Hardware interfaces for Mill’s food recycling ecosystem
Mill reimagines kitchen composting with a sleek, modern bin that transforms food scraps into dry, odorless powder. This waste can be repurposed as nutrient-rich chicken feed, cutting waste management costs for cities.
The challenge was to craft a minimal, human-centered, onboard interface that could communicate various device states to people in the immediate vicinity. I collaborated closely with industrial design, product, and engineering teams to design, prototype and execute these interfaces for Mill’s first and second-generation products. While the UI evolved over time, it remained a simple, intuitive interface achieved through innovative industrial design and mechanical engineering solutions.
Industrial design Rocky Jacob
Timeframe 2020–2025
Contributions Hardware UI/UX design
Collaboration ID, Product, Firmware, ME, EE, App
Early exploration
Challenge: design a single, multi-LED indicator for communicating device status.
First generation
Evolution of ID and UX led to a button and discrete indicators on the lid
Awards and recognition
While my contributions to the product are modest compared to the rest of the team, it's received some noteworthy recognition.
TIME Magazine:
The 200 Best Inventions of 2023
Good Housekeeping:
2023 Best Cleaning & Organizing Awards
Fast Company:
2023 Innovation by Design Awards Finalist
More information
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