An in depth look at how my design process uses creative problem solving in a team environment to find the possible solution.

Task: Applying design thinking to problems contributing to hunger Upstate New York.

Design Team:

Project Manager:  Jackie Levasseur (myself)

My role as Project Manager

As Project Manager, I played many roles. While much of my time was spent designing our presentation in a succinct way and communicating with group members. I also played a role in researching/facilitating interviews with experts, ideating towards a solution, creating the brand identity, and designing branded deliverables.

Communications and Research Facilitator:  Gianna Fanel (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gianna-fanelli-474454270/)

UI/UX Designer:  Jacques Megnizin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacques-megnizin-87b4aa1a9/)

Communications and Research Facilitator: Eva Morris (https://www.linkedin.com/in/eva-morris-6437b3239/)

Head of Branding and Brand Strategy: Olivia Smith (https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliviasmith117/)

 

Step 1: Research, Research, and more Research.

Background

Small farms represent the backbone of agriculture in the United States and other nations with a dependence on producing their own food. While they are a pillar, the number of small farms is progressively shrinking, affecting the livelihood of  these farmers and the quality of food accessible in entire regions.

Small farmers are fighting against large farms and corporations for business, visibility for them and their product, making a profit that can support themselves and staff needed to run a farm, resources for production, and regional weather challenges that can make growth in certain seasons a challenge.

Problem

Despite being a presence in Upstate New York since 1938, for the past 50 years the CNY Farmers market has not been the success that it could and should be due to a lack of exposure, the accessibility limits of it being a bi-weekly market, poor on-site infrastructure, and lack of outside funding or investment.

We began by researching who our solution would effect, our client and audience

Step 2: Researching Further to Empathize

CNY Farmers Market Visits

I visited the Central New York Regional farmers markets on a number of occasions to visualize some of the problems  that the market faces.

Problems Found Through Visits:

  • The CNY Farmers market still Operates on a Cash and coin based payment system.

  • Majority of vendors lack proper signage and pricing information. As you can see most vendors use cardboard and sharpie to indicate prices. This makes the customer experience more challenging.

Speaking with market vendors

The the most crucial part of the empathy stage is speaking to and understanding your audience because it forms the foundation for understanding and addressing the needs, perspectives, and experiences of the people most impacted by the solution being designed.

When I went to the market I saw it as an opportunity to speak directly with our audience, I asked the vendors this: “Why do you, or don’t you accept card payments?”

Their answers were:

  • “It’s just the way we do things here, i mean that’s how my dad did it. I would have to see if it was really worth it.”

  • “Honestly I’m old, and it’s hard for me. I would have no idea where to start.”

  • “Someone has to lose and it’s not gonna be me.”

These audience insights would later help guide our solution by serving as roadblocks for implementation. They were summarized as, farmers are stubborn, many vendors are not technologically savvy, and vendors fear increased taxes & fees.