Mobile App
Assist farmers in establishing strong connections with consumers
UX Design
UI Design
TIMELINE
May 13th - 24th 2024
Role
UX researcher/UX designer
SECTOR
Agricultural
Team
One UX Researcher/UX Designer,
One UX Designer, and Two UI Designers
Quick Overview
Supporting Local Sustainable Farmers in Vancouver
Our journey began with a strong desire to support local sustainable farmers in Vancouver. Recognizing the growing consumer interest in sustainable food choices, we aimed to bridge the gap between consumers and farmers.
Product Overview
Problem Statement
How might we assist farmers in establishing strong connections with consumers, effectively communicating information about their products,
and fostering loyalty and trust?
Solution
Foster loyalty and trust among consumers by providing a comprehensive, informative app for use at farmers' markets
Key Feature
Product Locator: Lets customers find where specific items are sold in the market.
Product Info and Farmer Profiles: Provides detailed information for each seller's products.
Save Function: Lets customers save farmer profiles for future visits.
Design Process
EMPATHIZE
DEFINE
IDEATE
PROTOTYPE
TEST
Desk Research
Casual Interview
Journey Map
Solution Sketct
Storyboarding
Wireframe
High-fi mock-up
Prototype
Usability Testing
My Contribution
As a UX researcher and designer, I conducted desk research, casual interviews with farmers during the Empathize phase, and usability testing combined with user interviews in the testing phase.
In our team of four, we all contributed to the Define and Ideate processes, collaboratively developing the problem statement and proposed solutions.
Empathize
Desk Research
After identifying our primary stakeholder: local sustainable farmers, I explored what problems they currently have.
Their significant sales income comes from Farmer's Market and despite growing consumer interest in sustainable products, farmers still struggle to deliver the values because of limited awareness and understanding.
Especially at farmers' markets, personal interactions are key, but can be limited by time and communication barriers.
Sales ratio for local farmers
Farmers' Markets:
40.7%
Percentage breakdowns of sales income for local sustainable farmers in urbanized areas.(https://rb.gy/5g13p5)
Consumer Awareness towards sustainability:
69.0%
69% of Canadian consumers expect companies to solve sustainability issues(https://rb.gy/jxrgiw)
Farmers struggle to differentiate their offerings from mass-produced goods due to limited awareness and understanding.
At farmers' markets, personal interactions are key but can be limited by time and communication barriers.(https://ota.com/)
Interview
In Vancouver, there are farmer’s markets and stores that offer organic and sustainable options.
To better understand the challenges farmers face, I and other UX designer visited a farmer's market and conducted informal interviews with two local farmers.
Key Finding
Farmers find it difficult to make customers aware of their products and farms. Additionally, it is challenging to convince customers that their products are reliable and worth the price.
Define & Ideate
Journey Map
We mapped out the farmer's journey from the start, realizing product readiness, to the end, gathering post-market feedback. Then, we identified the key problem to focus on and developed our 'How might we' statement.
Problem Statement
How might we assist farmers in establishing strong connections with consumers, effectively communicating information about their products, and fostering loyalty and trust?
How we craft detailed solutions to achieve our problem statement - Solution Sketch
As part of the ideation process, I and other UX designer created solution sketches based on our solution ideas.
Step one involves directing customers to the app. In step two, customers gain access to detailed product information. Finally, in step three, they can view farmer information and save it for future reference.
Mapping the user journey to build trust and loyalty - Storyboard
In this section, we illustrated the comprehensive flow of the user experience, detailing how customers interact with the app from start to finish.
Testing Preparation
After completing the design process done by my team members, I conducted testing by interviewing six people who have been to the farmer’s markets before.
The objective is to validate if the proposed solutions help establish strong connections between farmers and consumers, effectively communicate product information, and foster loyalty and trust(Our problem statement).
Methodology
Screener - We selected a diverse group of individuals who have been to the farmer’s markets before.
Total Participants
6
Testing Scenario
As UX researcher, I decided to conduct a combined usability test and user interview.
I made sure to structure the interview to validate both the usability of the product and the impact that our product will bring to the farmers.
For the usability testing, two UI designers collaborated to create detailed mock-up screens for the tasks, ensuring realistic scenarios for users to interact with.
Task1
Please show me how you would go about finding where to buy strawberries
Task2
Please explore as you like until you feel ready to make a purchase
Testing Results
Test the usability
I planned two tasks for users to complete. Task 1 was to test the primary feature of locating where to buy specific items using the app. Task 2 was to determine if the information provided on the app was sufficient for them to make a purchase.
Task1
Please show me how you would go about finding where to buy strawberries
6
/6
were able to complete tasks without hesitations
Task2
Please explore as you like until you feel ready to make a purchase
5
/6
were able to feel ready to make a purchase without hesitations
Validate the Impact
I then generated five debriefing questions to validate our solution based on the problem statement.
How might we assist farmers in…
🗣️
🤝
💖
establishing strong connections with consumers,
effectively communicating information about their products,
fostering loyalty and trust?
6 out of 6 potential users feel more connected to the farmers after using this app.
5 out of 6 potential users find the information provided sufficient to make a purchasing decision.
6/1: mentioned the need to know the price in advance.
6 out of 6 potential users answers they would like to return to those farmers.
2/6: without any concern
4/6: if the product is good
2/6: if price is reasonable
Quotes from follow-up questions…
Impact & Reflection
Key Takeaway
Balancing Multiple Stakeholders: Managing the needs of two stakeholders—local sustainable farmers and app users—proved challenging. Our primary focus is on helping farmers connect more effectively with customers.
Primary Stakeholder - Farmers: Our solution aims to support local sustainable farmers by increasing their visibility and customer connections.
Target Audience - Customers: While our primary focus is on farmers, the app is designed to meet the needs of customers, facilitating easy access to local, sustainable produce.
What's next? - Gather Farmer Feedback
To understand the real-world impact of our product on farmers, we'll engage directly with them at local farmers' markets.
Let’s Stay in Touch!
kanakofukuda199531@gmail.com
Kanako Fukuda
©2024 Kanako Fukuda