2022
SEPTEMBER
Using the principles of service design to improve the farmers' market's current state token system, especially in the areas of discovery, bookkeeping, and management.
field
Service Design
client
professor
Timeline
12 weeks
Team
Tools Used
Contextual interviews
Stakeholder Mapping
Ecosystem Mapping
Ishikawa Fishbone Analysis
Blueprinting
10plus10 method
Decision Matrix
THE CHALLENGE
We were fortunate enough to shadow and work alongside the Forsyth Farmers Market team for our research. Our team visited Forsyth Park early in the morning every Saturday and helped the FFM volunteers stack the tokens before the start of the market. While working at the booth, we were able to get insight into one of the most critical areas of friction in the ecosystem – the discovery and handling experience of the market’s token system. This went on to define the scope of our project.
People
Farmers' Market staff & team
Vendors at the market
Customers at the market
Processes
Stacking tokens in rows of 10
Counting tokens
Distributing tokens
Bookkeeping
Physical Evidence
Tokens for general public
Tokens for SNAP/EBT
Tokens for food farmacy
THE FARMERS' MARKET
GLOSSARY
TOKEN TYPES
SNAP/EBT
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Food Farmacy
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Credit/Debit Card
01
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is the program formerly known as food stamps. It's a federal nutrition program that helps stretch your food budget, & buy healthy food & provide monthly benefits via an EBT card.
02
Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) is an electronic system that allows a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participant to pay for food using SNAP benefits.
03
912 Food Farmacy is a program of the Forsyth Farmers’ Market that offers participants a free nutrition class each month along with free produce vouchers that can be used at the market or on Farm Truck 912. FFM also partners with local health clinics to serve low-income individuals who have or are at risk for diet-related chronic diseases.
Current State
STAKEHOLDER MAP
ECOSYSTEM MAP
CURRENT STATE BLUEPRINT
ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS
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Insights
1
2
FFM needs to efficiently organize
tokens during setup because
doing so every week is redundant.
Customers need help discovering the token system because many FFM visitors are unaware of it.
4
5
3
Customers need to know about payment options because each vendor accepts money differently.
Customers need to quickly understand where they can use specific tokens because there are restrictions.
Vendors need more clarity about which tokens they can take as sometimes they accept the wrong tokens.
7
8
6
Vendors need a more visual 'token-sale form' because it's difficult to comprehend.
Vendors need to quickly count tokens because they must redeem tokens at the end of market day before leaving.
Vendors need to spend less time waiting in line at FFM as they have
a lot of things to pack up.
9
10
FFM needs to efficiently count tokens because they need to pay all vendors the equal value of tokens they receive.
FFM needs accurate bookkeeping because they make monthly reports of SNAP/EBT transactions to the federal government.
How might we...?
Help FFM and the vendors to reduce the time and energy it takes to count tokens
Increase awareness and understanding of the token system for all stakeholders
Open up time & opportunity for FFM to work on other programs to deliver on their mission
Service Solution
IDENTIFIED SOLUTIONS
PRIORITIZED SOLUTIONS
FUTURE STATE BLUEPRINT
Prototypes
SOCIAL DISCOVERY POSTER
TRAY ORGANISER
TOKEN SORTING BUCKETS
COUNTING CUP
SOCIAL DISCOVERY POSTER
Addressing the pain point of communication, we created a poster showcasing the different types of tokens and their specific uses. This was showcased at two points – one at the very beginning of the market and then at FFM's own information booth.
TOKEN ORGANISER
& SORTING BUCKETS
Addressing the pain point of token counting, we created a tray organizer with brackets that would only accommodate a stack of 10 tokens.
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Addressing the pain point of token sorting, we took multiple colored buckets and placed token stickers on them as visual queues, for the ease of both the customer and vendor.
COUNTING CUP
Addressing the pain point of token stacking, we designed cups from McDonald's coffee glasses. This cup had an open slot to throw out an extra tokens after a stack of 10 had been formed.
