BIOME
Reimagining food waste in the 2040 household.
Mobile
UX/UI
Nov 2024- Jan 2025
World Building
To design a product suitable for the year 2040, we first had to envision a future where sustainability and resilience are essential for survival.
Social
Fear of environmental collapse, desire for community-based living, and trends of sustainability (e.g., renewable energy)
Technological
Focus on renewable energy, smart water management systems, and environment automation (e.g., technology controlling resource use)
Environmental
Water scarcity, extreme weather, resource regulation, and global food insecurity
Trends
Global food scarcity and declining nutritional quality, alongside rising environ-mental challenges will create significant strain on households in 2040.
Households need a sustainable and efficient solution to repurpose waste, enhance nutritional intake, and reduce reliance on external food systems.
Health & Nutrition
Personalized nutrition market projected to reach $24.3 billion by 2025, fueled by health optimization trends.
Smart Homes & Automation
COVID-19 accelerated demand for touch-less technology (e.g., appliances, switches, doorbells)
IoT & Interconnected Devices
Strong demand for IoT; 51% of enterprises plan budget increases for IoT in 2024.
Circular Economy
Shift from linear economies to circular models that repurpose waste into valuable resources.
Personas
We developed personas that reflect the needs and pain points of users in 2040.
BIOME
Sarah Nuñez
BIOME design
BIOME is intentionally screenless to avoid over-complicating the composting process, focusing on simplicity and efficiency.
While it functions like a traditional compost system, its embedded Smart AI ensures outputs are customized to meet each user’s specific needs.
How it Works
Users place food scraps into the device’s waste compartment
User selects input/output options through the touch-screen interface
AI-powered sensors identify the type of waste and optimize the nutrient extraction process
Food waste is processed through dehydration, grinding, and microbial or breakdown
Processed waste is transformed into nutrient-rich powders or supplements, which can be used for personal consumption or as a garden fertilizer
Left-over, non-usable waste is discarded into the residue compartment
Impact
BIOME prompted us to think critically about speculative design to ensure that we met the needs of future users. Designing both the physical and digital product meant cooperating with my group to ensure compatibility across platforms. The final product and app met the predicted needs and wants of future users by considering the aforementioned social, technological, and environmental factors.
SOCIAL
Encourages community-based activities and environmental sustainability.
TECHNOLOGICAL
Handles food waste using Smart presets and AR.
ENVIRONMENTAL
Reduces and repurposes food waste, and tracks environmental impact.
Next Project
Edulink
Nov 2024- Jan 2025
A non-profit dedicated to addressing educational inequalities.