Designing and Implementing the MySusCof App—A Mobile App to Support Food Waste Reduction

Abstract

Consumers are responsible for almost 50 percent of food waste. Consumer-focused interventions are crucial to achieve many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 12.3. There are many factors that cause food waste, and these can be prevented by changing the consumption behavior of adults. Mobile apps are seen as promising tools to change consumer behavior for ensuring more sustainable food consumption. This study describes the development process and examines the perceived quality of MySusCof, an app intended to reduce the food waste of consumers. The uMARS scale was used for collecting data from consumers. Within the scope of the study, two studies were conducted to examine the development process of the application and to determine the user reactions to the mobile application. Results show that gamification elements with hedonic and social components, as well as functional aspects, are important features for user engagement and perceived impact. The qualitative results also supported the user experience in both hedonic and functional value and role of mobile apps to lead behavior change. This study serves as a guideline for future developers of mobile apps intended to lead consumers to a more sustainable food consumption.

Keywords

• mobile app
• food waste
• consumer behavior
• food consumption