Academic Project · UC San Diego
A location-first inventory app for commercial kitchens. Update stock by zone, track every change, and always know what needs ordering without the spreadsheet.
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THE PROBLEM
Restaurants lose money due to poor inventory tracking
Kitchen staff update inventory at the worst moments end of a dinner rush, phone in one hand, orders piling up. The existing system was a Google Sheets spreadsheet that required scrolling through tabs, inconsistent column labels, and manually adding quantities across multiple storage zones.
The deeper issue: the spreadsheet was organized by food category, but cooks think spatially. "What's in the walk-in right now?" not "what are all my faux meats across every location?" The wrong mental model, at exactly the wrong time.
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
MY IMPACT
WHAT KITCHEN FLOW DOES
A location-first inventory system built for how kitchen staff actually work by zone, not by category. Update stock, find items, and track every change without leaving the app.
Item Changed
🧑🏼🍳
Chef Green
Added new item Soju in Large Fridge
Added new item Soju in Large Fridge
Added new item Soju in Large Fridge
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Search kitchen locations
Search location
Recent searches
Deli Fridge
100 Kcal
Freezer
225 Kcal
Small Fridge
76 Kcal
Search by location or item
Find any item instantly by typing its name or storage zone. The inventory map filters in real time no scrolling through tabs.
Item Changed
🧑🏼🍳
Chef Green
Added new item Soju in Large Fridge
Added new item Soju in Large Fridge
Added new item Soju in Large Fridge
Mon
11
Tue
12
Wed
13
Thu
14
Fri
15
Sat
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Sun
17
See every change, instantly
The activity log shows who updated what and when color-coded by change type and filterable so managers can focus on what matters.
USERFLOW
THE BLUEPRINT PHASE
Low enough fidelity that testers reacted to the flow, not the visuals. This is where we first caught that the bottom nav icons weren't communicating their purpose, and that the item card needed a fundamentally different layout.
TESTING THE PROTOTYPE
We didn't just ask "do you like it?" We simulated the worst-case scenarios of a real kitchen: end-of-shift fatigue, greasy hands, and extreme time pressure.
A/B TESTING
We A/B/C tested three input patterns with kitchen staff to identify the fastest and least fatiguing option for inventory updates.
Insights from Testing
Clarity
"Is that a 1 or a 7"
The Fix
Switched to monospaced numerals and increased quantity font size for better readability at a distance.
Fatigue
The Fix
Replaced constant keyboard use with a hybrid input using inline +/- controls and optional direct entry.
Visibility
The Fix
Elevated “Total On-Hand” into a prominent header to eliminate mental math.
Context
Which location am I Editing
The Fix
Labeled quantity controls by location and showed per-location counts alongside the total.
FINAL DESIGNS
Remove a Storage Location
Easily keep the map updated by removing unused storage areas. A quick menu and full-screen confirmation make the process simple, safe, and fast even during busy shifts.
Update Item Quantities by Location
Quickly adjust stock with totals and per-location breakdowns. Use +/– for small edits or type numbers for big changes. Fast, clear, and built to reduce errors.
View Activity Log
Access a reverse-chronological feed of all changes with clear timestamps, user names, and color-coded dots. Filter by items, quantities, or locations to quickly find what matters.
REFLECTIONS
thanks for reading
Designed for kitchens that actually work.
Sarah Saavedra Camacho