BiteBack

Person holding a bowl of yellow, orange, and purple grapes, with a wicker basket of green lettuce on a wooden surface.

Turning local surplus food into meals for people in need, safely, quickly, and with dignity.

Ux Research

Mobile App

Social Impact

UI Design

Project Overview

What is BiteBack?

BiteBack is a two-sided marketplace that redistributes surplus food. Businesses list what they can't sell, and people nearby reserve it for free, turning up to 40% of wasted food into meals while preserving dignity on both sides.

Designed as a mobile app, BiteBack makes the whole process simple: businesses post surplus in seconds, and people browse, reserve, and pick up nearby meals through a clear, respectful experience. Every step is built to be fast, safe, and free of stigma, so getting food feels as natural as ordering it.

Platform iOS/Android

Timeline 8 Weeks

My Role UX/UI Designer

Tools Figma

The Problem

Two crises. One solution.

Restaurants and supermarkets throw away enormous amounts of edible food every day, while 6 in 8 Americans face food insecurity. The two problems rarely meet because the tools to connect them are broken.

For businesses, donating surplus food is too complex. It means coordinating with nonprofits, navigating logistics, and finding time during busy hours, so most food ends up in the trash. For recipients, the experience often comes with stigma, long lines, and little control over what they receive.

Any solution has to do two things at once: move food quickly and protect dignity on both sides.

No simple way for businesses to list surplus food quickly

Recipients face stigma UX must preserve dignity

No real-time inventory of surplus food by location

No Food safety concerns on the recipient side

The Goal

Three outcomes BiteBack had to deliver.

Trust on both sides
Quality checks, clear pickup windows, and pickup confirmations give businesses and recipients confidence at every step.

Dignified access
Recipients browse and reserve as easily as on any food app, with no stigma, no questions, and no account required.

Zero-friction donation
 Businesses can list surplus food in under 60 seconds, with a few taps and no paperwork.

Understanding the User

Two sides of the same table.

Olivia R.
Restaurant Owner

44 · Restaurant Owner · Miami

Goals

  • List surplus food in under a minute

  • Track who collected it and when

  • Reduce food waste and the guilt that comes with it

Frustrations

  • Donation form has too many steps

  • No confirmation that the food was collected

  • Liability concerns about food safety

A woman with long curly brown hair and blue eyes wearing a purple turtleneck and checkered apron standing with her arms crossed inside a cozy cafe or restaurant.

Zayme R.
Recipient 28 Part time worker , Orlando

Goals

  • Reserve with one tap, no account required

  • Quickly find surplus food near him

  • Pick up without awkward interactions

Frustrations

  • Pickup window not visible on listing card

  • No map link after reserving

  • Unclear what's included before he arrives

A man with glasses sitting at a desk with a laptop and a potted green plant, in a modern office with a brick wall background, smiling and looking to his right.

Research Insights

78%

Of guests check a café's menu online before visiting

6 in 8

Americans face food insecurity, often just miles from businesses discarding edible food every day

3 of 5

businesses abandoned the donation form before finishing

The screens

High Fidelity Design

A friendly, food-forward interface makes reserving a meal feel as natural as ordering one, and donating as quick as posting a status update.

A person holding a small plate of colorful cherry tomatoes and peaches, with fresh greens in a basket on a wooden table.
Mobile app interface for BiteBack with images of food and food-related activities, including a bowl of colorful eggs, hands holding vegetables, and a basket of fresh produce.
Mobile app screen showing nearby donation locations with a map and details for Green Bowl Cafe, including address, phone number, hours, and ratings.
Mobile app interface showing food delivery options with images of a salad in a glass bowl and a plate of pasta.

Design system

A clean, high-trust system built to turn surplus food into a reservation in just a few taps.

BiteBack needed one consistent language, from the home screen to Available Now. The food photography does the selling, so the interface only has to make distance, quantity, and pickup time obvious. Color is limited to ink, white, and a single green, used for actions and the "available now" status. Headings stay editorial, while UI, cards, and buttons use a clean sans-serif. The primary CTA is always the same: Reserve Now. Shortcut chips (Donate, Nearby, History), search, and mint callout cards all reuse the same tokens, so the app feels like one product, not a set of disconnected screens.

A digital design system guide with color palettes, button styles, typography options, and interface components for a food rescue mobile app.

Usability Findings

What testing revealed

Positive
One-tap reserve preserved dignity

No-account reservations made recipients feel like ordinary customers, and it was the top-rated interaction.

Medium
Long donation forms

Owners abandoned the form midway. Reduced it to 3 steps with smart defaults and photo capture.

High Priority
Pickup Window missing information

Recipients couldn't tell if they'd make it in time. Added the pickup window directly to each listing card.