less.

Savor is a conceptual grocery tracking app designed to reduce household food waste and simplify meal planning. Born out of a design exploration focused on sustainability, Savor empowers users to track their groceries, plan meals, and collaborate with household members—all while gamifying sustainable habits to create a more efficient and eco-friendly kitchen experience.

The Challenge

Each year, Canadian households throw out 2.2 million tons of edible food, costing them over $1,100 annually in avoidable waste [1]. Food waste also accounts for 6% of Ontario’s carbon emissions [2] and 31% of all residential waste sent to landfills [3]. With landfills on track to reach capacity in just 11-14 years [4], the need to reduce food waste has never been more urgent.

Sources

1. National Zero Waste Council

2. From Farm to Fork to Landfill: Food Waste in Toronto (Singla, Singh & Al Harz, 2018)

3. National Waste Characterization Report: The Composition of Canadian Residual Municipal Solid Waste (Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2020)

4. Non-Hazardous Waste Reduction and Diversion in the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (IC&I) Sector (Office of the Auditor General of Ontario, 2021)

Research and Insights

To understand the problem and identify opportunities, I conducted a competitor analysis of grocery and food waste apps like mealtime, BigOven, and Out of Milk. Key findings included:

  • Strengths: Basic inventory tracking and expiry date reminders.

  • Weaknesses: Limited collaboration, no recipe suggestions, and lack of gamification.

  • User Pain Points: Overly complex interfaces and cluttered designs.*

I also interviewed 10 individuals about their grocery habits, uncovering:

  • Forgotten items in fridges or pantries.

  • Overwhelming and time-consuming meal planning.

  • A desire for tools to reduce waste effortlessly.*

This research revealed a gap: a user-friendly app that simplifies meal planning, encourages collaboration, and makes reducing waste rewarding.

Goals and Objectives

The goal of Savor was to create a user-friendly app that:

  1. Reduces household food waste by tracking inventory and expiry dates.

  2. Simplifies meal planning with recipe suggestions and smart grocery lists.

  3. Encourages sustainable habits through gamification and collaboration."

Process

I began by sketching low-fidelity wireframes to explore different layouts and user flows. After several iterations, I created high-fidelity prototypes in Figma, incorporating feedback from classmates and instructors. Key design decisions included:

  • A customizable inventory system with categories like Pantry, Fridge, and Freezer.

  • Expiry date notifications to remind users of soon-to-expire items.

  • Gamification features like a ‘Waste Score’ to encourage sustainable behavior.

Solution and Key Features

Savor’s final design includes:

  • Customizable Inventory Tracking: Users can categorize items by freshness and location (Pantry, Fridge, Freezer).

  • Smart Grocery Lists: Auto-generated lists organized by store sections, editable and shareable with household members.

  • Recipe Suggestions: In-app recipes based on ingredients users already have.

  • Gamification: Rewards for reducing waste and maintaining a low Waste Score.

Challenges and Learnings

One of the biggest challenges was balancing simplicity with functionality. I wanted to include robust features without overwhelming users. Through user testing and feedback, I learned the importance of progressive disclosure—showing only what users need at each step. This project also taught me how to prioritize features based on user needs and technical feasibility.

Conclusion and Reflection

Savor was an exciting opportunity to tackle a real-world problem through design. While the app is conceptual, it demonstrates my ability to research, ideate, and create user-centered solutions. If I were to take this project further, I’d explore partnerships with grocery stores to integrate real-time pricing and availability data. Overall, this project reinforced my passion for designing tools that make everyday life easier and more sustainable.