Phase 1: Project Brief

What is the problem in brief?

Over the last few months of 2020 we have all become aware of the complex experiences surrounding online shopping. Through our user interviews, we discovered that grocery shopping is a complex process that people experience in many different ways and have divided opinions about. But many of the positive aspects of a grocery store experience did not make the transition to digital. We find ourselves in a world of wading through poorly designed websites which feel more akin to a database than to a grocery store, where users don’t get the freedom of being able to browse the shelves for items they want or don’t have on their list and users are required to be precise in their desires. This might work well for the few people who make detailed lists with all of their items accounted for, but what about the rest of us who often don’t have a complete list when we go to the store? We have been forced to adapt to an uncomfortable system. We believe that a proper user interface for online grocery stores which is able to replicate the flexibility and atmosphere of a grocery store could address many of these issues. And as the world of online shopping and online grocery stores seems to be sticking around for a while if not becoming a mainstay of our culture, these could be some very welcome changes indeed.

How will your project change the status quo? For whom?

Our product will enhance the online shopping experience to make it feel like a unique interaction rather than a watered down version of in-person shopping. This works in conjunction with the shift towards online shopping, which takes relatively less time than in-person shopping and doesn’t require that users travel to a physical location. Online shopping also has the advantage of not restricting a user’s access to resources, e.g., certain ingredients that become sold out quickly or are only available at specialty stores.

The primary shift in status quo will be in the character of the shopping experience. Currently, shopping online requires you to know exactly what you are looking for, and might recommend 4 or 5 items based on things you like. We want to more closely emulate the feeling of pursuing the isles that makes shopping fun and accommodates demographics that look around the store rather than making extensive lists beforehand. These benefits extend to people with disabilities or medical issues who rely heavily on shopping online, so we will ensure that accessibility is incorporated into our design.

What is (at least) one naïve design idea (rough sketch)? How does this idea address what you see as the core problem?

One naive idea is to develop an online shopping interface where users can navigate a 3D representation of a grocery store. The interface would represent real grocery items as 3D models in the virtual environment, and the user could use computer input to “pick up” items and add them to a virtual representation of their cart. They could also see avatars of other shoppers in the environment around them. Think “Minecraft, but for grocery shopping.” This interface would allow users who enjoy the experience of browsing, and those who don’t make precise grocery lists, to have a non-frustrating, or even enjoyable online shopping experience. Our interface would emphasize a more open-ended and creative experience for the user, and has the potential to have a unique character, aesthetic, and overall feeling which would enhance users’ enjoyment.

What information do you need to collect? How will you collect it? How will you meet your target users, or who can serve as effective proxies for them?

Our target users are people living with non-family member roommates, such as students who are living together because they were displaced from dormitories.

We will need to collect information on how people are currently dealing with buying/sharing groceries, which may include hunger levels, food waste, if they keep track of what each household member purchases, and how satisfied they are with their current system (if existent). If this idea passes initial outreach, later phases of information collecting will lean more towards getting user feedback on the current iteration of prototyping/design. Information will be collected in an assortment of ways, such as surveys, emails, and video calls. Surveys will be good for collecting large amounts of quantitative data; reaching out to individuals will provide qualitative insight from user feedback. We also want to focus on the highs and lows of in-person grocery shopping, and how online grocery shopping compares to that experience.

How will your team work together to accomplish these goals (as well as your individual learning goals)?

Our team will prioritize achieving individual learning goals. Each member wants to learn different things during this class, and this project is an avenue that allows everyone to further their learning in a do-learn fashion. That being said, we would like to end with a product that satisfies all stakeholders, including team members, target users, and mentors. When making our team contract, we discussed our individual learning goals and preferring working styles, and came to the conclusion that we’ll have short and flexible meetings, and focus on delegating tasks to do asynchronous work. This accommodates both problems with wifi/internet and our individual working preferences. We also plan on fostering a fun and informal tone in our meetings, to encourage each other to be open to new ideas and to engage with aspects of work that are new to us.