← Back to selected workPRODUCT EXPERIENCE · RISK COMMUNICATION · INDEPENDENT PROJECT · JUL–SEP 2025
Decode.
Making food recall information easier to understand and act on.
Inspired by the difficulty of interpreting a Trader Joe’s recall notice, Decode explores how a mobile scan could help someone identify whether an official notice applies to a product they have, understand the evidence and uncertainty, and find the appropriate next step. A separately explored Arduino light concept extends the idea of reminders into the kitchen; the phone and device have not been connected.
Concept visualization · mobile guidance and ambient awareness
THE OPPORTUNITY
From official recall notice to a product-specific explanation and appropriate action.
MY ROLE
Independent research synthesis, interaction and mobile UI design, Arduino LED exploration, and Blender state visualization.
DELIVERABLES
Mobile concept screens, information matching framework, independent Arduino LED experiments, and future fridge-light renderings.
01 / INSPIRATION
Public recall information. A difficult personal decision.
A Trader Joe’s product recall prompted the central question: when shoppers encounter a detailed public notice, how easily can they tell whether it applies to something they own—and what they should do next? This is the starting observation, not yet a measured finding about all consumers.
TRIGGER · TRADER JOE’S RECALL
When an alert reaches the shopper, the decision is still unclear.
A recall notice can contain product identifiers, dates, regions, and instructions. But matching those details to an item in hand takes effort.
Design question: How might a scan help someone find the relevant information and understand the next action without hiding uncertainty?
The Trader Joe’s bag and packaging are visual references—not proof that this pictured product was recalled.
Official notices may include names, labels, lot codes, establishment numbers, distribution details, dates and instructions. Decode focuses on translating those specifics into understandable product-matching evidence and next actions, rather than merely shortening the notice.
01 / FIND
Identify the item
Product name, brand, packaging, and batch or lot details.
02 / MATCH
Check the notice
Compare identifying details against the relevant recall notice, including affected dates and places.
03 / ACT
Explain the next step
Show the source, uncertainty, and appropriate advice—not an unsupported safety guarantee.
03 / USER & SYSTEM RESEARCH
Different actors. One difficult handoff.
The project materials report interviews with 15+ shoppers and explore how institutions, retailers and consumers communicate. These qualitative groups suggest questions to investigate; they do not establish the frequency of confusion across the wider population.
GROUP 01
Highly concerned
High perceived risk can produce information overload and prolonged uncertainty.
GROUP 02
Cautiously aware
Consumers may actively seek information while still being unsure how severe a specific warning is.
GROUP 03
Emotionally distant
Familiar brands and established routines may override abstract technical warnings.
REGULATORS
Recall notices
Publish affected products and official instructions.
→
RETAILERS / BRANDS
Product context
Communicate relevant product, batch, and store details.
→
SHOPPERS
Personal decisions
Determine whether an item matches and what to do.
Conceptual stakeholder map reconstructed for readability; it is not a diagram of an integrated live data service.
04 / DESIGN FRAMING
Interpret the recall. Preserve the evidence.
A clear interface must communicate which product details matched, which were not verified, where the information came from and what action the official notice recommends. Simplification should not remove essential qualifications.
HOW MIGHT WE
How might we help shoppers check whether an official food recall applies to a product they have, understand why, and act appropriately—without implying more certainty than the data supports?
BEFORE · RECALL NOTICE
Dense source information
Product / brand identifier
Lot and packaging information
Distribution and relevant dates
Recall reason and instructions
→
AFTER · MOBILE INTERPRETATION
Decision-ready guidance
Does this item match?
What is known or unknown?
What action is advised?
Where is the original source?
05 / TECHNICAL & INTERACTION LOGIC
A decision-support flow, not a safety detector.
The proposed flow uses packaging information as a starting point, then compares identifying details with an official recall notice. A barcode or product photo alone may be insufficient: lots, dates and other identifiers can require manual confirmation. No live recall-data integration or scan accuracy has been validated.
01 · INPUT
Recall data
Product, batch, date, region and status from institutional notices; optional user-provided product context.
→02 · TRANSLATE
Context & state
Determine which information is known, what requires review and what follow-up may be needed.
→03 · OUTPUT
Mobile explanation
Present a readable match status, uncertainty, supporting details and a practical next step.
✓
No matching recall found
No relevant recall was identified in the checked source and scope. This does not prove the food is safe.
!
Needs review
A product match or relevant identifying details remain uncertain; inspect the official notice.
×
Confirmed recall match
Provided identifying details match an applicable recall; follow the official warning and avoid use when directed.
↻
New / unreviewed notice
A potentially relevant update has not yet been reviewed; it is not a product safety result.
?
Unable to determine
The data, connectivity or identifiers are insufficient for a trustworthy comparison.
These are proposed UI communication states, not official safety classifications. “No matching recall found” is not an assurance that a product is safe; uncertain or unavailable data must not be silently treated as a negative match.
06 / MOBILE EXPERIENCE
Scan, verify, understand what to do.
The mobile concept organizes the main task: capture a product identifier, verify details that a scan cannot establish, compare with relevant official notices, then show matching evidence, uncertainty and the next recommended action. The UI has not been integrated with a live recall database.
MOBILE INTERACTION
Scan, interpret and decide
The main task flow focuses on scanning and interpretation. Additional screens show alternative results, dashboard and notification states.
Prototype boundary: The mobile screens are interface designs. LED experiments were tested separately with Arduino. No live phone-to-device connection or verified real-time recall integration is claimed.
01 · Align packaging for a scan02 · Review the product interpretation03 · Alternative product scenario04 · Additional status scenario
As a future connected-device direction, a fridge-mounted light could signal an unreviewed or unresolved food recall item so it is not forgotten after the phone is put away. The light would not certify that every food in the kitchen is safe, and the app would remain the place to read product-specific details. Arduino LED experiments and Blender state studies were completed separately; no phone-to-device connection exists yet.
Design rationale · phone and light have distinct jobs
PHONE: identify, explain, and guide action. LIGHT (future concept): make an unresolved item noticeable at home. The device would need a clear target item, update mechanism, offline behavior, and a path back to the phone before it could be considered usable.
The following photographs document separate light and enclosure experiments. The five digital state visualizations represent a proposed product appearance, not five assembled devices.
PROCESS DOCUMENTATION
From enclosure model to LED experiments
These images document the enclosure model and separately tested LEDs. The polished device and kitchen scenes below are concept renderings.
3D enclosure modelLED setup · physical experimentMulticolor LED test · physical experimentHardware assembly detail
FORM & LIGHT EXPLORATIONS
Exploring five distinct color states
Green · state renderingYellow · state renderingRed · state renderingPurple · state renderingBlue · state rendering
AMBIENT DEVICE IN CONTEXT
Light states in a kitchen setting
This future direction explores a visible, color-coded status light near food storage. The kitchen scenes are concept renderings, not photographs of an integrated working system.
Green light · concept sceneYellow light · concept sceneRed light · concept scenePurple light · concept scene
08 / REFLECTION & NEXT VALIDATION
A stronger bridge between information and action.
The strongest part of Decode is translating technical recall information into an intelligible, evidence-based next action. The mobile screens and Blender renderings are design proposals; Arduino LED tests are separate physical experiments. The integrated system and its effect on real user decisions remain unvalidated.
COMPLETED
Design output
Research synthesis, notice-to-decision framing and mobile scanning/result screens; reported interviews should be supported by original notes when presented.
PROTOTYPED
Technical exploration
Separate Arduino-controlled LED trials and Blender visualizations of potential light states, not a connected mobile–hardware prototype.
NEXT VALIDATION
Next validation
Test recall matching with real notices, measure comprehension and correct actions against the source notice, then investigate if a kitchen light improves follow-through.
