Potato

Project Description

A two-week Adobe Creative Jam (design sprint) for which we designed a mobile phone app. Our e-commerce solution encourages healthy shopping habits and addresses the shame associated with using government benefits. I was on a three person team with Ami Kubota and Chase Nguyen.

Problem

We were challenged to design a mobile phone app that empowers a specific audience to help improve part of the chain of food collection and distribution.

Insights

According to Feeding America, one-third of people eligible for public food assistance are not enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Especially for seniors, low participation correlates with an internalized shame saying that they do not want to be “one of those people with the card.” For others, externalized shame means lack of convenient access to healthy options. Online shopping can help overcome the stigma associated with public assistance, but participation in the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot program is largely limited to corporate retailers such as Amazon or Walmart. These large retailers prioritize consumer convenience over nutrition.

Solutions

We designed a grocery e-commerce app for SNAP recipients, so that they can shop with businesses in their surrounding neighborhood without facing the stigma of using an EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) card. Delivery and pickup options are in place for busy single mothers and elderly people at risk for COVID-19. The app uses rewards points to incentivize healthy choices and comes with a cart evaluation feature that allows users to compare their purchases against USDA guidelines for a balanced diet. The entire project was remote due to the pandemic. We divided up some of the sections as we built out the prototype;I worked on checkout and nutrition evaluation.