Mobile Application - 2025
SharedShelf
SharedShelf is a mobile application dedicated to connecting food banks, shelters, donors, and volunteers. It streamlines food donation processes, tracks inventory in real time, and improves distribution efficiency to help reduce food waste and support vulnerable communities.
SharedShelf reimagines the food donation ecosystem by uniting food banks, shelters, and donors through an intuitive, real-time platform. By streamlining the entire donation process and enhancing communication, the app fosters efficient resource allocation and drives social impact.
SharedShelf's dashboard puts your most critical data front and center — track monthly donations, completed pickups, and inventory performance in real time.
Stay ahead of stock issues with proactive alerts for overstocked, low stock, or expiring items — ensuring food gets where it's needed most, faster.
Coordinate pickups and deliveries with ease — filter by urgency, manage confirmed requests, and assign volunteers based on real-time availability.
Visualizes routes, estimated times, and volunteer locations — helping shelters deliver more meals with fewer delays.
Discovery
Food banks and shelters often struggle with inefficient and manual food donation processes. The lack of real-time updates, fragmented communication, and cumbersome inventory management leads to wasted resources and missed opportunities to assist those in need. A unified, technology-driven solution is urgently needed to bridge these gaps and streamline operations.
I began by reviewing online sources like News articles on food waste and hunger, Google Play reviews for donation and food management apps, App Store insights from non-profit and donation platforms, and social media discussions on Reddit r/foodbanks. Patterns started to emerge:
SharedShelf bridges these challenges by offering an automated, real-time platform that connects donors, food banks, and shelters. With features like smart inventory tracking, coordinated volunteer scheduling, and instant notifications, the app ensures that food donations are efficiently managed and quickly delivered to those in need.
Develop a mobile application that empowers food banks and shelters by centralizing the food donation process. SharedShelf will simplify logistics, optimize inventory management, and foster collaboration among community stakeholders, ultimately reducing food waste and enhancing the support provided to vulnerable populations.
Real‑time donor ↔ charity matchingRobust inventory trackingClear waste‑reduction metrics
Limited customizationComplex initial setupManual data entry requiredIntuitive volunteer coordinationInstant donation alertsEfficient resource trackingCluttered at peak activityBasic reporting toolsMinimal donor‑management featuresEnd‑to‑end resource managementEasy partner integrationsReal‑time communicationSteep learning curveOverly complex dashboardsIrregular update cadenceCommunity‑driven interfaceSeamless in‑app notificationsBalanced functionality & designLimited enterprise customizationOccasional update delaysBasic analytics featuresEmpathize
Based on research, the persona captures key user behaviors, needs, and pain points to inform design decisions and improve usability.
Age: 42
Location: Chicago, IL
Occupation: Shelter Manager
“I need a platform that streamlines food donations and connects our shelter with reliable donors and volunteers in real time, so we can better serve our community.”
Sarah manages a busy shelter that serves hundreds of families each week. She constantly juggles limited resources and an overwhelming amount of donated food. Frustrated by outdated systems and communication gaps, Sarah is eager for a solution that simplifies inventory management and ensures that every donation reaches those who need it most.
Goal: Efficiently manage food donations and ensure that resources are distributed promptly to those in need.
| ACTION | Register & Setup Organization | Update Inventory in Real Time | Receive Donation & Volunteer Alerts | Coordinate Deliveries | Generate Impact Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task List | Register your organization and set up an initial inventory profile. | Use the app to scan and log incoming food donations automatically. | Receive real-time notifications for new donations and coordinate with volunteers. | Monitor distribution routes and update delivery statuses. | Generate reports to analyze donation impact and identify trends. |
| Feeling Adjective | Hopeful and empowered during the initial setup. | Relieved and confident with automated donation tracking. | Inspired and engaged when collaborating with volunteers. | Satisfied and reassured by timely delivery confirmations. | Accomplished and informed after reviewing impact reports. |
| Improvement Opportunities | Streamline the initial registration process to reduce setup time. | Integrate localized mapping and routing for optimized deliveries. | Enhance volunteer communication with in-app messaging and alerts. | Expand reporting capabilities to include predictive analytics. | Incorporate user feedback loops for continuous improvement. |
Mapping out the overall user experience helped identify key interactions, pain points, and moments of delight. This high-level view ensured the design aligned with user needs and real-world scenarios.
Zooming in on specific moments in the journey allowed for a deeper understanding of user behavior, emotions, and potential roadblocks. These insights guided more thoughtful and intuitive design decisions.
Ideate
I kicked off ideation with Crazy 8s, sketching eight quick ideas in eight minutes. This fast-paced approach helped generate diverse solutions and break past initial assumptions.
Next, I structured the app’s Information Architecture, ensuring clear navigation and intuitive user flows for a seamless experience.
Wireframing & Prototype
Each screen reflects a direct response to the challenges discovered in user research—like finding lighting accommodations, receiving safety alerts, and planning evening walks. The wireframes laid the groundwork for a mobile experience focused on safety, clarity, and confidence.
Transitioning to high-fidelity wireframes from low-fidelity wireframing I conducted usability testing to gather feedback, and adjusted the design accordingly to accomodate the feedback provided from users.
Refined Scheduling Flow & Route Alerts — Usability testing revealed challenges around volunteer coordination and daily task visibility. The redesigned screen introduces urgency-specific filters for faster prioritization, improved 'Add Event' logic for clear volunteer assignment, and smart route cards with stop counts and ETAs — helping shelter managers like Sarah coordinate pickups with less friction.
Inventory management is critical for food banks managing limited resources. We redesigned the Inventory screen to provide clear, real-time insights — adding an Inventory Health Overview, color-coded alerts for Low Stock, Expiring Soon, and Overstocked items, along with timestamps for last updated stock. These changes help shelters act faster and reduce food waste.
Stay on top of your shelter's activity with real-time donation stats, inventory health, and volunteer contributions — all in one streamlined view designed for speed and decision-making.
Coordinate food pickups with less back-and-forth. From confirmed requests to optimized delivery routes, SharedShelf keeps volunteers and shelter managers aligned every step of the way.
Designing SharedShelf highlighted the critical need for technology to support social good. The project reinforced the importance of seamless communication, real-time data, and user-centered design to empower food banks and shelters. It's been an insightful journey in balancing functionality with an empathetic approach to community needs.
Empathy in Design Understanding the challenges faced by food banks and shelters is key to designing impactful solutions that truly serve communities.
Importance of Real-Time Data Automated, live updates can transform resource management and improve collaboration among stakeholders.
Streamlined Processes Simplifying complex workflows through intuitive interfaces can greatly enhance user efficiency and satisfaction.
Social Impact through UX Designing with a social good focus requires balancing robust functionality with compassion and inclusivity.
Future directions include conducting in-depth usability testing with food bank staff and volunteers, integrating advanced predictive analytics for inventory management, and refining community feedback mechanisms to continuously improve the platform.
SharedShelf is poised to revolutionize the food donation process by bridging the gap between donors, food banks, and shelters. By embracing innovation and empathy, the app aims to transform excess food into vital resources, making a tangible difference in communities across the globe.