Was That My First UX Process?

What Happened at the Farmers Market

At the end of college, I jumped in as the third full-time hire of a brand new nonprofit. The central program of the organization was a weekly farmers market where low-income shoppers received vouchers to subsidize the cost of healthy, local produce. This farmers market was where I employed what I now view as my very first UX process.

My first day at the market, I immediately discovered that the voucher distribution was, at best, controlled chaos. Two staff members hunkered down behind a folding table to serve a teeming crowd made up of hundreds of shoppers. The market brought together a diverse group of people, all from cultures, speaking different languages. Needless to say, they did not naturally meld together to form an orderly, single file line.

After surviving that first day, I had taken in a lot about this new community I was serving. It was clear that happier shoppers meant repeat shoppers. A strong customer base would guarantee sustained success for our program over the entire season. I knew improvements needed to be made to create an inviting place for new and repeat shoppers alike. I tackled the problem using the same basic UX principles that I utilize today.

Step 1: User Research

Who were the different shoppers and what were their specific needs? I established two major groups:

• Mothers. This was the largest group, with little kids in tow and limited English proficiency
• Seniors. Anyone over 65 was eligible for vouchers. Our regular seniors had a lower tolerance for waiting in line compared to other shopper groups

Step 2: Strategic Vision

What was the program’s original mission? What were our grant deliverables? I pinpointed a few big goals that distribution needed to compliment:

• Increase access to healthy foods. Provide a way for low-income families to afford fresh, local produce
• Become a community hub. Create a safe and inviting space for all members of a diverse community
• Combat senior isolation. Beyond grocery shopping, the market was meant to be a social event to get seniors to build relationships outside of their homes

Step 3: Interaction Design

How do I translate our dream vision into an enjoyable distribution process that is intuitive for anyone despite their age, native language, etc?

• Different lines for different people. Seniors got their own line closest to inside the market. Moms were on the outside line, where they had room to spill over with their kids and strollers.
• Signage. Clear one word signs in different bright colors let people know which was for them despite literacy levels.

Step 4: Usability Testing

With a new system in place, how did it go? Iterations were made to constantly improve the experience for our shoppers. We moved the signage around, put out water to keep the kids hydrated, and doubled down on volunteers for the first half hour to manage that initial rush.

This simple evaluation and improvement was my gateway into user experience. Finding a solution to keep my shoppers happy made their weekly market experience something they looked forward to. Without all of the chaos, we were able to get to know people, build relationships, and learn how to serve them even better. This is what sparked my passion for a user-centered approach to projects. I was sold on this nonprofit concept of the user experience and I wanted to get better at it in a much broader way.