usc dining · practice of design · 2026
a ground-up redesign of how 20,000 students eat on campus - one app instead of three, built around your schedule and your wallet.
what is troy eats?
the pitch, in motion
get anything on campus.
troy eats - promo reel from the final pitch
the task?
the problem
eating on campus took three apps and a lot of guessing.
USC dining was scattered across USC Card Services, a separate mobile-ordering app, and static dining-hall menu pages - none of which talked to each other.
The result was constant decision fatigue: redundant screens (a rewards tab that did nothing), no photos, no sense of community, and no single answer to the only question students actually ask - "where should i eat right now?"
- 01fragmented tools. card balance, ordering, and menus lived in three different places.
- 02decision fatigue. too many redundant pages and buttons, no guidance.
- 03no community. no reviews, no photos, no connection between students and chefs.
- 04blind wait times. you found out a station was slammed only once you got there.
my process?
research - talked to usc students ourselves and catalogued every pain point across the redundant flows
signature feature - an assistant that reads your schedule + location, ranking spots by what's closest, open, and uncrowded
time-aware ordering - tells you exactly when to leave so your food's ready when you arrive
community - students post reviews with photos, chefs reply directly as verified staff
rewards, rebuilt - turned the dead rewards tab into the engine: points for healthy habits, tier status, priority at rush hour
service redesign - meal-swipe transparency, allergen + dietary filters, small nudges toward cheaper, healthier choices
brand - built the full identity: naming, the cardinal-and-gold mark, a tommy-trojan-led campaign
campaign hero - troy eats, the trojan way to eat on campus
reflection
outcome
The final app and pitch deck combined every fragmented tool into one seamless surface. Reviewers agreed it was well-made and that the features worked together cohesively.
"it combines all the features seamlessly into one platform."
honest reflection - the biggest open risk is the learning curve. consolidating three tools into one powerful app means new patterns to learn; the next iteration would focus on onboarding and progressive disclosure so the power doesn't overwhelm a first-time user.