COLLECT EAT
An eco-conscious mobile app for borrowing reusable containers in restaurants — simple, free, and built to reduce single-use waste.
Research
Collect Eat is a mobile application designed to promote sustainable habits in the food industry by offering a free and reusable container system. Users can borrow returnable containers from their favorite restaurants and return or exchange them across participating locations. The goal was to build a B2C solution from scratch that made the circular economy accessible, frictionless, and easy to adopt — both for users and partner restaurants.
Design
The project kicked off with extensive research on environmental impact, user behaviors, and existing alternatives. We then defined an MVP focused on simplicity and daily usability — minimizing friction and encouraging habit formation. The challenge was to create a seamless user flow that could work intuitively in real-life scenarios, like lunchtime takeout. I worked alongside a freelance team (PO, devs, and another designer) to map the core journey and build wireframes supporting the full lifecycle of a returnable container.
Development
I was responsible for the product’s full design scope, including all UI components, prototyping, and user testing. I used Figma for interface design, and conducted in-situation user tests via shadowing sessions to understand actual user behavior in restaurant contexts. These insights allowed us to refine pain points in the return process, improve the in-app flow for borrowing/exchanging containers, and enhance visibility of nearby participating locations. I also produced a research report exploring the economic viability of the model.
Concept
This project taught me how to co-create a B2C product from the ground up within a freelance team structure. Working closely with developers and a product owner, I had to maintain agility, prioritize clearly, and communicate design decisions with precision. Beyond UI and UX, the experience strengthened my understanding of sustainability-driven design, especially when balancing business constraints, ecological impact, and user expectations.
