Feeding America

34 million people in America are food insecure. "Feeding America" is the largest food bank organization in the United States, playing a vital role in eliminating food insecurity and providing essential aid to those in need.

Background

In our project, our primary focus is to improve stakeholder communication and collaboration in order to assist Feeding America in effectively addressing and ultimately eliminating food insecurity.

My roles

I lead this project, and did secondary research, primary research, prototype and user testing, and so on.

Roles

Researcher/

UX designer

Tools

Figma

Miro

Adobe suite

Timeframe

03/ 2023 - 05/2023

10 Weeks

Knowing Feeding America

Feeding America

Not directly targeting the food receivers
non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to addressing hunger issues and reducing food waste.
Have the largest food bank network in the United States (300+Food bank; 6000+food storerooms),

Food Bank

Directly targeting the food receivers
large-scale, more organized organization.
Often mainly provide food assitance.
Provide food support to food pantries.

Food Pantry

Directly targeting the food receivers
small-scale facilities operated by community organizations, churches, or volunteer organizations.
Often provide multiple services besides food assistance.

Relationship diagram

Research

Secondary research

Desktop research&literature research

Understanding of existing food bank systems; Existing system of Feeding America; Understanding of the users and potential users of the food bank; Understanding of government and other organizational structures; Understanding of the donor population

Ecosystem Map

Stakeholder Map

Business model canvas

Ecosystem Map

1/3

Learn More

Primary research

Field Research

Find information about local food banks by using the feeding America website, and visit 6 local food banks to record and take photos

Survey

We have distributed and collected a total of 86 valid questionnaires targeting food bank users

Interview

We interviewed a total of 8 existing users of food banks, 4 potential users, a, and 1 food pantry employee.

Learn More

Insigts

Insights

In our research, we successfully collected a comprehensive dataset of approximately 550 data points, which organized and analyzed using affinitization to derive final insights.

1

There is no centralized platform here to connect multiple stakeholders, resulting in low efficiency in the use of food banks.

4

The connections between stakeholders are relatively scattered, resulting in users often spending a lot of time searching for effective information.

2

For those without digital devices or limited digital skills, finding new food banks can be challenging, especially when there are no visible signs on the doors.

5

Volunteers are extremely important for the operation of Food banks, especially Food pantries, as it affects the quality of their services.

3

Some Food bank and food pantries are still managed and operated in a more traditional way, and the utilization rate of digital services is low

User Journey Map

Based on our research results, we have updated the ecosystem map and marked the opportunity and pain points obtained on the graph.

Ideation

A. Root Cause Analysis

We use root cause analysis to help us to better understand the fundamental causes and related factors of a problem.

B. Co-creation workshop

Through root cause analysis, we discovered that a lack of awareness among people in need, including their digital service, was a key issue preventing them from utilizing food pantry services. To address this, we conducted a co-creation workshop to gather feedback on the ideal way to access food bank/pantry services.

C. How might we questions

HMW help stakeholders better connect with each other/ improve their communication way?
HMW provide a easier way for people to get food bank/ food pantries services?
HMW let people know more details about food pantries/bank services?
HMW connect current resources to help people in need?
HMW improve the efficiency of food bank/food pantries?

D. Feature evaluation & MoScow testing

We generated a series of ideas and evaluated them using criteria such as "Accessibility," "Innovation," "Functionality," "Sustainability," "Feasibility," "Adaptability," "Cost-effectiveness," and "Communicability," assigning scores accordingly.