Sustainable Food Distribution: Digital Innovation for Food Waste Reduction
Background
OzHarvest is a leading voluntary organisation in Australia that rescues surplus food and distributes it to people in need, with the aim of reducing food waste and fighting hunger. The organisation’s market in Waterloo is a vital part of their efforts to ensure food security in the local community, but with increasing demand and limited resources, they face challenges in terms of efficiency and reach.
Design option
How can we leverage technology to increase the societal benefit and impact of the OzHarvest market in Waterloo?
Solution
My role
Service designer, strategic designer
Methods
Double Diamond, in-depth interviews, observation, desk research, empathy mapping, stakeholder analysis, competitor analysis, user journeys, Jobs To Be Done, ideation (brainstorming, opposite thinking), planning and facilitating co-creation workshops, development of future scenarios, digital strategy, strategy implementation.
A digital strategy for the Oz Harvest marketplace that leverages Industry 4.0 frameworks to streamline processes, improve inventory control, ensure fair distribution, and provide customers with a smooth and transparent shopping experience.
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Automated Inventory Accounting: An inventory management system that uses Big Data analytics and cloud services to measure and monitor food items received, providing a complete view of availability, category, quality, and status. This reduces the burden on volunteers and staff, and improves decision-making based on actual needs.
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Real-time display and product tracking: A dynamic, real-time system that displays available items, per-person quotas, daily specials, and estimated wait times on a screen at the storefront. This gives customers full visibility and eliminates the need for manual updates by volunteers. The information is also available via a website.
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Biometric Access: Fingerprint-based system to ensure customers do not exceed the once-a-week visit quota and to reduce queues. This makes the entry process more efficient and allows staff to focus on improving the customer experience.
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Automatic scanning at checkout: An RFID-based system combined with a camera to track and record products at checkout, simplifying inventory management and making the shopping experience more similar to a traditional grocery store.
Design process
The need for social change
In a world built on capitalist ideas, excessive consumption is promoted, the gap between rich and poor is growing, and environmental damage is disproportionately severe. This has made the need for social change increasingly important. My passion lies in designing for social impact and change, which is why I became interested in learning more about OzHarvest and their mission. I didn’t know much about the organization, other than that they collect surplus food and give it to people in need, while effectively reducing food waste.
“Take what you need, give if you can.”
The OzHarvest Market in Waterloo offers a selection of rescued fresh produce and staples to those in need. They operate on the principle of "take what you need, give if you can."
OzHarvest's four pillars
Research
I started by observing the market in practice, focusing on how volunteers were organized, how the queuing system worked, and the composition of visitors. I then conducted in-depth interviews with several employees to gain insight into their experiences and challenges. I further analyzed competitors, explored trends in food waste technology, investigated supply chain efficiency, and considered strategies to increase food safety.
Stakeholder analysis
A market manager and an environmental worker are two of the employees who shared insights into the market's operations and challenges.
Insight
OzHarvest
Rather than simply distributing food, OzHarvest offers a shopping experience similar to a regular grocery store, empowering shoppers to make their own choices, experience greater autonomy, and maintain their dignity.
The volunteers are a diverse group, including both working and retired people, all of whom dedicate their time to creating a supportive and inclusive environment.
Main challenges identified through data collection
Jobs to be done
Customer perspective
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Navigating cultural differences among customers
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Managing customer expectations while ensuring fair distribution
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Dealing with potentially aggressive behavior
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Maintaining patience and authenticity in customer service
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Long queues
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Confirm the customer's sensitive situation
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Varying inventory
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Stressful atmosphere
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Lack of respect for visitor restrictions (one weekly visit per person) – many customers visit the market multiple times, indicating high demand
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Challenges related to food storage and preparation
Internal processes
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Lack of openness and transparency in processes
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Manual registration of surplus food
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Time pressure due to short shelf life
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Manual sorting of food
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Navigating sensitive interactions
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Redundant and time-consuming briefings/debriefings
Ideation
Through an idea workshop, we generated a wide range of possible solutions. The workshop was divided into three phases. In the first phase, we analyzed the current situation to identify key challenges. The second phase encouraged free brainstorming and creativity, which opened up a diversity of ideas. In the last phase, we evaluated the solutions with a practical focus to assess their feasibility.
Sketches from warm-up exercise
Workshop structure
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Ideation workshop facilitated in FigJam
Workshop
Strategy
OzHarvest's digital strategy uses Industry 4.0 frameworks to streamline processes, improve inventory control, ensure fair distribution, and provide customers with a smooth and transparent shopping experience.
Automatic inventory calculation
CHALLENGE
The internal processes at OzHarvest, such as receiving, retrieving, and storing surplus food, are often manual and time-consuming.
SOLUTION
The implementation of an automated inventory management system based on Big Data analysis and cloud-based computing allows for continuous measurement, tracking and analysis of inventory, categories, quality and status.
EFFECT
The system streamlines processes and reduces the workload for staff and volunteers. It also provides customers with up-to-date information on stock distribution and visitor restrictions. As the system develops, it will be able to support decision-making processes such as adjusting food donations and prioritizing lists for better inventory management.
Real-time display and product tracking
CHALLENGE
Lack of real-time data creates inefficiencies and requires repeated briefings from volunteers to provide customers with up-to-date information on wait times, inventory, and availability.
SOLUTION
By implementing real-time display and product tracking using Industry 4.0 technologies, real-time data is collected from the warehouse showing the exact quantities of products available at the time of receipt and issue. This information is presented on a large screen at the storefront, giving customers an overview of stock levels, quantity restrictions, current offers and estimated wait times.
EFFECT
AI tracking and measurement technology ensures accurate, automated inventory calculations and eliminates the need for manual briefings. This gives customers an up-to-date overview of available items, improves communication, and ensures fair distribution. Automation reduces the administrative burden on volunteers, allowing them to focus on direct customer interaction tasks, streamlining operations and improving the customer experience.
Real-time display prototype
Biometric access
CHALLENGE
High demand leads to many customers exceeding the limit of one visit per week, which affects the fair distribution of goods.
SOLUTION
By implementing a biometric access system at the entrance to the market, individuals can be identified and their access to specific areas controlled, for example using fingerprints. This information can be linked to the real-time display, allowing customers to access up-to-date queue status and experience a more transparent and convenient shopping experience.
EFFECT
The solution prevents multiple visits during the week, reduces crowds and minimizes long waits.
queues. Sensitive interactions can also be easier to handle for employees, as the system automatically verifies whether a customer has the right to enter, which in turn eliminates the need for manual checks.
Automatic scanning at checkout
CHALLENGE
The manual checkout process in the marketplace is time- and resource-intensive, making it difficult to maintain efficient inventory management and flow in the customer shopping experience.
SOLUTION
An automated scanning system that combines RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) technology to track product movement and status, as well as a camera that records the type and quantity of food items.
EFFECT
The solution simplifies inventory management, minimizes manual tasks, and creates a more seamless shopping experience similar to a traditional grocery store, improving both efficiency and customer experience.
Implementation
Customer journey
Customer journey before implemented strategy
Customer journey after implemented strategy
Timeline and implementation plan
Below is an estimated timeline for the implementation of the digital strategy and its execution.
Lesson and value
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This project gave me deeper insight into how digital solutions can promote sustainability through optimizing resource allocation and reducing food waste, while creating social value for local communities.
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I strengthened my skills in designing solutions that meet the needs of multiple user groups, including volunteers, employees, and food recipients, using insight-based methods such as user journey mapping and in-depth interviews.