Research, Strategy and Planning for a Multi-Platform Food Recovery Product
Helping Second Harvest connect small-scale food donors to agencies in need
Multi-platform prototype to help reduced both food waste and hunger | Agile Design Sprint | UX Team: 11 | Time: 2 weeks | My Role: Research / Planning / Branding
Methods and Deliverables: domain research / interviews / surveys / affinity diagrams / personas / user scenarios / use cases / user flows / logo design / client proposal
Challenge
How could our team solve the problem of food waste in Toronto using technology? Second Harvest connects donated surplus food with agencies in need. Could we make this process more efficient, more successful? Could we help Second Harvest achieve their goals of reducing food waste and reducing hunger?
What problems did we solve
• Second Harvest could now receive and distribute smaller donations, feed more people, and reduce greenhouse gasses.
• Diners could locate and view available food at a nearby agency through the app.
• Donors could donate their surplus food conveniently and know when it would be picked up.
• Donors could donate less than 100 kg of food at a time.
What I did
Research
Our research included more than 40 online surveys, two user interviews, and extensive online research that provided information and data that eventually helped drive the solution. Food waste is a massive problem.
Two key findings were identified: Second Harvest’s resources and infrastructure were stretched thin, and they were unable to manage all the donations, particularly those under 100 kg.
Research Wall
Planning
Personas, Scenarios, and Use Cases
Using the data and insights from our research, we developed personas, user stories, and use cases.
User Flows
We needed to find a way to connect people with excess food with people in need while keeping in mind the role of Second Harvest. Using the information from our personas and features identified from the research and user goals, we developed the donor and diner (recipient) user flows.
Donors wanted to be able to donate smaller quantities of food and know when the donations would be picked up.
Diners wanted to able to access available food through their local nonprofit agencies and know when, where and what kind of food would be available.
Second Harvest would be the platform owner overseeing the donors, drivers, and non-profit agencies.
Branding
Our challenge was creating a logo to reflect the Feedback solution: an output of surplus food could be rerouted as an input for addressing hunger, creating an ongoing feedback loop. We did several brainstorming sessions and numerous versions. The logo reflected our vision: whether you’re donating or receiving food, the experience should be easy, rewarding and make all those involved happy.
The branding group had a brainstorming session for the Feedback logo. My teammate Kim Vradenburg and I developed the initial logo concepts in Sketch, and I created the final logo using Illustrator.
Screens Design by the Design Team
The design team created a simple, attractive, easy-to-use solution for donors and diners. They streamlined the donation process and simplified the donation management for the non-profit agencies. The design was an elegant solution to a complex problem.
Donor Screens
Donors could see all steps in the donation process including when it would be picked up.
Diner Screens
Diners would be able to see the available food, where and when they could pick it up.
Non-Profit Agency Dashboard
This dashboard would allow Second Harvest to monitor both drivers and inventory.
Outcome
When we presented our Feedback prototype to Lori Nikkel, Director of Programs and Partnerships, she was thrilled.
Feedback achieved Second Harvest’s goals in ways she hadn’t imagined, in particular, the development of the mobile app that would make donating and accessing food easier. Feedback would allow Second Harvest to receive donations that they currently couldn’t receive.