A food distribution web application designed to serve an underprivileged community in the NYC area by creating a convenient way for them to take agency over their food needs
#Product Thinking#Information Architecture#Branding#Interaction Design#Visual Design
This project was the winning submission for Valtech's 48-hour social impact hackathon in which we were tasked with helping meet some pressing need of the Henry Street Settlement Community. Food insecurity has become a growing problem during the pandemic. While there may be many resources where those in need of food can receive it, oftentimes the food received is random and difficult to form into a meal. Henry’s Table allows people from the Henry Street Settlement Community to take agency over their specific food needs.
Community locals do not have an easy way to navigate food services independently and rely too heavily on phones and hotlines for assistance.
A personal web application that allows users to connect with different soup kitchens, food pantries, and schools in the area and easily access food deliveries or pick-ups.
Since lack of time was a big constraint, little research was able to be completed. Therefore, the team relied on some assumptions to guide the ideation of the project. We were also guided by the informational brief by the director at the start of the hackathon.
Based on our assumptions and knowledge about users, we decided that an application that allowed users to have autonomy in filling their food needs and eliminated food insecurity would be best. We made it a web application so it would be more accessible to those who may not have access to a smartphone but likely have access to public computers.
The main goals for the product are:
The home screen is a map identifying local food donors with important information for each location. The second main screen allows users to search for food they need and keep track of which items they have vs which items they still need. Keeping the app to two screens to accomplish each task allows for a simple and intuitive user experience and considers error prevention as the flow to accomplish a task is streamlined for all users and edge cases are avoided. It also results in a low interaction cost with both a low PIC and MIC. At the same time, it observes Tesler’s Law by avoiding an interface that is overly simplified to the point of abstraction.
In further consideration of error prevention, food items can be moved from one side to another or removed completely. Adding a food item isn’t a permanent action. I also considered that requiring users to search for an item each time they need it would create a pain point. To prevent this frustration, I included the “Have It” list so users can simply move a food item from one side to another once the order has been filled. Later on when they need the item again, they won’t need to search. They can instead easily move the item from the “Have It” side back to the “Need It” list. In further development of the product, a better system of categorizing food items should be considered to help users better organize their lists.
In the high fidelity prototype, the navigation is added, which includes a link to the Henry Street Settlement website where users can find numerous additional resources. I also added the notifications tab which alerts users of orders that have been filled and are ready for pickup.
If I had more time to design this product and were going to develop it, there are a number of improvements that would add value for users:
