Sustainable Food Production & Consumption

A digital platform facilitating the harvesting and exchange of local produce within urban communities to help reduce food waste and promote social engagement.

Project Overview

Context

Postgraduate project • 5-week duration • Sustainable Development Goal #12

Client

Non-profits: De Kompaan & Antwerpen Plukt, in partnership with the City of Antwerp, Belgium

Teams

Collaborative project supported by course convenors at Thomas More University.

Multidisciplinary teams divided into two groups: x3 researchers and x2 designers.

My Role

Service & UX Design • UI Design • User Testing • Copywriting

Deliverables

Personas • User Journey Map • Wireframes • Desktop & Mobile UI • Hi-Fi Prototypes • Client Presentations • Exhibition Posters

Problem Space

Food waste is a rapidly growing concern in today’s society, with one-third of all food produced going to waste, and in Belgium alone, over 100 million kilograms of fruits and vegetables are discarded annually. In conjunction, job instability is on the rise, with over 16% of the Belgian population being unable to afford or have regular access to quality sources of food. Amid these challenges, demand for food banks and community kitchens has increased, playing a vital role in redistributing surplus food to those in need. While many organisations work tirelessly to address this issue, much of their efforts are localised and conducted with minimal resources, limiting their potential reach.

Client

De Kompaan is a non-profit organisation that champions social inclusion and community building through public engagement activities such as cooking, gardening, and sustainable farming, as well as providing valuable information and training on ethical food practices.

Volunteers

The non-profit provides meaningful opportunities for public volunteers including school groups, and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds such as migrants and those unable to work, to participate in community events throughout the province of Antwerp.

Harvesting

As supporters of responsible food production, De Kompaan organise innercity harvesting events that connect individuals and communities with locally grown produce that might otherwise go to waste due to excess yields, owners’ time constraints, or difficulties in picking.

Future Vision

A sustainable service that connects fruit tree owners, volunteer pickers, and De Kompaan with the wider public. The system should be inclusive and circular while promoting community engagement and raising awareness about the importance of reducing food waste.

Initial Brief

‘Which sustainable services and digital service touchpoints can support De Kompaan in facilitating the picking and sharing of fruit within urban communities in order to reduce food waste and promote social cohesion?’

Research Methodology

Goals & Objectives

Identify key stakeholders involved in the current fruit-picking service.
Outline the existing user journey for volunteers, tree owners, and De Kompaan.
Identify potential stakeholder pain points or barriers.

Desktop Research

Client & Market Research • (Future) Users • Stakeholders & Partners

Client Interviews

We conducted multiple qualitative interviews with the founder of De Kompaan. As the chief representative for project coordination and workshop facilitation, this primary research deepened our understanding of the existing services, provided context to volunteers and end-users, and highlighted potential barriers experienced by both the client and service users.

Qualitative Surveys

In order to gain a thorough understanding of the users’ experience, we initiated our research with exploratory questionnaires. These surveys targeted both volunteers and fruit tree owners, aiming to delve into the entire volunteer journey, from their first encounter with the service to their active involvement in harvesting events. Additionally, we sought to collect feedback from fruit tree owners, assessing their perceived value of the service and uncovering any concerns related to organising or hosting an event.

Key Findings

De Kompaan is currently managed by two individuals who rely on manual scheduling and coordinating stakeholders via WhatsApp groups.
In addition to coordinating users’ availability, scheduling also includes the logistics of arranging tools, equipment and transportation.
Volunteer teams are also required to prepare and process the food (post-harvest) in de Kompaan’s community kitchen.
Personal information must remain confidential as many fruit tree owners are considered vulnerable due to their age or physical ability.
Because of the residential locations of fruit trees, highlighting safety and building trust between users is essential.
Language barriers pose a significant challenge as many volunteers do not speak Dutch, French, German, or English.
Not all volunteers and users of the service are tech-savvy, emphasising the need for simplicity and intuitive usability.
Instructions must be repeated each time to new service users since there are no points of reference for people to access information.
Typically, 3 people are required to harvest a single apple tree, with fruit harvesting taking place throughout June and October.
Food and produce can be collected or distributed to the community, though products are not eligible for sale.

Current User Journeys

Pain-points Identified:

Limited awareness of the service
Inconsistent methods of communication
Language barriers among volunteers
Repetition of information for new users
Reliance on WhatsApp groups
Manual communication methods
Privacy concerns disclosing personal information
A high level of trust is required from owners and volunteers
Limited information regarding volunteers and owners

Improvement Opportunities:

Improved awareness strategies
A centralised platform for communication and coordination
Universally understood service instructions
Accessible guidelines for all users
Integration of a shared calendar for scheduling events
Tool sharing system
Notifications to send reminders and updates
Safety provisions regarding residential event locations
Transparent volunteer and owner profiles

Design Challenge

‘How can we develop a user-friendly tool that connects fruit tree owners with volunteer pickers while simplifying the scheduling and coordination efforts of De Kompaan?’

Service Solution

Plukt’s online platform simplifies harvest coordination, allowing fruit tree owners to connect directly with volunteer pickers, saving De Kompaan valuable time in manually scheduling events and relaying information between stakeholders. Additionally, it serves as a public forum for individuals to come together, share resources and collaborate, upholding the client’s commitment to community building.

Initial Development

Service Features

We incorporated findings from volunteers and tree owners to identify crucial touchpoints for integration into the platform, spanning initial awareness to event registration. As a central hub for the service, the platform would also act as a resource to provide necessary information regarding De Kompaan’s mission, how harvesting events function, who can participate, and what equipment is required.

Journey Insights

Given the project’s narrow timeframe, we focused our attention on mapping the journey of a first-time volunteer. Framing the experience from their perspective allowed us to question the specific information they would seek out, and examine how they might engage with the service factoring in constraints such as the tasks they are willing to participate in, how much time they can offer, age, or physical ability.

However, exploring information users might require during event registration highlighted the significance of the tree owner. This prompted us to delve into various on-site factors, such as garden access, the extent to which owners are open to sharing tools and facilities with volunteers, and additional considerations such as wheelchair and cargo bike access, available shelter, and the presence of pets in the home.

Desktop Concept

Trust:
Plukt’s mission statement is supported by testimonials from users to reinforce a sense of community and confidence in the service.

Relevant:
To ensure an appropriate number of pickers, categories provide volunteers with options to register as an individual, family, or larger group such as a team building event.

Inclusive:
Illustrations provide a clear simplified overview of the service, helping to address potential accessibility barriers among users including language or technical ability.

037133 — #1 Harvest listings: allow volunteers to easily search for upcoming events by date or location and check space availability.

53781 — #2 Event pages: display approximate locations, with details privately sent to assigned volunteers 48 hours before a harvest to ensure data security and flexibility for cancellations.

765982 — #3 Event pages: indicate site facilities along with available and needed tools and tasks, promoting community involvement and accountability.

8907671 — #4 Instructional video content: provides new users with a clear overview of the service while highlighting its transparency to establish trust.

2389332 — #5 Registration pages: allow users to create an account as a volunteer, tree owner, or both. Requesting only necessary personal information.

7213422 — #6 Profile pages: offer users a brief personal summary and access to registered events where they can edit information or unsubscribe.

Next Steps

It has been enormously rewarding to collaborate with De Kompaan throughout this project. As true advocates of sustainability and social inclusion, we’re delighted our design solution was chosen by the client to be taken forward to secure development funding. We look forward to sharing Pukt’s progress and continued success.

Mobile Concept

During the platform’s initial development, our aim was to reduce user friction by providing an online service without requiring a downloadable app. However, initial designs primarily focused on desktop usage. Recognising the importance of a ‘mobile-first’ approach, I decided to re-evaluate the platform’s features with mobile users in mind. While maintaining our project’s initial focus, I set out to craft an intuitive and user-friendly interface that ensures a seamless experience for users, regardless of their technical proficiency.

To simplify the interface, I began by prioritising features and distinguishing primary functions and essential information from less critical elements, such as workshops, which would be integrated into event listings. I temporarily removed testimonials with the aim of validating their added value in establishing trust before reintegrating them.

Addressing Testing Feedback

Due to screen constraints, initial desktop feedback highlighted potential challenges in adapting the calendar and listings page for mobile devices. To enhance accessibility and feature prominence, I integrated event search and registration functions into the homepage header, using tabs to guide the user flows of both volunteers and tree owners.

This immediately streamlines the mobile experience, no longer requiring users to navigate multiple pages or scroll extensively to find the appropriate call-to-action.

Onboarding

Intuitive event search and registration navigation

Informative Content

Clustering explanatory content and service options can help new users understand the value and concept of Plukt. Previously, the demonstration video was part of the registration process, acting as a user guide and trust-building tool. While video content remains a valuable asset to establish credibility, it can also help convey Plukt’s mission and ensure a smoother onboarding experience for users.

Service categories with defined CTA: Create, Search, and Arrange

Instructional service steps supported by video content

Information Hierarchy

Simplified search fields on the listings page now offer the dual advantage of conserving screen space by limiting the amount of information displayed, and reducing the cognitive load on users, allowing for more efficient navigation.

For the event page, I prioritised key information such as date, time, and location, positioning them prominently at the top for immediate access. It was also important to emphasise the profiles of the tree owner and subscribed volunteers to highlight a sense of community involvement. To further incentivise registration, I incorporated a fixed call-to-action to encourage participation and motivate volunteers to bring others, reinforcing a sense of unity.

Simplified listings page for improved navigation

Key information above the fold on event pages with a defined hierarchy

Conclusion

In developing Plukt, I believe the prototype has successfully addressed many of the pain-points identified in our research, however, it could be further developed to achieve a more holistic solution taking into account all stakeholders’ needs. The current design primarily focuses on the pre-service experience of volunteers searching and registering for an event. The next step would involve exploring the user journeys of fruit tree owners, food distributors, and end-consumers, assessing their interactions and how best to serve their needs.

Another potential avenue to explore is the platform’s ability to improve user retention. Providing incentives such as merit points, feedback about the volume of fruit picked, and updates on how the food is distributed and used, would allow users to see the direct impact of their efforts and help maintain engagement with the service. While the current platform supports De Kompaan by reducing administrative workload, it would be valuable to measure the impact of automating the process from the participant’s point of view, to investigate whether the platform improves or lessens accountability and attendance among users. Other possible ideas to incorporate include: partnering with local food banks and donation centres, seasonal recipes and inspirational food guides to mitigate domestic food waste, tips and advice for fruit tree maintenance, and a more extensive community tool-sharing service.

Throughout this project, I have really enjoyed collaborating with a community non-profit and observing the role grassroots services play in tackling broader social challenges. Co-creating with an NGO such as De Kompaan who is passionate about their cause, has led me to reflect on my design skills as tools to empower positive change and provide impactful value.