ROLE
Responsible for research, semi-structured interviews, affinity mapping, competitive analysis, concept sketching, wire-framing, hi-fi prototyping, user testing, expert evaluation.
TOOLS
Figma
FigJam
Miro
TEAM
Kathi Tran
Sidra Morchower
Namit Kapoor
CJ Marguin
TIMELINE
August 2022
December 2022
background
Sparkle is a mobile application that helps undergraduate students at Georgia Tech who live in on-campus apartments, to improve their kitchen hygiene habits. It gamifies the need to understand proper food safety habits, compete against other apartment-style housing, and redeem monetary awards.
project overview
Making kitchen safety knowledge engaging and accessible to Georgia Tech students.
A mobile application that playfully engages proper food hygiene and safety habits for Georgia Tech undergraduate students. The goal is to reduce food-borne illnesses within university students.
problem
There were knowledge gaps around food hygiene and safety on campus.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion found that college students are at a high risk for food-borne illnesses due to improper food handling and consumption. In our team's initial research of this problem space, we discovered that there are several factors that contribute to an undergraduate student’s mishandling of food and consumption.
We started by asking students to examine the existing state of their kitchens.
research
survey results
semi-structured interviews
Task Analysis
Affinity Map Notes
key research findings
We found out that…
The majority of students have not been taught basic kitchen knowledge in any prior classes (elementary school to college).
It is difficult for students to keep track of what is in their fridge.
Students have financial limitations which impact their kitchen habits.
Students have busy schedules which limit their time focused on other activities, such as prioritizing kitchen hygiene.
How Might We…
Create an engaging, efficient, and educational solution that aids students in improving their kitchen habits?
“I never go a day without any case of nausea, vomiting or diarrhea” - GT Health Provider Stakeholder
Design requirements
Establishing Requirements
1
Affordability
Find ways to make existing methods reachable and digitize existing tools and substitutes.
2
Customization
All farm systems work differently. The goal is to create a way for all farm types to utilize this solution.
3
Efficiency
Be able to work in conjunction with farming schedules with planners to help manage time.
4
Community
Connection to online forums/groups. Ability for all farm workers to interact together.
5
Accessibility
Make sure the design is accessible. Find solutions regarding WIFI connectivity.
6
Organization
Incorporate a system with product management. Create dynamic plans & checklist for inventory
Ideation
Brainstorming Sketches
In a pursuit to ideate, we did a Crazy 8s activity to help build ideas and to uncover as many ideas as we can.
Design feedback
⚙️ Automation
Users expressed that small farmers would love to feel that they’re ”someone looking after them” and automated data includes tips and features like weather, relevant agricultural news, and ideally equipment notifications.
🤝 Collaboration
Collaboration and communication among all the field workers, managers, and other parties is vital in properly managing farming operations.
🌈 Color Coding
Tracking progress helps farmers to keep track of their crops and inventory. Color coding makes it easier for them to categorize and organize their products.
💬 Terminology
The importance of semantics and utilizing terminology that is relevant for smaller farmers (using rows instead of acres of land).
Feedback Session with a Workshare Farmer
Feedback Session with Former Part-time Farmer
Design iteration
Mid-Fi Wireframes
Wireframe Feedback
final design
Farming management made easier.
Home Tab Features
Check the status feed which is automated data (i.e. local news, weather), and current equipment info (i.e. sensor notifications)
View team progress and status on field work. Each task card include image and comment features for additional info.
Create task cards, categorize them by farming phase, assign team members. Allow farms to efficiently glance at subject of each tasks.
Map Tab Features
Create digital twin of their field since smaller farmers work my field rows and sections not acres.
Customize and edit the shape and properties of the plant beds into variable shapes and remove/add plant beds.
See who is working on the row as well as what is being grown. This helps inform the user different crops grown in each row.
Plan Tab Features
Efficiently view from the color-coded labels all inventory (type of crop, stage of crop, and by team member).
View crop info table that shows detailed automated data (harvest predications, predicted input costs, etc).
Filter and flexibility on what to view and bring more attention to specific rows.
Analyze Tab Features
View comprehensive information of field prepping, seeding, and harvesting reports.
Utilize the automated reports in the revenue tab as a way to better manage their budget and view high level profits/loss.
Interact with automated ‘Tip” feature that helps make farming knowledge more accessible and intuitive.
visual language
evaluation
Discount Evaluation Feedback
We conducted a discount evaluation with 4 users. Our goal was to test whether our concept fulfilled two of our main design requirements: time efficiency and sanitation improvement. We created a digital protocol where users were asked to type they're feedback during each given tasks. Below are findings for each evaluated requirement:
Time Efficiency Findings
Users felt that having divided tasks can be helpful and more time efficient.
Users found the assigned tasks are too fixed and structured.
Users we confused on how to capture a photo to complete a task.
Users suggested that using the app can feel like an additional chore.
Improving Kitchen Sanitation Findings
Users felt the “Resources” page would be ineffective in improving kitchen hygiene versus using Google.
Users felt that the “Daily Random Facts” is engaging and useful for providing useful kitchen hygiene info.
Users expressed that the “Resource” page would be useful if the info tab shows specifics info not general links.
reflection
Your design won't be perfect.
We really struggled learning how to "gamify" kitchen and food safety (think Duolingo...but with cleaning) and we also found that it was very difficult to try to accommodate for the busy and hectic schedules of students. Despite all the challenges we faced, this project taught me a lot on how to improve user data collection, collaborate with different stakeholders, and redefine the problem scope.
If we were able to think of an alternative solution, I would have loved to play around with a physical prototype and see it could be could be an interactive product that can accompany the mobile application :).
Virtual Interview with an GT Undergraduate Student
Team Selfie Handing Out Physical Copies of Surveys