Background
NutriBus was created as part of the HSI Battle of the Brains, a 24-hour pitch competition. Teams are given a dataset and an issue that the sponsor company aims to tackle. They are then given 24 hours to develop possible solutions that the sponsor can implement to reduce the ramifications of the issue. This year, the sponsor company aimed to mitigate the impact of health inequity.What we did
Our resultant initiative, the NutriBus, represents a mobile community support unit dedicated to enhancing accessibility to affordable, fresh foods for residents residing in food deserts. Moreover, our overarching vision involves fostering collaboration with medical students and volunteers to administer vital wellness checks to individuals visiting the bus. Our commitment extends further through the development of a dedicated app, enabling users to upload their grocery receipts. This data-driven approach facilitates an informed stocking strategy for the NutriBus, ensuring a tailored selection of essential items for these communities. Additionally, we intend to share this insightful data with local grocery stores, fostering efficient resource allocation and minimizing wastage. Leveraging advanced AI technology, our platform will empower users to engage with a personalized chef experience, allowing them to input available food items and receive curated, healthy recipe suggestions.My Role(s)
Visucal DesignerIn my team I acted as the graphic designer and UX designer. I began by creating a simple brand identity for the bus. I began by using a inviting and playful typeface for the bus’ identity. From here, I went on to to develop an icon of the bus. This by itself was not enough so I added a little broccoli to connect the bus to the fresh food. The bus is drawn with soft corner to add to the playful and inviting tone. Here is the identity I was able to create in a few hours:
(as) Product Designer
Since I had only 24 hours to not only brainstorm and ideate a solution and then go from zero brand identity to an app prototype, I had to work at an accelerated pace. My initial step involved determining the services the app would provide to users. I collaborated closely with the team to define these features, enabling me to initiate the creation of mock flows and eventual wireframes for the app.
Subsequently, I crafted a user identity, essential for the main presentation and guiding my perspective when developing the app. When commencing the prototyping phase, my preference is to start with the opening screen. This approach allows me to ease into the process without overthinking. Following the creation of a draft opening, I proceeded to design the homscreen.
The home screen marked a pivotal stage in the process, as I grappled with the challenge of seamlessly incorporating all seven features into the app. Key elements of the home screen include the main social feed, offering users insights into their community's discussions about the bus, and a section providing updates on the bus's arrival time to the user's community.
Functioning as a navigation bar, the bottom of the home screen facilitates access to three other features. Among them is the receipt capture, a choice influenced by the established functionality of apps like Instagram and TikTok. Additionally, the AI recipe generator, represented by a fork and knife icon, ensures easy identification and prominence within the app.
Finally, the resource button, strategically placed for accessibility, offers users valuable information. In retrospect, the team and I acknowledged that making it easily accessible was beneficial, but we also recognized the potential for improvement.
If given the opportunity to revisit this project, the first adjustment would be changing the button icon to a graduation cap, as the current symbol might lead users to believe it is where they create a post.
In conclusion, the resulting prototype effectively showcases the desired features for users engaging with the bus. While recognizing the need for substantial editing in a real project scenario, this endeavor allowed us to demonstrate to the judges how the bus, coupled with our app, could alleviate some of the challenges associated with food insecurities in rural communities.
Here is short demo of the prototype: