When the final project of the fellowship started my thought process drifted into my awareness, I did not immediately murmur to myself, okay this is the solution or this is the feature I am going to introduce.
What caught my attention was the problem itself, something I had seen many times in daily life. People often say they care about the planet, but when it comes to small daily choices, convenience usually wins. I’ve seen it happen with friends ordering on Zomato they talk about being eco-friendly, yet still accept plastic cutlery they don’t even need.
The Mission
The goal was clear but challenging: get more users to choose Zomato’s eco-friendly options like “No Cutlery,” “Eco-Packaging,” and “Sustainable Restaurants” without making the ordering process complicated.
Understanding the Situation
I studied Zomato’s market position, revenue streams, competition, and the larger sustainability space. I also looked at all the stakeholders customers, restaurants, delivery partners, regulators, and investors. I realised that sustainability wasn’t just good for brand image. It could also lower packaging costs, build stronger customer loyalty, and prepare the company for future regulations.
Hearing from the Users
I ran a short survey and spoke to Gen Z and millennial Zomato users. The results were eye-opening: 94% said they care about sustainability, but only a small percentage regularly choose the eco-options. The main reasons were: they didn’t notice the option (42.5%), they preferred cutlery by default (35%), or they simply forgot to select it (17.5%). This showed me the issue wasn’t about values — it was about visibility, habits, and reminders.
Creating the Solution
I came up with a three-part plan:
- Green Defaults – Once a user selects an eco-option, it stays on until they choose otherwise.
- EcoSpotlight Nudges – Friendly reminders during high-waste orders, like “Join 78% in your area reducing waste.”
- Your Eco Impact – A quick summary after the order, like “You saved 22g of plastic this time!” with a fun Earth mascot to make it personal and positive.
I designed prototypes in Figma to show exactly how these features could look in the app.
Making It Practical
To ensure the idea was realistic, I used the RICE scoring model to set priorities, created metrics to avoid user frustration, planned A/B testing for different age groups, and added safeguards like one-tap opt-out, multiple mascot designs, and verified data for trust.
Sharing the Idea
I didn’t present it as a technical pitch I told it as a simple user story: a hungry person opens Zomato, scrolls quickly, skips eco-options, but my design turns the eco-choice on automatically, celebrates them for it, and builds it into a habit. I linked every design decision to both business goals (brand growth, cost savings) and user psychology (easy and rewarding to use).
The Win
When I was chosen as a top fellow, it wasn’t just because of research or design skills. It was the mix of clear storytelling, smart product thinking, and practical execution. For me, food delivery should not only satisfy hunger — it should also help the planet. Every order is a chance to make that happen.
