Sustainable ordering application for Olympic athletes — balancing performance nutrition with IOC sustainability goals after documented food failures at the 2024 Paris Games.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the IOC hit its sustainability targets — 250km local sourcing, 100% recyclable packaging, a plant-based emphasis. But athletes experienced a different reality: food shortages, inadequate protein, poor taste, 30-minute queues, and limited variety. The German hockey team called it "a disaster." Adam Peaty described "long queues and worms in the fish." Daria Saville said she'd "need 14 of them right now to feel full."
The nutritional requirements of elite athletes were being traded off against environmental goals. I asked: how can a digital system support both without forcing a compromise?
Triangulated across three methods: quantitative surveys with 41 high-level athletes, semi-structured interviews with 6 athletes, and an expert interview with Amy McLean, Experience Designer and Biodesigner at frog.
The research phase produced 151 affinity notes organised into 19 groups and 5 themes. Athletes were willing to engage with sustainability — but not at the expense of performance. Most had limited knowledge of plant-based protein equivalents and defaulted to familiar options.
McLean challenged the initial assumption that education alone could shift behaviour: sustainability, she argued, is "a buzzword used for marketing" — systemic, not an individual's responsibility. That reframed my approach from persuasion toward transparency and choice.
Athletes prioritise animal-based protein for performance. Vegan alternatives are perceived as insufficient in both nutrition and taste.
Interest in sustainability exists but knowledge of high-protein alternatives is low. Athletes need education, not restriction.
Competition food systems are built for scale, not precision. Many athletes bring or cook their own food at the Games.
Three concepts developed through Crazy 8s, Worst Possible Idea, and Mash-up exercises: an AI nutrition tracker, a food dispensing kiosk, and a feedback-driven ordering app. I evaluated all three using a Pugh Decision Matrix across seven weighted criteria — performance impact and sustainability weighted highest. The ordering application scored 31.5 out of 33 and was selected.
Every meal shows protein, carbs, fats, calories, and serving size at point of selection. Athletes can assess meals against their performance targets immediately — no guesswork, no surprises.
Two ordering paths: curated meals (search by cuisine, sustainability rating, dietary tags) and a component-based builder (choose protein, carbs, prep method, and marinade). Supports athletes with precise targets alongside quick decisions.
Partial protein substitution at four levels — 25% "Keep It Subtle" (+2 SP), 50% "Half Way There" (+5 SP), 75% "Almost There" (+7 SP), 100% "Legend" (+10 SP). Eight plant-based options, each with protein-per-100g displayed. Athletes keep their total protein intake while reducing environmental impact incrementally.
Sustainability Points accumulate at country level — Japan 1st (2,267 SP), U.S.A. 2nd (1,194 SP), Australia 3rd (935 SP). "Did you know?" facts on the confirmation screen translate choices into tangible impact. Athletes rate meals for quality, taste, and athletic performance; reviews feed back to the kitchen management system.
Tested with 5 athletes using a four-step protocol: think-aloud task completion → structured interview (4 questions) → SUS survey → unstructured follow-up. In-person testing captured non-verbal cues — hesitation, squinting at labels, reaching for the wrong button — alongside verbal feedback.
69 affinity notes were organised across 11 themes. Three areas needed work:
Macronutrient labels redesigned — unlabelled greyscale donut chart replaced with a colour-coded display showing explicit values: Protein 40g, Carbs 18g, Fats 36g, Serving Size 355g, 540 Kcal. Sustainability Swap options now show per-option descriptions and explicit tier labels.
Visual feedback added — selected options highlight in yellow. Notification banners confirm order placement ("Your Order #05 Is On Its Way / Time to Ready: 5 minutes"). Red badge on History nav icon signals active orders.
Onboarding and education — 4-screen carousel added at first launch explaining the sustainability competition, points system, and substitution mechanic. "Did you know?" facts added to every order confirmation. Dedicated Sustainability Information screen with three IOC-aligned goals.
Olympic Eats reframes sustainability and nutrition as a design problem rather than a policy conflict. By giving athletes transparency and choice instead of restriction, the system aligns institutional goals with individual needs. The expert interview with Amy McLean was pivotal — it shifted the design from trying to educate athletes into making better choices toward building a system where the better choice is the easier one.
With only one round of iteration, further testing would strengthen the design significantly. The next step would be testing the OMS kitchen system with food service operators.