pod

Turning food surplus into community.
A community-driven platform addressing food waste with sensory-sensitive tagging & intuitive features, empowering all individuals to access fresh, nutritious food.

Product design

Sustainability

System Design

pod

Turning food surplus into community.
A community-driven platform addressing food waste with sensory-sensitive tagging & intuitive features, empowering all individuals to access fresh, nutritious food.

UC Santa Barbara Designathon 2024 – 1st Place

Product design

Sustainability

pod

Turning food surplus into community.
A community-driven platform addressing food waste with sensory-sensitive tagging & intuitive features, empowering all individuals to access fresh, nutritious food.

Product design

Sustainability

System Design

pod

Turning food surplus into community.
A community-driven platform addressing food waste with sensory-sensitive tagging & intuitive features, empowering all individuals to access fresh, nutritious food.

UC Santa Barbara Designathon 2024 – 1st Place

Product design

Sustainability

Awards

UCSB Designathon 2024, 1st Place

Timeline

4 weeks

Team (Part 1)

Kaiwen Tang

Richie Sarinana

Team (PArt 2)

Solo Project

Table of Contents

  1. The Problem & Context

  1. Ideation

  1. The Mobile App

  1. Crossing into the Physical Realm & Conclusion

Jump to solution ↓

pod

Turning food surplus into community.
A community-driven platform addressing food waste by empowering all individuals to access fresh, nutritious food.

Product design

Sustainability

System design

Awards

UCSB Designathon

1st Place (2024)

Team (Pt 1)

Kaiwen Tang

Richie Sarinana

Timeline

4 weeks

Team (Pt 2)

Solo Project

01 The Problem

Before beginning the design process, I explored systems in Los Angeles, focusing on the connections between food and transportation. I also interviewed people to gain valuable insights into their shared experiences.
Before beginning the design process, I explored systems in Los Angeles, focusing on the connections between food and transportation. I also interviewed people to gain valuable insights into their shared experiences.

In the US, we rely on a food system focused on large-scale, profit-driven agriculture, relying on monocultures, fossil fuels, and intensive farming practices. It leads to deforestation, soil degradation, waste, and significant greenhouse gas emissions, making it, arguably, the #1 climate crisis driver.

After interviewing a diverse range of people across Los Angeles, including local business owners, commuters, and residents from various neighborhoods, one key insight emerged:

Food waste is closely tied to transportation – how we move directly impacts how we eat. The food system needs a redesign, and it should be accessible to everyone.
Food waste is closely tied to transportation – how we move directly impacts how we eat. The food system needs a redesign, and it should be accessible to everyone.

02 Ideation

The Precursor to pod
The Precursor to pod

The idea took shape during my first Figma design and UCSB Designathon's beginner track, where we won first place!

The project, called Surplus, was an app designed to reduce food waste by allowing users to track expiration dates, collect unused food from establishments and other users, with a focus on features tailored to individuals with ADHD, eating disorders, or anxiety.

The idea took shape during my first Figma design and UCSB Designathon's beginner track, where we won first place!

The project, called Surplus, was an app designed to reduce food waste by allowing users to track expiration dates, collect unused food from establishments and other users, with a focus on features tailored to individuals with ADHD, eating disorders, or anxiety.


How can we expand Surplus from a mobile product into food system transformation?

After creating Surplus, I wondered how I could expand this mobile product to tackle the broader issue of food sovereignty—evolving it from a digital tool into a tangible experience that could drive systemic change.

After creating Surplus, I wondered how I could expand this mobile product to tackle the broader issue of food sovereignty—evolving it from a digital tool into a tangible experience that could drive systemic change.


The first step was bringing the digital into the physical world.

Putting the Pieces Together

I envisioned pod: a solution for picking up or sharing food along daily commutes. The app shows users posted items and recommendations, enabling them to collect or leave food at bus stops along their route—no extra travel needed as the app tracks their path.


Putting the Pieces Together

I envisioned pod: a solution for picking up or sharing food along daily commutes. The app shows users posted items and recommendations, enabling them to collect or leave food at bus stops along their route—no extra travel needed as the app tracks their path.


Explore Mode

Food Item Pickup

Pods Near You

Onboarding

Personalized Onboarding for Seamless Integration

During onboarding, users input their transportation routine, including frequently visited places like work, school, or home.

By mapping these routes, the app tailors recommendations, making food access and contribution effortless.

03 The mobile app

Connecting Communities Through Food: A User Journey

To bring Pod to life, I designed a mobile app that makes food sharing seamless and accessible. The app helps users find and contribute surplus food at designated “pods” in high-traffic transit areas, integrating food access into daily commutes.


Seamless QR Pickup

Once a user selects an item, they scan a QR pickup code at the pod.

Beyond pickup, the app encourages users and businesses to list their own surplus items.

Personalized Onboarding

During onboarding, users input their transportation routine.

Then, the app tailors recommendations, making food access and contribution effortless.

Smart Recommendations

We suggest surplus food items posted by other users or businesses, placed in pantries at high-traffic transit sites (pods).

By utilizing public transit spaces, pod ensures food access is built into daily routines.

Browsing Pods on the Go

As users travel, they can check an interactive map for nearby pods and browse available items.

This passive discovery allows users to simply check what’s available on their commute!

Style and Feel

pod’s logo symbolizes two intersections:

  1. A bus stop’s location (the crossroads between two streets)

  2. The intersection of food and transportation.

(It also is a blossom!)

Seamless QR Pickup

Once a user selects an item, they scan a QR pickup code at the pod.

Beyond pickup, the app encourages users and businesses to list their own surplus items.

Personalized Onboarding

During onboarding, users input their transportation routine.

Then, the app tailors recommendations, making food access and contribution effortless.

Smart Recommendations

We suggest surplus food items posted by other users or businesses, placed in pantries at high-traffic transit sites (pods).

By utilizing public transit spaces, pod ensures food access is built into daily routines.

Browsing Pods on the Go

As users travel, they can check an interactive map for nearby pods and browse available items.

This passive discovery makes food access intuitive—users simply check what’s available on their commute!

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04 Crossing into the physical realm

Bus Stop (pod) Design

When designing how the pod would look in the physical world, the modular design is tailored to each bus stop, promoting community well-being while adapting to local needs and minimizing resource use.

Material Analysis

My shadowship at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) as a sustainable engineering shadow taught me the importance of conducting a full life cycle analysis of materials – 50% of a building’s carbon emissions occur after manufacturing.


05 Conclusion

My time in Los Angeles revealed how transportation challenges contribute to food deserts and limit access to fresh produce.

With pod, I imagined a city connected by food accessibility and community engagement.


My time in Los Angeles revealed how transportation challenges contribute to food deserts and limit access to fresh produce.

With pod, I imagined a city connected by food accessibility and community engagement.



Moving forward, I hope to conduct further research to explore how pod can be practically implemented, not just in LA but also other global regions that face similar challenges with food sovereignty and urban mobility.

I am eager to continue pursuing projects where design serves as the medium for impactful change. Thank you so much for reading!