Background
Food waste is a growing concern in modern households. Many people forget what's in their fridge or struggle to use ingredients before they expire.
FridgeFacts
AR/AI Solution
Individual Project
2024 Spring | Revised 2025
Duration: 7 weeks
FridgeFacts is an embedded digital assistant that helps users reduce food waste and plan meals by suggesting personalized recipes based on real-time fridge inventory.
Target
This project is designed for busy urban dwellers and health-conscious individuals who want to cook smarter, save money, and reduce waste.
Contextual Inquiry
I found that people often forget what’s inside their fridge, which leads to food waste and meal planning difficulties.
Method
Face-to-face interviews with 4 participants from diverse demographics and lifestyles.
Findings
Top pain points: food spoilage, forgetting inventory, and difficulty planning meals.
Participant 1
Age 45, Female, Homemaker
“I struggle with keeping track of expiration dates, which leads to a lot of food waste. An automated tracking system would save me time and reduce waste.”
Participant 2
Age 29, Female, Working PhD
“The idea of an AR display showing me what’s inside without opening the door sounds futuristic and convenient, especially when my hands are full.”
Participant 3
Age 20, Male, College Student
“Having personalized recipe suggestions based on what’s in my fridge would help me plan meals better and make use of all my ingredients.”
Participant 4
Age 35, Male, Busy Professional
“I often forget what I have in my fridge and end up buying duplicates. A feature that reminds me of what I have and suggests recipes would be incredibly useful.”
How might we...
help users reduce food waste by making fridge contents more visible and actionable?
My Approach
Incorporate Inventory Tracking
Prioritize an advanced inventory tracking system that can accurately monitor quantity and expiration dates using AI.
Develop Recipe Integration
Recommend meals based on current inventory while considering user preferences, dietary restrictions, and cooking habits.
Focus on AR Display
Make the fridge door display intuitive, glanceable, and integrated into everyday kitchen routines.
Design Principles
01
Visibility First
Make fridge contents and food status visible at a glance through intuitive AR overlays and clear UI.
02
Context-Aware
Recommend recipes and actions based on what users already have, their habits, and expiration timelines.
03
Seamless Integration
Design interactions that fit naturally into cooking and shopping habits without adding friction.
Introducing
FridgeFacts
A glanceable AR layer for inventory, recipes, and food decisions built directly into the refrigerator.
Explore the Features.
Inventory
Inventory helps users track what’s inside their refrigerator at a glance, from fresh produce to nearly expired items. The system automatically sorts foods into Expired, Expiring Soon, and Fresh, then surfaces color-coded indicators and recipes based on available items.
Interactive Recipe
The recipe feature offers a personalized, AI-powered cooking experience. It suggests meals based on inventory, dietary preferences, and cooking habits, then lets users open a clean step-by-step flow that highlights what they already have and what is missing.
Cook What You Have
FridgeFacts recommends recipes based only on what’s already in the fridge. By prioritizing ingredients nearing expiration, the system helps reduce waste while making each suggestion practical and timely.
App Sync
The mobile companion app syncs with fridge inventory and recipes in real time, helping users avoid duplicate purchases and check ingredients while shopping.
Notification System
FridgeFacts keeps users in the loop with timely reminders when items are expiring, paired with recipe suggestions that reduce waste and spark last-minute inspiration.
