Mobile app

Harvi

Independently living adults aged 20–45 increasingly want to maintain a healthy lifestyle but struggle to verify the quality, freshness and nutritional value of fruits and vegetables. Despite rising awareness of diet and wellness, grocery shopping remains driven by visual guesswork rather than reliable data.

Visit Prototype Case Study

Services: UI/UX Design
Category: Mobile App
Client: Stonks

Harvi app on a phone — Your food deserves clarity

Case study summary

Urban adults aged 20–45 are increasingly health-conscious but lack reliable ways to verify the freshness and nutritional value of farm produce while shopping. Grocery decisions are often based on appearance rather than trustworthy data, leading to uncertainty and inconsistent dietary choices.

This project explores a mobile solution that enables users to scan produce, view freshness scores, access nutritional insights and discover trusted nearby vendors. The goal was to transform grocery shopping from a guess-based activity into a data-driven decision process, helping users maintain healthier lifestyles despite busy routines.

The resulting design focuses on clarity, trust and speed, combining freshness analytics, nutrition visualization and location-based discovery to support confident food choices and long-term healthy habits.

What the app helps users do

Scan produce

Assess the freshness of fruits and vegetables instantly instead of relying on visual guesswork.

Discover vendors

Find nearby trusted vendors so quality sourcing becomes part of the everyday routine.

Nutrition insights

View nutrition and safety insights that make healthy choices concrete and comparable.

Track progress

Follow healthy eating progress over time to build long-term habits.

Harvi onboarding screen on a phone held in hand

The challenge

Consumers struggle to verify produce freshness, leading to significant health risks and financial waste.

The solution

A dual-layer system combining edible, color-changing stickers with a data-driven mobile application.

The outcome

Reduced household waste and empowered decision-making for urban populations.

Problem framing

90% of post-harvest waste in India comes down to a lack of transparency. The core human problem lies in the unreliability of visual judgment: users depend on misleading indicators like color or smell.

Limitation	Impact on user
Visual Guesswork	Leads to premature spoilage and feelings of guilt.
Vendor Claims	Creates misplaced trust without harvest proof.
Generic Info	Contributes to decision fatigue and waste.

Solution exploration

Physical layer

The edible indicator

A non-toxic sticker reacting to chemical markers like ethylene. It provides immediate, glanceable color signals for quick decisions.

Digital layer

QR / data interface

The mobile app scans the QR to fetch harvest history and nutrition data. Zero barrier to entry, with optional deep-dive insights.

FreshRing

Rejected

Requires wearable hardware; high friction and behavioral complexity for everyday shopping.

MicroScan

Rejected

Specialized shelf devices; high cognitive load and not scalable for general consumers.

HARVI (QR)

Selected

Zero learning curve; instant visual cues with optional digital interaction via existing smartphones.

The product loop

Scan

User scans the HARVI sticker at the market or home using the mobile app.

Verify

Real-time data reveals the exact freshness score and remaining shelf life.

Educate

App provides tailored storage tips and nutrition insights to maximize value.

Act

Confident purchase and consumption decisions reduce household waste.

User research & validation

Research uncovered a breakdown of trust across the supply chain. 70% of consumers value freshness but rely on habitual trust due to a lack of data.

Consumers

Spoilage frustration & guilt

Users prioritize speed; freshness indicators must be glanceable and immediate.

Farmers

Unrewarded quality effort

Farmers lack tools to prove quality, leading to pricing that ignores preservation efforts.

Retailers

Inventory waste & loss

A critical need exists for better shelf-life tracking to optimize stock rotation.

Design strategy

Color theory

Behavioral over decorative

Vivid Emerald was chosen to stimulate trust and signal freshness and growth.

Recognition

Glanceable decision support

UI highlights primary actions so users can decide quickly in crowded contexts.

Accessibility

Inclusive clarity

High-contrast elements improve readability across varied lighting.

Technical architecture

Input layer

Chemical sensors

Edible sensors detect ethylene and pH changes, converting markers into data.

Biochemical detection
Real-time monitoring

Processing layer

Cloud infrastructure

Aggregates farm logs and harvest timestamps into a unified database.

Data aggregation
Supply chain analytics

Delivery layer

Mobile API

Translates backend data into a simple freshness score for the user.

User interface
Actionable insights

Outcomes & success metrics

25%

Waste reduction

Decrease in household produce spoilage through storage education.

<3s

Scan efficiency

Users verify freshness in under three seconds using the interface.

40%

Trust increase

Enhanced user confidence in vendor selection based on verified history.

Market opportunity

The gap. No competitor combines physical indicators with a gamified platform.

Differentiation. HARVI offers active, data-backed freshness verification.

Future roadmap

Vendor module

Wholesale inventory management and dealer dashboards.

Gamification

Nudges and scores to reward sustainable shopping habits.

Retail integration

Fast-track experiences for high-engagement customers.

The best ideas survive constraints, not unlimited time. HARVI is a testament to the power of collective design thinking.
System Thinkers · Design for Change Community

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