'Farm Fresh' is a conceptual project I designed to practice my UX/UI skills and to learn more about product design and storytelling.
connecting communities through veggies
PRODUCT DESIGN • RESEARCH
Introduction
Farmer's markets provide communities with access to nutritious food, stimulate the economy by allowing small businesses and farmers to sell their products, and create a gathering space for residents.​ Markets are central to cities and can promote healthy eating habits. Contrary to popular belief, they are affordable and accept vouchers and other supplemental benefits. Communities need tools to locate nearby farmer's markets and discover how rewarding they can be.
The Big Question
How can we connect communities, both residents and businesses, to engage with local farmer's markets?
The Solution . . . Farm Fresh!
Farm Fresh is a mobile platform that connects local communities with fresh produce and builds partnerships with farmers and small businesses.​
This navigational tool connects residents with local farmers, bolstering the local economy while enjoying fresh produce.
For residents,
this is a convenient tool that can easily search for nearby farmer markets and local businesses/ vendors based on their preferences
For farmers and local businesses,
this app enables businesses to promote their products and interact with the community - fostering consumer interest and profits
For market managers,
Farm Fresh performs as a community hub allowing them to promote news and updates, and acts as a messaging system to connect with their audience
But first, what do users want and need?
My research aimed to understand what users want from local farmer's markets and how to help farmers, producers, and market managers reach new shoppers.
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How can we assist shoppers in finding nearby markets?
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What are some ways we can help farmers and producers showcase their products?​
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How might we provide producers with the necessary tools to reach out directly to shoppers?​
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How can we support shoppers who receive food assistance payments(WIC, SNAP, EBT, etc...)?
Analyzing similar platforms
A competitive analysis was conducted on similar apps designed to help users find local farmers' markets and small businesses/producers.
The goal was to assess their ability to provide shoppers with information about nearby markets.
I identified 3 opportunities for Farm Fresh to stand out:
Across all platforms, very few offered filter options when searching for nearby farmer's markets.
Many shoppers are on food assistance benefits such as SNAP or WIC, so this is an opportunity to support them.
Half of the reviewed applications offered a Community Page or Activity Feed between users and the markets.
This is a potential opportunity to allow users to receive updates on goods their favorite farmer or vendor is bringing every week.
None of the competitors offers a platform that caters to all users: shoppers, farmers/ vendors, and market managers.
FarmFresh can develop a platform that caters to all users. It allows farmers and vendors to advertise their businesses and products and market managers to control their market's information, vendor list, and community feed.
Interviewing shoppers & farmers
I interviewed 9 people at a local farmer's market - 7 shoppers, 1 farmer, and 1 vendor - to learn about their expectations, experiences, and challenges. Here's what I found:
Shopper Interview Insights
57% of participants
shop at their local farmers market once at least every 2 weeks
28% of participants
knew more than two farmer's markets nearby
71% of participants
were on SNAP or WIC benefits
86% of participants
would like to learn about other markets and what they offer
86% of participants
tend to learn about markets by word-of-mouth
Farmer and Vendor Interview Insights
Markets are great for testing products
Vendors and farmers are able to determine the demand for certain products and learn what shoppers are looking for
Communication is important
While both contact the market manager weekly - they find it difficult to communicate with shoppers outside of market hours. The farmer also sells at other markets
Advertising is hard
Depending on how large the markets are, it can be difficult to advertise among the other stalls selling similar produce. It would be great to be able to showcase their products to shoppers.
Representation of target users
After conducting user research and gaining insight into what challenges and needs shoppers and producers face, I created user personas to determine what common pain points they all experience.
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I created three personas that represent the three main audiences of FarmFresh: shoppers, producers, and market managers.
Visualizing task flows
To integrate a platform that meets our users' needs, I started creating multiple task flows. As our target audience includes users of different ages, I wanted to understand the steps they would follow to achieve a particular goal within the mobile app.
Task 1: Search for nearby markets and view products sold by vendors.
Task 2: Send out notifications to followers about new products.
Developing wireframes
After defining the platform for FarmFresh, I began to develop high-fidelity wireframes. I wanted the interface to be clean and accessible to all users. There were parts that would be information dense so I worked on figuring out how to de-clutter those sections.
Usability Test
I conducted 6 remote usability tests with a prototype on Adobe XD - two as shoppers, two as producers, and two as market managers. My goals when performing the tests were:
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Can the 'shoppers' successfully navigate the app to find a vendor list from a market?
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Are the 'producers' able discover how to send notifications to their followers?
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Can the 'market managers' find out how to update their market profile?
All 6 users believed that the app was a great platform to help shoppers pinpoint which market best fits their schedule and financial needs; assist producers such as farmers and vendors to be able to advertise their products to the community, and help markets are discovered by new shoppers.
The usability tests showcased FarmFresh's many successes but they also highlighted some areas that needed improvement.
Iteration 1: Searching for markets
Before
PROBLEM
Some users preferred having a "List View" when searching for markets. They suggested adding map and list views to have options open to all user preferences.
After
SOLUTION
I redesigned the screens to include both a List and Map View. Users can now toggle between both.
Iteration 2: Activity Page
Before
PROBLEM
The 'Activity Page' for markets showcased posts uploaded by the market team. One user suggested having a filter for markets to be able to categorize or tag uploaded content as 'posts' or 'announcements.'
After
SOLUTION
I did an overhaul of the Activity Page for markets. Now users can filter between viewing all the content market posts or just content vs announcements. They are also tagged with what type of post they are.
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fresh
Share ideas, recipes, and unique finds at markets with a community
Users can express their passion and ideas to a community of other people and small businesses that frequent farmer's markets.
They can follow farmers and markets to see what new products will be available while checking to see what other shoppers find in markets near them.
Showcase your products to shoppers
Farmers and producers can update their "Store" anytime they want. Produce and goods can be categorized as they see fit. This can also draw in new shoppers by allowing them to browse what they have available.
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Easily connect with others
The app helps market managers and producers communicate more easily, while also serving as a notification tool for shoppers following specific markets or vendors. No more lost or unanswered calls or messages.
Afterword
After rounds of research and iteration, I completed the final design for FarmFresh - a mobile application that allows local communities, residents, and producers to connect around farmer's markets. Looking back at the personas, the design successfully meets the needs of its three target audiences:
Shoppers like Janice want to be able to view what farmer's markets have available.
Now, users can easily search for local farmers' markets and producers that cater to their family's needs. She can browse through the vendor list for each market and view the vendor's products and goods
Farmers like Michelle want to be able to showcase what products they have available.
Producers and other small businesses can create a "Store" that showcases their business branding and can update their produce list anytime. Notifications can be sent to their profile followers and community about any new updates they have.
Market managers like Theo want to engage with their communities about what their market can offer.
Community pages are a big way for them to reach out to new shoppers using the application. They can also easily connect with prospective customers and vendors through the Community page.
Next Steps
If I had additional time, I would have added an online store feature that allows shoppers to purchase produce and goods directly from vendors or farmers. This feature would benefit vendors by adding another income source outside of markets of wholesale - and it would help during winter seasons when sales would take a dip.