Mobile App

FARM HEAVEN

Enhancing local farmers' market experience.

Context

Farmers present and sell their products in farmers’ markets but they lack visibility towards users and promotional tools to increase their sales. Customers on their side wish to have a more seamless and timely access to information about venues, healthy food and get in touch with farmers directly.

There is a communication gap between the clients and the farmers.

Challenge

Build an information platform that enhances the user experience of the farmers market: by making the farmers markets' information more timely and accessible and giving farmers access to consumer demand and feedbacks.

Research

Survey : 49 respondents

Interviews: 10 farmers

5 customers

Findings

1. Payment methods: 50% of customers pay with cash and 22% find it hard to pay in a farmers’market.

Design feature

Develop payment methods : Cash, Swish, On-line payment, credit cards, paypal...

2. Communication: 30% of the interviewed persons want to communicate with the farmers before and after they visited the markets.

Design feature

Include a direct messaging tool : chat, email, text messages through the App.

3. Information type: 98% of surveyed persons want to have more information about: seasonal products, product lists, locations of each booth, reviews of each booth.

Design feature

Create various and flexible tools to describe products and the farm : the farmers have different featured products and information to advertise in their own fashion.

4. Information medium:

63% want to know the location and schedule of the farmers' markets.

50% customers learned about markets through interpersonal contact

30% through social media

Access and frequency: even if they find it convenient, only 20% of interviewees go to the markets more than occasionally.

Design feature

Develop opportunities to strengthen the "word-of-mouth system" through the App between unrelated customers.

Interviews

Farmers say:

“I want to let them know what I have and have their feedback on my products. So if I could contact them and ask them some simple questions, that would be great.”

“I would like to get feedback and keep in touch with them. I host farm visits sometimes and I would like to share the information around.”

“I grow my products according to what is popular.”

Customers say:

“Sometimes I want to talk to the farmers about the products I want to buy and where the food comes from. I may also have follow-up questions after the purchase. For example, I want to know how to cook my ingredients.”

“ I think the payment methods are too restrictive. I want to pay with my card.”

“I want to go to the closest market and I want their schedules.”

“I heard about the farmers’ market because my friend recommended it to me.”

“I’d like to eat healthy organic food so I’d like to know what is seasonal.”

“I prefer the experience itself, like wandering through the alleys and having a chat with the farmers.”

FARM HEAVEN is a platform where customers look for nearby markets and healthy products.

User needs summary

Better access to information
Knowledge about products
Feedback from customers
Enhance farmers' reputation and sales.

Product Goal

We would like to create a digital platform that reduces the information gap between customers and farmers.

It will provide the customers with an enhanced shopping experience based on their time constraints, desires to improve their food diet and to develop their knowledge about food quality and cooking techniques.

It will offer the farmers a platform for advertising their products, strengthening their business, increasing loyalty and improving customer satisfaction.

Personas

Kate

Customer

David

Farmer

25 years-old

Female, single

Brooklyn, NYC

Motivations
She heard about the farmers’ market through word of mouth and it sounded fun. She wants to take a visit and try with some friends, to enjoy the experience.

She’s an occasional customer, a dreamer. She is attracted to what is new and stimulated by hedonism.

Goals

To browse and buy fresh fruits, honey, vegetables and seasonal products.

To ask about growing processes and the environment.

To enjoy the experience and have fun.

Pain points

She easily misses opening time and date.

Hard to find a nearby local farmers’ market unless she happens to pass by.

She does not know what product to expect and she is not sure about the price range.

She wonders about the preservation of honey and wishes to be able to contact the farmers.

56 years-old

male, married

Seattle, WA

Motivations

He goes to the farmers’ market on a weekly basis to sell his products. He thinks that it is a good way to sell his products directly to the customers and share his knowledge and passion for his work.

Goals

Sell more and more regularly

Promote his farm and products on a larger scale

Maintain customer loyalty

Share first-hand information

Pain points

Lack of feedback from customers, their opinion and needs

Going to the market takes hours and the sales don’t live up to his expectations

There is no channel to share information about his farm, new products etc with loyal customers.

VISUAL IDENTITY

Approach

Phase 1: Research of core concepts

WHAT?

In order to create the identity of the brand and the project, I decided to work on 2 main concepts that represent the core of the project, its identity and its values.

HOW?

After the interviews it came out clear that people were looking to discover good products in farmers’ markets, to connect to Nature, to understand traditional growing practices and to experience a moment of conviviality to share with farmers and their friends and family.
I had the users' needs and desires. Their motivation to engage in the App project.

In terms of user experience, the mobile application is the continuity of the shopping experience at the farmers’ market so I wanted the mobile application to engage the user in a digital journey that would enhance the on-site experience with the same features and values.

Therefore, the 2 concepts I chose : CONVIVIALITY & DISCOVERY.

Phase 2 : The semiotics square of innovation

Semiotics is the science of language that helps us define our set of values for a brand, its market position and identity. We create a narrative that will underpin our product development strategies.

From those 2 concepts of "Conviviality and Discovery", I developed the notions related to them and designed a vocabulary list of close notions and opposing and contradictory ones.

This method allows me to find an innovative paradigm that will serve to define the concept around which we create the mobile application.

Conviviality

Hospitality

Familial

Ritual

Ceremony

Reception

Initiation

Affability

Discovery

Awakening

Adventure

Invented, penetrated

Opened, Undressed, exposed

Revival, Renewed

Bloom, Fulfillment, Eclosion

Awe

Revival and wild -> ->

-> Man from the woods

Adventure and unusual ->->

-> Invented, uncongruous

Hospitality, ritual and routine ->->

-> Ludism, do things together and have fun

Not discovery

Known

Daily

Routine

Traditional

Familiar

Usual

Certain

Not Conviviality

ostentatious

bloated

excessive

unusual

arrogant

wild

narrow

free

unknown

extraordinary

From those concepts, I chose the most relevant and looked for what stands in between opposing or contradictory concepts. That is where I found innovation and my refined concept for the project.

Revival and wild --> Concept of "the Man from the woods" (Robinson Crusoe, an explorer, a man on an island, a very luxurious environment with undamaged nature, soil and preserved animals.)

Adventure and unusual --> Concept of "what is Invented, uncongruous"

Hospitality, ritual and routine --> Concept of "L udism, do things together and have fun"

Iconic artefacts of reference:

The embodiement of the Man from the woods is Robinson Crusoe, an explorer on an island who rediscovers the wonders of Nature and creates its own journey and learning path.
Rococo (ostentatious) and Indian Jones (Awakening and adventure) -> a cocky man who learns from experience and by meeting peculiar people on his journey.
I referred to the mythology of the Pandora Box where curiosity leads you to open a box full of unexpected and great secrets or the Ariane Thread to guide you through your journey.

CONCLUSION

The image of the wild adventurer was a bit too strong but this reflection led me to want to create a universe where the market would be a dream place where people can meet, share, be part of a joyful community, experience a calm, soothing and fulfilling moment where food is at the center.

Food would put people in relation.

IDEATION : logo and visuals

Moodboards

My first inspiration came from the paintings from Douanier Rousseau for his choice of colors, the wilderness mixed with elegance and his specific take on the world of nature.

Name and iconography

I gathered imagery of stylized drawn vegetables and farm animals to create a universe that recalls purity, authenticity and sophistication.

panier-à-fruits-contours-clipart__k8410317.jpg

The name was to be a reference to the pleasure and passion farmers have at their work in the farm.

The name "garden" came as a more private concept that would relate to the customers' own desire to grow and cook delicious products at home.

The term "garden" is refering to the small size of local farms which sets a sense of security and intimacy. I answer customers needs to transparency and healthy food.

The next step was the choice of the colors. To create a sense of fun and modernism, I designed icons with bright, intense and dynamic colors that would contrast with the more classical tone of the hand drawings.