OVERVIEW
Many environmentally conscious individuals want to eat in a way that supports both their health and the planet. Despite strong motivation, they often face barriers like overwhelming, conflicting information, emotional fatigue and the difficulty of making healthy and sustainable choices in their daily routines. This project aimed to understand these pain points and explore how design can help bridge the gap between intention and action.
TRUTH OR TOFU?
CONCERNED
According to BCG’s Climate and Sustainability Survey 77% of the respondents concerned About sustainability when making day-to-day decisions about food.
Of all the product categories they surveyed, food has one of the highest percentages of respondents who are concerned about sustainability.
ACTING
20% of the respondents act on their sustainability concerns by exhibiting a sustainable behavior
They purchase sustainable food or limiting food quantities to avoid creating waste.
ADOPTING
66% of the respondents who are at this stage adopt sustainable behaviors, such as buying food directly from a farmer (although it is not necessarily sustainable food).
This means that the food category has the highest percentage of stated adoption of all the categories surveyed.
USER INTERVIEWS
HOW TO LOSE MOTIVATION IN 10 DAYS
Users initially had strong reasons for choosing a plant-based diet (e.g. ethics, environment, health)
They struggled to maintain it due to lack of progress or feeling like their efforts weren't making a difference.
When users fail to follow their ideal lifestyle, they feel guilt, doubt and demotivation.
USER INTERVIEWS
HEALTH & NUTRITION CONCERNS
Interviewees who had left vegan/vegetarian diets often cited nutritional uncertainty.
They weren’t sure if they were getting enough protein, iron, or B12 led to anxiety and eventually dietary changes.
They often mentioned feeling tired or unhealthy but didn’t have clear feedback on how to fix it.
USER INTERVIEWS
CONFLICTING INFORMATION
A recurring pain point across both research methods was the overload of contradictory advice.
In the interviews, people expressed confusion and decision fatigue, often resulting in just giving up and defaulting to convenience.
The survey reinforced this: only 20% of respondents frequently research the environmental impact of their food.
“I’m trying my best, but sometimes I feel lost in all the information.”
“Sometimes I wonder if it even makes a difference… it’s hard to tell.”
“Health is always at the top and if something affects my body negatively, that’s a dealbreaker.”
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wHAT THEY TOLD US
PROBLEM STATEMENT
As more people seek to adopt sustainable eating habits for ethical and environmental reasons, they often face overwhelming challenges: confusing information, lack of clear guidance, and low long-term motivation. Environmentally Conscious Consumers need to find a way that supports their health while maintaining sustainable food choices because they often face barriers like unclear information, cooking fatigue and concerns about getting enough nutrition.
I AM ROOT!
SOLUTION
We didn’t just want another nutrition tracker, we set out to create an experience. An app where your food choices don’t just affect numbers, but grow a living, breathing world around you.
Picture this: every sustainable choice makes your digital garden flourish, and your avatar evolve into its healthiest, most powerful self. This isn’t just about eating better, it’s about seeing the impact of your choices in real time.
GAMIFICATION
With gamified motivation, users watch their avatar thrive and a sustainable garden grow and that makes progress feel visible, playful, and personal by rewarding.
Root helps users eat smarter and greener not by preaching, but by playing. They complete their mission boards while tracking their progress. If not avatar gets weaker and the garden gets smaller. Every action has visible results with Root.
MOTIVATION
The garden represents sustainability and the avatar represent user's body health. Every choice plants a seed or nurtures growth, symbolizing the user’s positive impact on the planet.
Both the garden and the avatar evolve with progress, it mirrors the user’s physical well-being and builds an emotional connection to their journey. Together, they turn abstract goals into visible, meaningful growth that make sustainability and self-care feel tangible, rewarding, and personal.
NEXT LEVEL LOADING…
USABILITY TESTING
Once the prototype is ready, usability testing with real users will help validate key assumptions. Does the connection between actions and feedback (avatar + garden) make sense? Is the experience motivating or confusing? These insights will uncover pain points and shape the next iteration of the design.
DEFINING IMPACT METRICS
To measure whether the product delivers real value, it’s important to set clear success metrics. These could include increased sustainable food choices and engagement rates with avatar features. These benchmarks will guide product decisions and help measure long-term behavior change.
MVP PLANING
With insights from research and feasibility in mind, the MVP should focus on delivering the most impactful features first. This could include the avatar, the garden progress tracker, simplified food logging, and basic personalized feedback.
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WE SHOULD PROBABLY TALK!