GiftAway: Community Food Sharing App
Giftaway is a community food-sharing platform and app that is designed to help redistribute the surplus to people who need food assistance within the neighborhood community.
Sector Nonprofit, Food Insecurity, Food Sharing
Tools Photoshop, Sketch
Role Visual Design, iOS UI/UX Research and Design, Content Strategy
The CHALLENGE
To fight food insecurity within our local community.
The Problem
Food insecurity impacts a wide range of groups in the community and is not restricted to the unemployed or homeless. In fact, over half of food, insecure Australians are employed in some way, either full-time, part-time, or casually. Yet even with over 2,600 food relief charities, there are still 65,000 people who are turned away empty-handed each month because demand often exceeds supply. At the same time, an estimated $20 billion worth of edible food is wasted each year – that is an average of 298 kilograms per person.
A lot of the food was bought but never eaten.
DESIGN PROCESS
The first thing we focused on was the research strategy. In order to identify the real opportunity and issue within the community, we have conducted an online ethnography from relevant social media groups to look deeply into the needs and behaviors of both people who are looking for food assistance and givers.
Food should end up in bellies, not bins.
the opportunity
Learning that Australia has a hidden crisis of food security, and having information on the huge amount of food surpluses in households & food merchants. It is arguable that by fighting food insecurity, we can also fight food waste and redistribute food surplus to people in need. With that in mind, a food sharing platform can be designed to facilitate people with food surpluses and help redistribute the surplus to people who need food assistance within the neighborhood community.
THE IDEA
The Share Your Food Platform: a systematic community platform that helps to reallocate food surplus efficiently to reduce both the impacts of food insecurity and food waste.
This platform is also aimed to help close the emerging gap between food supply and demand. It promotes free-food sharing and encourages local community interactions that opens door to establish food-sharing within the neighborhood.
Project Objectives
Raising awareness: Reduce food waste and to help the community with food insecurity
Community sharing: Give and take within the community
Increasing efficiency: Connects people who are in need to the community with food surplus (including food trucks/ local boutiques, caterers for current events in the neighborhood)
THE EXECUTION
GiftAway aims at a wide audience, including young families, elderly, students, busy working people, businesses and neighbours. It is to encourage easy-going, friendly atmosphere and mutual help. The product’s character should in no way be dry, formal or resembling impersonal government support services. It should feel like a helpful friend, polite neighbour, cheerful café staff member.
Sharing is not charity — it’s a modern way of stylish sustainable living.
The portal and app is designed with a pleasant and bright UI in mind. We’ve picked a color for a feeling of cheerfulness and trust. the color scheme also complied with the WCAG for accessibility.
