Abstract
Addressing and tackling food waste is becoming an increasingly urgent task not only in developing but also in developed countries, including Norway. Significant amounts of food are thrown away that could be used, either as food or as other usable raw materials. More than half of food waste comes from households, which represents significant amounts.
Reducing household food waste is of paramount importance in the fight against food waste. Because household food waste is created through the interaction of several behaviors, many interventions have been designed to influence these behaviors around the world accordingly. A large amount of household food waste could be avoided, for example, by: better buying and storing food, cooking the right portion size, eating leftovers, understanding food safety and date labels, and properly evaluating food. Achieving these objectives will require a large-scale change in household behavior on the part of consumers.
Through consumer surveys, this project aims to provide adequate evidence on the behaviors leading to food waste in Norwegian households and to identify different groups based on their attitudes, beliefs and practices regarding food waste. However, a better understanding of individual consumer habits is not enough, as guidelines are needed to positively influence individuals' attitudes towards reducing food waste. These guidelines are based on behavioral knowledge and behavior change theories and practices. Thus, household food waste interventions should be prioritized for each group based on criteria such as potential impact, likely use, and ease of adoption.
To create the right prototype, I get to the steps of the user-based design process through interviews, questionnaires, data and opinions. The end result is the design of a digital and interactive prototype.
Because everyday people love convenient solutions and are tackling environmental issues in an increasingly conscious and organized way, using such an app can greatly help connect the mobile age to the benefits of sustainability. With the involvement of participants, the relationship between environmentally conscious behavior and technology can be observed as one of the possible solutions to the problem of food waste.