IN PROGRESS
Too Good To Go App
Improving the Surplus Food Shopping Experience
Too Good To Go is a sustainable app that helps people buy surplus and near-expiry food at a discounted price. Its popular “Surprise Bag” bundles unsold items, like bread, fruit, or meals, collected from a variety of supermarkets and restaurants, revealed only at pickup. While exciting, this unpredictability often frustrated users and reduced repeat use. Our team redesigned the experience by turning these bundles into more predictable, repeatable meals, making sustainable choices easier, more reliable, and enjoyable, while fostering a community around food waste reduction.
Role: Lead Product Designer on a team of three
Timeline: 6 weeks
Tools used: Figma
Main Methodologies Used
Discover: TGTG Analysis, Content Audit, Heuristic Evaluation, Competitive Analysis, Qualitative Interviews, Affinity Mapping, I-Statements. Define: Personas, Retrospective User Journey Map, Empathy Map, User Flow Map.
Ideate: Problem Statements, HMWs, Crazy 8’s, Feature Prioritisation, User Flows, Sketches, Mid-Fidelity, Usability Testing.
Deliver: High-Fidelity Design, Design System.
For more detail, view the presentation, prototype, or research via the links below, or scroll down for the full case study.
Case Study in a Nutshell
The Problem: Users love the Surprise Bags but struggled with it’s unpredictability, making meal planning difficult and limiting repeat use.
The Solution: We introduced a Visual Panel showing estimated bag contents to make Surprise Bags more transparent and reliable. We also added suggested recipes, a local community section, light gamification (including CO₂ impact indicators and active member vouchers), and an onboarding experience, all designed to boost confidence, engagement, and repeat use.
The Impact: Clear expectations and visible impact increase trust, encourage users to return, and strengthen both loyalty and the waste-reduction community.
Detailed Case Study, Empathise & Discover
What’s To Good To Go?
Too Good To Go is a mobile app that helps reduce food waste by connecting users with restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores that have leftover food at the end of the day. Users can purchase “Surprise Bags” at discounted prices.
What’s a Surprise Bag?
A Surprise Bag is a bundle of unsold fresh food, revealed only at pickup, saving food and giving customers a deal.
The Challenge
Too Good To Go asked us to better connect users with sustainable choices, drive repeat use, and strengthen the waste-reduction community.
High-Level Goals
Increase engagement beyond first use
Strengthen food waste impact
Build a stronger sustainability community
First-hand testing
We tested the Too Good To Go service to see how consumer felt.
User & stakeholder interviews
By interviewing 15 users, sustainability-driven, deal-seekers, and current or former TGTG users, clear patterns emerged.
Key Insights/Pain Points
Limited filters reduce user control.
No control over bag quality or quantity, with high unpredictability.
Reviews feel unreliable.
Define Phase
Which problem has the most impact?
One issue stood out above the rest:
Users had no control over the quality or quantity of items.
“Sometimes they just chuck everything in and it’s frustrating.”
The problem is that Emma needs more transparency in Surprise Bags, as the unpredictability of contents makes it difficult to plan and cook meals effectively, leading to potentially less impactful food saving.
Who is Emma?
Emma, our persona, is a Mindful Foodie who loves discovering good food that aligns with her values: sustainability, quality, and convenience.
What are Emma Goals?
Find high-quality, affordable, and sustainable food options.
Have a bit more control over what she purchases.
Support local businesses and discover trustworthy sellers.
What are Emma’s Behaviours?
Prefers slightly more predictable meal options over surprise deals
Tries to reduce food waste through mindful cooking, and portion control.
She likes to see ratings to help guide decisions
What are Emma’s needs?
Clearer content and quality control for Surprise Bags
Detailed user reviews and photos of shops
Ideate and Design Phase
Shaping a Smarter TGTG
We wanted the new Too Good To Go experience to feel clear, reliable, exciting and convenient, turning unpredictability into confident, conscious choices.
The Design Solution!
How did we let Emma know roughly what she would get into the Surpise bag?
We added a new section on the Surprise Bag page called “What You’re Going to Get” that features a Visual Panel showing estimated contents.
The visual panel shows users what to expect and helps businesses prepare consistent, high-quality Surprise Bags.
From
“I have no idea what’s in my bag”
To
“I know roughly what I’ll get, what I can cook with it, and how to make it work with what’s already in my fridge.”
Mid-Res Prototype
The mid-fidelity prototype addressed the brief holistically. Alongside the visual panel, we added suggested recipes, a community section, light gamification, CO₂ impact indicators, and a detailed onboarding, all to boost engagement and retention. It also allowed usability testing to validate our approach.
Deliver Phase
Design Improvements
Product Page
Before and after
We improved clarity and trust by refining typography, spacing, icons, and layout hierarchy.
Your Impact Section
We added an impact indicator to showcase food saved and boost community engagement.
Visual Data Panel
The Visual Data Panel shows bag contents, building user confidence, repeat use, and business consistency.
Suggested recipes
Suggested recipes help users cook surplus food, stay engaged, and feel guided.
Super Star Bag badge
Super Star Bag badges boost trust, quality, and business transparency.
Photos of past bags
Past bag photos enhance trust, transparency, and ease of use.
Profile Page
Before and after
We refreshed the profile page for a more intuitive, user-friendly experience.
True Food Rescue Achievement
Emma earned a Star Icon, celebrating her food rescue impact and boosting pride, purpose, and repeat use.
Achievements Card
Achievements Cards show CO₂ saved, boosting purpose, engagement, and community.
Vouchers
Vouchers reward top users, boosting loyalty, repeat use, and recognition.
Community Feature
Community Feature links users to local stars and events, fostering engagement and belonging.
Onboarding Experience
Onboarding now personalises, guides, and supports users, boosting retention and community.
The power of Design Solutions
The Goal
Help users connect with sustainable food choices, return regularly,
and feel part of a bigger mission.
How We Support It
We designed onboarding flows, visual tools, trust-building features, and personalised experiences that make saving food easier, clearer, and more enjoyable.
The Experience
From visual bag previews to recipe ideas and community connections,
Every feature brings users closer to confident, conscious choices.
The Impact
Stronger trust and repeat use, fostering a loyal, purpose-driven community.
Next Steps
Extend the visual data panel to other business types (sketched, not yet designed).
Include private chatboxes that alert users to unusual bags or offer extra discounts.
Explore more gamification (streaks, levels, seasonal challenges) to boost engagement.
Review and improve accessibility across visuals, navigation, and copy.
Explore in-app translation for local business listings in different markets.
Introduce in-store stickers and QR codes to bring regular customers into TGTG.
