1. "Prevalence and Correlates of Food Insecurity Among U.S. College Students: A Multi- Institutional Study" suggests that 19% of college students in the U.S. experience food insecurity, with an additional 25.3% at risk.
→ This showed the scale of the problem and validated the need for accessible solutions.

2. Only 22.2% of food-insecure students use on-campus pantries.
→ Many are unaware of resources or feel embarrassed to seek help

3. “Cooking literacy” plays a major role in student food security.
→ Students who can’t cook spend more on eating out, worsening their financial strain.

4. Quote from participant when asked how the university can better support the students:

“I would say funding stuff like the Comet Cupboard or free grocery bingo. I would also say this is kind of an odd thing to say, but I do feel like encouraging more people to learn how to garden and use the community gardens could be super helpful.” This insight inspired the app’s student sharing forum feature.

The first wireframes focused on quick access. A bottom navigation bar led to:

• Inventory Hub: Live updates on pantry items.

• Recipe Library: Pantry-based, easy, and fast.

• Community Forum: Student recipes, tips, and relatable stories.

Each screen used calm colors and rounded shapes to reduce friction and make the experience feel friendly, not transactional.

Goal: Assess intuitiveness and emotional comfort.
Participants: 5 UTD students (mixed living situations).

Findings:

• “I like the filter. It makes it super easy to find stuff I can actually make.”

• “Would be cool to save my filters or favorite ingredients.”

• “It took a second to find where the inventory was, but once I got it, it made sense.”

Actions Taken:

• Added a save filter button.

• Simplified the navigation icons.

• Created a “featured restock” banner to improve discoverability.