Campus Food Bank Service and Website Redesign
00 Overview
A Strategic Plan for Food Security and Resource Management -
The Maize and Blue Cupboard (MBC)
The Maize and Blue Cupboard (MBC), University of Michigan's food bank, identified 30% of food insecurity in students and fellows, alongside significant campus food waste. Interviews also revealed staff strain, long customers wait times, and concerns about food freshness. To address these issues, we implemented a comprehensive plan.
A redesigned MBC website will feature a campus food map and volunteer onboarding process, increased transparency on available resources, and streamlined volunteer training – optimizing operations for a greater impact on student well-being and reduced food waste.
My Role
UX Designer and Researcher
Duration
4 months
(Feb - May, 2023)
Organization
Maize and Blue Cupboard - UofM campus food bank
Nonprofit Food Bank Operated by University of Michigan
Stakeholders - Staffs
Manage volunteers and connect with other organizations to secure food donations. However, they face challenges with volunteer reliability, as some volunteers don't show up for their shifts or lack proper training. Additionally, they sometimes receive more food donations than they can handle.
Users - Volunteers
Volunteers expressed a need for more comprehensive training to ensure they can effectively fulfill their assigned tasks. Additionally, several volunteers noted that managing the influx of both walk-in and scheduled shoppers during restocking days can be challenging due to long queues.
Users - Shoppers
Shoppers who visit MBC for groceries are getting frustrated with long waits. They're also worried about the freshness of the food and bummed about finding empty shelves on non-restocking days. Despite the wait times, most of them are understanding and thankful for MBC's help.
Staffs receiving more food donations than they can handle.
"There was once we recieved 30lb of eggplants from one doner... We have no idea how to handle them." -- Staff
"We appreciate the generosity of many individuals who offer small donations. However, processing and managing numerous small contributions requires significant staff resources. We're exploring ways to streamline the donation process for smaller amounts." -- Staff
Staffing shortages hinder MBC from offering thorough volunteer onboarding.
"I don't know how to tell when an apple is rotten or not. It requires some experience ." -- Volunteer
"We can't train all the volunteers right now because we're short-staffed and don't have the funding to hire more people." -- Staff
Long waiting time caused by space and staffing limitation.
"The waiting time is sometimes long, especially on the day they restock. But I have nothing to complain because everything there is free. I am very thankful." --Shopper
"Shoppers know when is the day we restock, and most of them tend to come at the day, which cause a long waiting queue out there." -- Volunteer
"We cannot let people just come in and grab whatever they need, the physical space we have is limited." -- Staff
Money, Time, and Food Are All Welcome!
While MBC welcome all kinds of donations, we focus more on the solutions for food and time donations.
These two kinds of donations are also where most pain points are.
Our Challenge
How might we create an ideal model for a campus food bank and address food waste, while overcoming the challenges?
Expanding Donation Path for Direct Support
Our high level approach is to create alternative channels for food donations to reach recipients (shoppers) directly. While large food gathers will continue collaborating with MBC due to the complexity of managing bulk donations, individual donors, on-campus events, and local small businesses can potentially support shoppers directly. This approach offers several advantages, including:
1. Ensure Freshness
2. Ease MBC Workload
3. Decrease MBC Shoppers
Tailoring the Website for Diverse User Groups
We revamped the website to integrate volunteer management and resource discovery. Volunteers can benefit from a streamlined scheduling system and online handbooks that facilitated faster onboarding, while shoppers can find resources and schedule visits through the online community. This redesigned website will serve as a central hub for everyone involved at MBC.
Expanding Donation Reach with a Community Resource Map
The food bank faces limitations with fixed locations and operating hours. To overcome these barriers and improve access to resources, we designed a community resource map.
This online platform empowers users to locate food offered by individuals and small organizations near them. Imagine attending a campus event with leftover food; the map allows you to find this information without a trip to the food bank. This approach not only increases accessibility but also alleviates the workload on staff and volunteers.
Volunteer Handbook for Streamlining Onboarding
A new handbook provides a clear overview of tasks, eliminating confusion and allowing for immediate contribution. It also serves as a reference guide, ensuring volunteers complete tasks correctly. This benefits everyone: volunteers have a smoother experience, and staff save time on on-the-spot instructions.
Achievement
This Project Won First prize for the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion award
from the 2023 UMSI Exposition!
What I've Learned
→ Online and Offline Service is Combined
UX design usually focuses on online interactions like websites and apps. However, a user's experience encompasses both digital and physical touchpoints. In this project, we recognize that addressing offline pain points, such as those encountered at the MBC food bank, is crucial. By addressing these offline challenges, we can ultimately improving the overall user experience and encourage users to engage with the MBC's online resources that we designed for them.
→ Find the Strength of Target Users Group
While addressing campus food insecurity and fostering connections remain project goals, the student community presents unique design considerations. The frequent student turnover creates an opportunity of releasing more food from individuals. Additionally, the strong sense of community encourages students to seek help and volunteer. This willingness is a valuable asset. Therefore, designing for this specific user group, considering their unique characteristic, sets it apart from other food banks.
→ Get Involved. Be Your User if Possible
To gain a comprehensive understanding of user needs, I actively participated in the project through various means. This included volunteering for 4 shifts at MBC and shopping there on 5 separate occasions. During each volunteer shift, I worked with volunteers in diverse roles and observed their tasks and challenges. Additionally, I conducted informal conversations with fellow volunteers and shoppers to gather their perspectives. This immersive approach allowed me to collect valuable firsthand data and empathize with their experiences.
