TARG

Reducing edible food waste through lightweight logistics, clear hand-offs, and data-driven pickup routing.

Role

UX Researcher · Systems Designer · Product Designer

Industry

Civic Tech · Sustainability · Logistics

Duration

21 Weeks (in progress)

Stage 1 · Context & Problem Discovery

Targ originated from a class project aiming to address inefficiencies in food donation logistics. Through initial research and stakeholder mapping, we identified a gap between restaurants that generate surplus food and local nonprofits struggling with coordination and delivery. Our interviews with restaurant owners, servers, and chefs revealed three recurring pain points:

Lack of real-time coordination between donors and recipients.
Manual, time-consuming processes for matching donations to nearby shelters.
Limited visibility into the environmental impact of donations.

These findings shaped our design question:

How might we streamline food donation logistics to reduce waste while empowering communities to act sustainably?

Stage 2 · Research & Ideation

We began by conducting surveys and contextual inquiries to understand existing behaviors and motivations. Many participants mentioned using messaging apps or spreadsheets to organize donations, which are methods that were inconsistent and prone to delay. Using affinity diagramming and journey mapping, we distilled insights into key opportunity areas:

Automation: Simplify coordination through intelligent matching and scheduling.
Transparency: Help donors and nonprofits visualize their collective environmental impact.
Trust & Accountability: Build credibility through verified partnerships and feedback loops.

The team brainstormed over 50 concepts and narrowed them down using a feasibility-impact matrix, converging on a centralized platform—Targ—that connects surplus food sources with donation centers in real time.

Stage 1 · Context & Problem Discovery

Lack of real-time coordination between donors and recipients.
Manual, time-consuming processes for matching donations to nearby shelters.
Limited visibility into the environmental impact of donations.

These findings shaped our design question:

How might we streamline food donation logistics to reduce waste while empowering communities to act sustainably?

Stage 2 · Research & Ideation

Automation: Simplify coordination through intelligent matching and scheduling.
Transparency: Help donors and nonprofits visualize their collective environmental impact.
Trust & Accountability: Build credibility through verified partnerships and feedback loops.

Stage 4 · User Testing & Iteration

We ran informal usability sessions with 6 participants—including restaurant staff, logistics volunteers, and HCDE peers—to evaluate Targ’s usability and clarity.
Key takeaways:

Participants praised the one-tap donation flow for reducing friction.
They requested clearer confirmation and progress indicators during pickup coordination.
Nonprofits wanted automatic pickup summaries to log donations for reporting.

Based on this feedback, we refined the layout hierarchy, added a simplified delivery-status tracker, and adjusted the visual balance for better readability under bright or outdoor lighting.

Stage 5 · Next Steps & Reflection

Targ is still under development and evolving toward real-world testing with community partners.
Our next focus areas include:

API integration with local sustainability and municipal platforms.
Scalable analytics to measure carbon offset and volunteer participation.
Partnership outreach with restaurants and food-bank networks in Seattle.

This project taught us that impact-driven systems design thrives at the intersection of logistics and empathy — when technology not only optimizes, but also unites communities around sustainability.

Outcome · Reflection & Impact

Targ has evolved from a classroom prototype into a scalable framework for sustainable food redistribution. By creating a connected ecosystem that unites restaurants, nonprofits, and delivery partners, it demonstrates how thoughtful design can reduce waste while amplifying community collaboration.

Even at its early stage, Targ has shown strong potential for real-world implementation:

Efficiency Gains: Simulated test routes showed up to 35% shorter delivery times compared to traditional manual coordination.
Adoption Interest: Restaurant participants and nonprofit volunteers expressed strong willingness to pilot Targ in their existing workflows.
Environmental Promise: Each optimized route directly contributes to reduced CO₂ emissions and prevents otherwise discarded food from reaching landfills.

On a personal level, this project deepened my understanding of systems thinking and impact-oriented UX design. Working across research, strategy, and interaction design reinforced how data transparency and automation can drive behavioral change in sustainability efforts.

Targ ultimately represents more than a digital platform—it’s a case study in how design can empower collaboration, transform local food networks, and make sustainability both measurable and actionable.

Outcome · Reflection & Impact

Even at its early stage, Targ has shown strong potential for real-world implementation:

Efficiency Gains: Simulated test routes showed up to 35% shorter delivery times compared to traditional manual coordination.
Adoption Interest: Restaurant participants and nonprofit volunteers expressed strong willingness to pilot Targ in their existing workflows.
Environmental Promise: Each optimized route directly contributes to reduced CO₂ emissions and prevents otherwise discarded food from reaching landfills.

Targ ultimately represents more than a digital platform—it’s a case study in how design can empower collaboration, transform local food networks, and make sustainability both measurable and actionable.

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