Design principle: recognition rather than recall

Good example: Subway system in Beijing

In Beijing and many subway systems, a rider is kept updated of where the next stop is by this progress bar above each door. Unlike in Boston or New York, I don’t need to strain my ears for the announcement when approaching a station, and could easily count how many stops to go before my destination.

Violation: Expired items in your fridge

For a person like me who does not cook regularly, I often forgot when and what I bought exactly after a grocery shopping. And after a few days, I have to throw them away. To make things even worse, as I live with two roommates, it’s harder to remember who bought what, and no one knows if it’s the right time to throw expired food away!

Redesign: Expiration date reminder

Because fresh produce like tomatoes, mushrooms, and meat usually does not come with an expiration date with them, I redesigned an app to help users recognize this information. This is an app I redesigned to remind the millennials like me of expiring food in the fridge. It will know the fresh items and date you bought them by simply scanning your receipt. As the advised usable time period of each item is in the database, you could see when each produce would likely go bad in the progress bar. You can also share this app with roommates, and keep the fridge fresh and clean!