The Produce Panther
Change Habits, Change Lives
The solution to this problem was easy. The Produce Project, a local nonprofit volunteer based organization, did not have a mobile application. This could help people reserve baskets of produce while on the go. It also allows for more people to interact with the business and reduce waste.
Overview
During this assignment, I was limited to a three week time sprint. The typical GV sprint is usually a five-day process for answering critical business questions through business strategy, innovation, behavior science, and design thinking. Like Google Ventures, each week we worked on either designing, prototyping, or testing ideas with customers.
Summary
To provide a service in which nonprofit organizations, companies, food banks and food pantries can get in touch with businesses that have extra surplus of produce that is going to waste.
Roles & Responsibilities
Conducted user research and testing. Developed wireframes and task flows based on user needs. Collaborated with designers and developers to create intuitive, user-friendly software.
Problem
For many busy Americans it is not easy to shop for produce. Oftentimes food that is less nutritious is discounted, whereas produce is usually marked up or more expensive. This leads to produce expiring and going to waste. How do we help customers get healthy options for food at the grocery store and also save food from going to waste?
Audience
My audience consisted mainly of working professionals whose busy day left them with little options on how to shop for healthy items for themselves or their family members. It should also be noted that this application is for anyone who wants to eat healthier and save money.
Solution
The answer to our problems often lies right in front of our face. With The Produce Project, they had no mobile application. With a mobile application, people can reserve food, volunteer and connect at the click of a button. The Produce Project needed the Produce Panther.
Research and Discovery
Process
With a survey, I was able to begin the process of finding out more about food waste, people’s view’s on volunteering and how people shop for groceries.
Survey Data
What I learned from this project is that people are health conscious. They want to be healthy and they want to save money. With my survey data, I have proof that people want to reduce waste and eat healthier foods. Especially, if the food was free.
Persona: Geoff Davis
Geoff has a decent life with highs and lows. He teaches at a local school and exercises often. He is health conscious, but has struggled in the past in providing healthy food for his family. He loves his friends and his family. Geoff volunteers his time when he is able.
Motivations
Geoff has desires to help his family have a healthy life. He works hard as a Calculus teacher to help students learn what they need to get a career. He believes in volunteering time to help the community and he strives to eat better to show his young son good habits and to life a long and happy life with his wife.
Goals
Buy groceries for the family without having to spend too much money
Shop for healthier options
Accomplish tasks quickly while running errands.
Frustrations
Lack of time
Eating unhealthy food options
Not setting the right example for his son
Bio
Geoff lives in Raleigh, NC. He is 36 year old Caucasian male. He has a wife and five year old son. On his days off he enjoys going to the pub with his friends after jiu-jitsu. He likes to take his son and wife on walks at his favorite park and enjoys volunteering at a local non profit organization.
Gain Points
Geoff has a great work ethic and loves his community. He essentially volunteers his time every day at school helping students with projects or issues. With his love for community, he has made great friends at his local pub, jiu-jitsu program, gym and through fantasy football. With his strong community ties, Geoff has ensured that he is always nearby to help, if needed.
Pain Points
Geoff works from 9:00-4:30 Monday thru Friday as a math teacher for a public school system in the triangle research area. He has little time to go shopping. His wife is also working part-time and spending most of the time helping raise their 5 year old child. They often get unhealthy options for food and healthy options are often too expensive.
Persona: Andrea Braithwaite
Andrea works as bartender and fitness instructor. She is a thirty year old single black woman who is active in her community and is close to receiving her masters degree in Microbiology. Her rent is high and she often doesn’t eat a well balanced nutritious meal. She is motivated by fast and easy methods for shopping for healthy food options.
Motivations
Andrea wants to have a healthy life. She works as a fitness instructor and bartender. She loves helping people get into shape. She volunteers when she can in her community. She has trouble paying her rent, so bartending has helped. She wants to eat healthy options and strives to reduce the amount of meat she consumes.
Goals
Get options for free food
Shop without having to spend too much money
Volunteer and do community outreach in her community
Frustrations
Always feeling tired
Eating fast food
Not setting the right example for her community
Bio
Andrea lives in Raleigh, NC. She 30 years old. She is single. She likes to tend to her plants and try her hand at farming her own herb garden. She volunteers in a community outreach program for underprivileged teenagers in an area in downtown Raleigh, NC. She loves fitness and likes meeting new people.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of Amazon.
Information Architecture
Minimal viable product. The MVP for any UX designer is vital for truly understanding client goals. To see how I determined my MVP, take a look at my user stories, wireframe sketches, digital wireframes and user tested tasks that showed me how people really interact when using my mobile application.
User Stories
Journey maps help us understand a typical day in the life of someone’s shoes. In this case, we have Geoff tasked with picking his son up from daycare and getting groceries after a busy day teaching Calculus to 11th graders
User Stories:Geoff
This quick sketch is called the crazy 8 method. It breaks a scenario into 8 squares, in which the UX designer must showcase a scenario of how the product or service they are making is utilized in a real world scenario. Here again, we have Geoff and his son Remy. Geoff needs to pick up his son and get groceries, but can do so easily with the Produce Panther.
Wireframe User Flow Sketches
User flow sketches often showcase the application in stages. Here we have five stages that can be seen. This quick sketch allows for me to work with developers and other designers quickly without having to open any software to make corrections.
User Stories: Andrea
This quick sketch shows how Andrea, a friend of Geoff, is invited to a BBQ. She is tasked with bringing vegetables. Andrea is nearly out of money, but her Produce Panther app allows her to see if she qualifies for free food. She does and now she has the confidence to go to the BBQ.
User Flow Chart
User flow is one of the most crucial elements of UX design. With this chart, I can create a framework for how the average user will attain the minimal viable product on my application.
Wireframes
With digital wireframes I can begin to create a skeletal structure that allows me to see spacial relationships that elements have inside the dimensions of my predetermined screen. Much of this stage is about blocking out and framing work for prototyping.
In-Person Usability Testing
With in-person user test, I can see people’s reactions and hear instant feedback. It is the most valuable form of testing that can be done, in my opinion.
Branding
Content, it is always about content. With branding I start to work on content. With elements of design I can showcase imagery or specific design styles that describe the ethos of a brand.
Brand Development
This product is for anyone who can operate a mobile device. The age range for the average customer for The Produce Project was 22 to 45 years old, according to Google survey data. The majority of them were Caucasian. See how I developed this brand further by coming up with designs that represent the target audience and market towards a potential shift in demographic data.
Sketches
The Produce Project is a nonprofit volunteer based organization. With a product and service that has more impact I could increase awareness about their operation. Using sketching in the early stages of design I am able to better understand my goals for concepts. See how sketching allowed me to create ideas that form design decisions.
Sketches
Sketching helps me create concepts, ideas and logos. It is a valuable tool that gives me visual design inspiration for further stages of the
Moodboard
With a moodboard I can play around with color, fonts, icons and images. This allows me to have a good understanding of what my design aspirations look like for the Produce Panther. I chose a split complementary design scheme for this project. By using vivid pictures of fresh produce, simple and easily legible icons, I can increase speed and enhance usability.
Typography
Typography is sometimes referred to as the most important tool a designer can use. See how adhering to Bauhaus style typography allowed me to develop designs that are functional, aesthetically pleasing and efficient. This design method helps designers and developers to create intuitive, user-friendly design that focuses on legibility and ease of use.
Color Palette
Understanding user psychology unlocks decisions about how to utilize color theory. How we associate colors often will lead to a pleasurable or unenjoyable experience. See how color impacts my design, as I use dark blues and purples to ease tension and eye strain. I also allow bright yellow to highlight call-to-action areas. Using these colors allows for a more enjoyable and efficient experience.
Logo Design
The Produce Project is an admirable organization that needed a strong logo to help their nonprofit volunteer based organization stand out in the hearts and minds of the people in Raleigh.
Style Guide
Creating style guides allows me to reference typography, color hex codes, specific sized buttons, text and more. With these best practices, I can work alongside the largest workforce without having to stop and miss a single ounce of efficiency. See how style guides helped my concept get out of draft, into prototype mode and ready to be white labeled.
Paper Prototyping
With more iterations comes more understanding. By creating simple paper prototypes, a UX designer can start to generate ideas and responses quickly without having to utilize any software. See how these simple and unassuming designs can help create groundbreaking ideas for later work.
Prototyping
My user interface design concepts can help nonprofit organizations like The Produce Project streamline their volunteer process, allow for customers to reserve produce and even donate. All at the touch of a button. Now customers can skip the hassle of bureaucratic paperwork and get busy helping others and themselves in the process.
Usability: Outcomes & Results
The solution to this problem was easy. The Produce Project did not have a mobile application. A mobile application could help people reserve baskets of produce while on the go. It also allows for more people to interact with the business and reduce waste.
Feedback: Social Interaction
Summary Of Feedback: The third revision I made came from an interview with a Walmart UX designer named Keri Ashton Fullwood that I conducted via Zoom. She praised my idea and asked that I think about expanding the app to include cooking tips and social media.
Rationale: Fast Checkout
Rationale and Process: My original idea for this project was to design for the MVP for the Produce Project. So, for my MVP, I wanted to showcase how easy it would be to reserve a produce basket. I modeled my checkout and payment process to be as seamless as Amazon. Once a customer enters their information they can check out in a few clicks and swipes.
Produce Panther: Revised Iteration
Revision Made: I created several pages from a dropdown hamburger menu. This showcases the start of addressing the potential for promising features for this mobile application. With cooking tips, recipes and links to social media, people can share their love for creating healthy dishes with the produce that they purchase.
Final Thoughts
Many issues need to be addressed in our country with regards to food waste. To achieve my MVP, I focused on speed and efficiency when customers check out. However, there is much more that can be done with this application. I am presenting to a team of UX designers in March and I am working on further iterations for white labeling this application for other businesses, as well.
Ready To Shop?
What I learned is that less is more. Giving the customer too many options slows down the checkout process. By using Gestalt theory, doing user research, conducting surveys and creating multiple design iterations I have begun to make a mobile application prototype that I feel is ready to become operational.
“With the Produce Panther. I can order my produce basket with the touch of a button.”
— Alonzo F., School Principal
Contact
Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Email
wrketcha@gmail.com
Phone
(252) 619-9561