EcoBasket

Inspiration

EcoBasket was inspired by a simple question: Why is shopping sustainably still so hard?
After talking with friends and doing research, we realized many people want to shop at farmers markets but face barriers, like not knowing when markets happen, what’s sold there, or how it benefits the planet. We were also inspired by the community and cultural value of farmers markets and wanted to create something that supports both shoppers and local vendors in a more connected, impactful way.

What it does

EcoBasket is a mobile app that helps users navigate and shop at farmers markets more easily and sustainably.
For shoppers, it provides:

• Personalized onboarding (dietary needs, values)
• A dashboard with quick sustainability stats (CO₂ saved, water saved, etc.)
• A social feed with posts, recipes, and updates from vendors and community members
• A scanner to check the environmental impact of food
• Favorite products to track seasonal finds

For vendors, it allows:

• Community posts and product updates
• Greater visibility to nearby shoppers
• A way to share their sustainability efforts and build loyal customer relationships

How we built it

We designed EcoBasket in Figma, starting with sketches and low-fidelity wireframes before building out high-fidelity interactive prototypes. We focused on a clean, friendly interface that feels approachable and intuitive for both shoppers and vendors. Each feature was informed by our research and designed to solve a specific real world problem.

Challenges we ran into

One challenge was balancing simplicity with functionality. We didn’t want to overwhelm users with too much at once, especially since we had two user types (shoppers and vendors).
Another was designing the social/community features in a way that felt natural while still delivering value, especially for vendors who don’t always have a strong digital presence.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

• Creating an experience that empowers both shoppers and vendors
• Making sustainability feel measurable, accessible, and rewarding
• Designing a space where community and cultural food traditions can be shared
• Building a clean, cohesive interface entirely in Figma that reflects our mission

What we learned

We learned how important it is to ask real people what’s stopping them from shopping sustainably. Our friends mentioned barriers like market timing, lack of awareness, and confusion about seasonal food—this helped us create features like personalized reminders and the product scanner.

We also learned that sustainability, although important, isn’t just environmental sustainability, but it’s also about supporting local economies, cultural traditions, and social connection.

What's next for EcoBasket

Next, we’d love to expand vendor tools to include product inventories and scheduling. EcoBasket has the potential to become a digital companion for people who want to make small everyday choices that lead to long term impact.

Built With

• figma