Application Proposal Amber Lee Elizabeth Hall Kalli Rutherford

Summary 2 Beachhead 3 Value Proposition 3 Reason for Choosing 4 Positioning Statement 4 DITL Before 5 DITL After 6 Existing Solutions 7 Strategy Canvases 8 Four Actions Framework 9 Disruptive Innovation 9 Measures of Success 10

Table of Contents  

  2  

S u m m a r y  

Single  adults,  whether  they  are  young  or  middle  aged,  often  struggle  with  the  issue  

of  wasting  food  when  it  comes  to  cooking  for  one.  Even  if  one  realizes  they  are  

wasting  food,  it  is  hard  for  them  to  quantify  exactly  how  much  they  waste  or  the  

consequences  that  come  with  it.  Often,  people  do  not  know  how  to  fix  the  issue  of  

food  waste  because  more  than  one  factor  of  their  lifestyle  attributes  to  the  problem.  

They  also  may  not  know  what  those  factors  are  and  therefore  how  to  adjust  their  

routines  in  order  to  waste  less  food.    

Most  single  adults  have  demanding  or  high-­‐stress  jobs  that  require  them  to  work  

out  of  home,  so  the  last  thing  they  want  to  worry  about  is  going  to  the  grocery  store  

or  cooking  after  work.  The  alternative  is  to  buy  something  out  to  eat,  which  is  

usually  unhealthy  and  expensive.  When  they  do  go  grocery  shopping,  much  of  what  

is  purchased  spoils  in  the  fridge  due  to  lack  of  time  or  motivation  to  cook  after  a  

long  day,  or  because  they  forgot  it  was  in  the  refrigerator.  Cooking  is  then  seen  as  a  

chore  rather  than  an  activity  which  could  be  enjoyable.    

The  Tossed  application  provides  a  whole  product  solution  to  busy,  single  adults  that  

simplifies  the  process  of  planning,  purchasing,  and  utilizing  groceries  in  a  way  that  

minimizes  food  waste.    

 

                   

  3  

B e a c h h e a d The  beachhead  for  the  Tossed  application  will  be  single  adults  ranging  from  young  

to  middle  age  about  18  to  40  years.  These  single  adults  will  not  necessarily  live  

alone,  but  are  responsible  solely  for  themselves  when  it  comes  to  cooking  or  

preparing  meals.  These  are  people  who  lead  busy  hectic  lifestyles  and  have  limited  

money  to  spend.  and  as  a  result  often  generate  more  food  waste  due  to  lack  of  time.  

College  students  will  also  be  a  part  of  the  beachhead  as  they  are  often  pressed  for  

time  with  school  deadlines  and  do  not  want  to  spend  a  lot  of  time  preparing  a  meal,  

especially  during  mid  term  or  finals  week.  

   

  V a l u e P r o p o s i t i o n Tossed  is  an  app  intended  to  provide  a  comprehensive  solution  unlike  other  food  

planning  or  clean  fridge  applications  that  are  often  designed  to  only  solve  once  facet  

of  the  problem.  Instead  of  having  to  keep  track  of  multiple  apps,  Tossed  takes  people  

through  the  entire  process  of  planning,  purchasing,  and  utilizing  groceries.  Tossed  is  

meant  to  help  minimize  the  food  single  adults  waste  and  maximize  their  available  

time,  resources,  and  money.  Instead  of  approaching  grocery  shopping  or  meal  

planning  as  a  task,  Tossed  aims  to  bring  enjoyment  and  gratification  into  the  

process.  

   

Tossed  is  meant  to  be  relevant  and  useful  for  people  with  all  different  levels  of  skill  

in  the  kitchen.  From  novice  cooks  to  culinary  experts,  Tossed  aims  to  make  

planning,  purchasing,  and  utilizing  groceries  enjoyable  and  even  adventurous.  

     

  4  

Reason for Choosing American  households  waste  an  average  of  $640  worth  of  food  annually.    Not  only  

are  these  families  and  individuals  throwing  money  away,  but  they  are  throwing  

away  the  resources  that  were  used  to  grow  and  produce  that  food.    The  majority  of  

food  ends  up  in  landfills,  where  it  rots.    The  rotting  food  releases  methane  gases,  

which  contribute  to  global  climate  change.    When  we  waste  food,  we  feel  guilty,  

ashamed  and  apprehensive  about  future  trips  to  the  grocery  store.    We  also  feel  a  

sense  of  frustration  watching  hard-­‐earned  money  go  directly  into  the  trash.    

  P o s i t i o n i n g S t a t e m e n t For  single  adults  who  lead  busy  hectic  lifestyles  

Who  are  overwhelmed  with  grocery  shopping  or  planning  a  meal  after  work  

Our  service  is  a  comprehensive  solution  with  assistance  in  planning,  purchasing,  

and  utilizing  groceries  to  minimize  food  waste  

That  provides  more  time,  money,  and  resources  

Unlike  current  apps  that  only  solve  one  facet  of  the  problem  

We  have  created  a  simple  and  gratified  approach  for  single  adults  cooking  for  one        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  5  

A Day in the Life (Before) Situation It  is  Sunday  and  Kalli  is  busy  studying  for  an  exam  she  has  the  next  day.  Even  though  

she  bought  groceries  last  week,  she  has  gone  out  to  eat  the  last  couple  days  with  her  

roommates.  Kalli  is  hungry  and  is  looking  to  eat  something  healthy  since  she  feels  

gross  from  eating  out  so  much.  She  is  pressed  for  time  since  she  has  to  study  but  she  

wants  to  make  something  substantial.    

 

Desired Outcome Kalli  looks  in  her  fridge  and  hopes  to  find  the  produce  she  bought  last  week  to  make  

a  veggie  pizza  and  salad.  She  wants  to  quickly  chop  up  the  veggies  and  continue  

studying    while  the  pizza  bakes.    

 

Attempted Approach: Kalli  opens  her  fridge  and  realizes  all  her  produce  has  gone  bad.  She  has  no  food  to  

eat  except  for  canned  beans  and  some  string  cheese.  She  is  really  hungry  and  wants  

better  brain  food.  She  decides  to  make  a  quick  trip  to  Haggen  to  pick  up  a  deli  salad  

because  she  knows  she  will  no  longer  have  time  to  cook  without  sacrificing  more  

study  time.    

 

Interfering Factors: Kalli  did  not  realize  how  many  days  in  a  row  she  had  eaten  out  with  friends.  The  

produce  she  was  planning  to  use  is  completely  spoiled  and  her  trip  last  week  to  the  

grocery  store  was  wasted.  Kalli  must  go  to  the  grocery  store  again  to  pick  up  her  deli  

salad  but  does  not  plan  to  do  any  grocery  shopping  beyond  getting  her  current  meal  

because  she  is  pressured  for  time.    

 

  6  

Consequences: Since  it  is  around  dinner  time,  there  is  a  lot  of    traffic  around  Sehome  Village  and  the  

Haggen  parking  lot  is  overcrowded  with  people.  There  is  also  a  detour  so  it  takes  

Kalli  an  hour  to  go  to  the  store,  pick  up  her  salad,  and  go  home.  She  is  so  tired  when  

she  gets  home  from  navigating  the  traffic  and  around  the  crowded  Haggen  she  

decides  to  take  a  cat  nap.  Kalli  ends  up  being  so  tired  she  sleeps  through  the  night  

and  does  not  study  for  her  test  anymore.  She  takes  her  test  the  next  day  and  feels  

unprepared.    

 

A Day in the life (After)                                         New Approach: It  is  the  next  Sunday  and  Kalli  is  studying  for  a  test  in  another  class.  She  has  

downloaded  the  Tossed  app,  which  she  heard  about  from  her  friend  who  enjoys  

cooking.  Kalli  is  excited  to  take  her  study  break  and  make  a  sweet  potato  skillet,  

which  she  found  off  the  recipes  section  of  Tossed.  Kalli  looks  in  the  fridge  and  is  

happy  to  find  that  none  of  her  produce  has  gone  bad.  The  Tossed  app  reminded  Kalli  

she  had  produce  to  use  and  not  to  waste  it.    

Enabling Factors: Kalli  follows  the  recipe  and  is  finished  prepping  in  10  minutes.  She  let’s  the  skillet  

cook  while  she  continues  studying.    She  has  not  wasted  any  time  studying  making  an  

unnecessary  trip  to  the  store  and  feels  better  she  did  not  let  anything  go  to  waste  

this  time  she  went  grocery  shopping.  Thanks  to  the  Tossed  app,  Kalli  was  excited  to  

make  the  skillet  and  planned  ahead  of  time  to  make  this  as  brain  food  for  studying.    

Rewards: The  aromas  of  the  sweet  potato  skillet  percolate  throughout  Kalli’s  kitchen.  She  

decides  she  is  going  to  start  cooking  more  often.  The  recipe  she  found  was  the  

perfect  skill  level  for  her  and  she  feels  more  confident  cooking.  She  had  always  been  

  7  

a  little  embarrassed  she  lacked  cooking  experience  but  the  skillet  smells  so  good  she  

wants  all  of  her  friends  to  try  some.  Kalli  gobbles  her  skillet  and  gets  back  to  

studying.  She  has  barely  wasted  any  time  since  she  studied  while  it  cooked  and  she  

feels  extremely  prepared  for  her  test.  She  even  has  time  to  watch  Parks  and  Rec  at  

the  end  of  the  night.    

 

Existing Solutions When  it  comes  to  grocery  shopping  one  of  the  most  common  strategies  for  keeping  

track  of  what  items  to  buy  is  a  grocery  list.    Throughout  a  week  or  month  consumers  

will  keep  track  of  what  items  to  purchase  on  a  scrap  of  paper  that  will  float  around  

the  kitchen,  often  times  disappearing  right  before  a  trip  to  the  local  store.    While  

these  lists  are  convenient  for  the  act  of  shopping  they  lack  the  accountability,  recipe  

book,  and  food  reminder  features  that  are  in  the  forefront  of  the  “Tossed  Cycle”.      

 

There  are  a  number  of  apps  that  are  currently  on  the  market  that  assist  in  creation  

and  management  of  grocery  lists  that  provide  partial  solutions  to  the  problem  of  

efficient  grocery  shopping  and  food  waste  among  consumers.    None  of  these  apps  

offer  whole  product  solutions  to  the  problem  of  food  waste  and  as  a  result  have  had  

little  success  fully  integrating  into  the  daily  life  of  consumers.    Some  examples  of  

existing  apps  include,  Make  Me  a  Pie,  Love  Food  Hate  Waste,  and  Our  Groceries.    All  

of  these  apps  offer  aspects  of  the  solution  that  Tossed  provides,  but  no  single  app  

combines  all  the  features  that  Tossed  supplies  

 

None  of  these  solutions  have  fully  solved  the  problem  of  food  waste  because  none  of  

them  fully  integrate  all  aspects  of  grocery  shopping  and  food  consumption.  

  8  

Strategy Canvases  

  9  

Four Actions Framework  

 

Tossed As A Disruptive Innovation After  our  thorough  research  and  development  we  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  

the  Tossed  app  offers  a  disruptive  innovation  to  the  market.    The  Tossed  app  offers  

a  solution  to  problems  with  grocery  shopping  and  food  waste  that  are  common  

occurrences  among  young  single  adults.    This  demographic  often  makes  up  the  

worst  customer  segmentation  in  this  particular  market.    By  introducing  an  

innovation  that  assists  the  worst  customers  we  will  be  able  to  get  to  the  heart  of  the  

food  waste  problem  in  America  and  establish  habits  that  will  not  only  reduce  food  

waste,  but  teach  the  worst  consumers  how  to  properly  shop  for  and  use  their  

groceries  in  the  most  effective  and  efficient  ways.    

 

Eliminate • Handwritten  grocery  lists  

• Bouncing  between  multiple  apps  

Raise • Accountability  

• Functionality  

•  Knowledge  and  experience  in  the  

kitchen  and  into  food  purchase/prep  

• Awareness  of  options  to  make  

Reduce • Food  waste  

• Anxiety  in  planning  

• Money  waste  

 

Create •  A  fun  approach  to  meal  planning/grocery  

shopping    

• A  personal  food  profile  

• A  social  experience  around  the  process  of  

making  a  meal  

  10  

 Through  Tossed,  consumers  will  be  able  to  create  a  full  grocery  and  food  

experience.    As  they  purchase  groceries  off  their  easy  to  use  lists  the  food  and  

anticipated  expiration  dates  will  be  added  to  their  fridge.    Once  food  is  approaching  

expiration  the  app  will  alert  the  user  and  offer  different  recipes  that  will  not  only  

utilize  the  food  that  is  about  to  go  bad  but  will  pair  it  with  other  food  items  the  app  

knows  are  available  in  the  users  fridge.    As  the  user  becomes  more  familiar  with  the  

app  they  will  gain  badges  and  be  able  to  share  the  amount  of  money  they  saved  and  

the  delicious  food  they  are  able  to  make  over  various  social  networking  sites.    Never  

before  has  grocery  shopping  and  cleaning  out  the  refrigerator  been  so  fun  and  so  

rewarding.  

 

Measures of Success App downloads: Tracking  the  number  of  app  downloads  and  upgrades  will  allow  us  to  measure  the  continued  growth  of  the  app’s  popularity  

Take rate of coupon offers: Monitoring  the  rate  of  store  coupons  that  are  used  by  customers  will  show  which  ones  are  more  successful,  and  which  offers  do  not  

appeal  to  consumers.  

Social shares: Analyzing  the  number  of  social  shares  will  give  us  an  understanding  of  how  quickly  word-­‐of-­‐mouth  is  spreading  and  where  our  presence  is  growing  the  

strongest.    This  will  help  us  gauge  which  social  media  platforms  would  be  most  

receptive  to  advertisements  and  marketing  campaigns.    

Badges: Paying  attention  to  which  badges  are  earned  most  frequently,  and  how  long  it  takes  the  average  user  to  complete  each  badge,  will  give  insight  into  what  really  mo-­‐

tivates  the  users  to  save  food  and  use  the  app.