Fresh Finds

My fourth, individual project concerning the Rotterdamse Oogstmarkt and how to broaden their public and up their visitor count.

Year
2024

Client
Rotterdamse Oogstmarkt

Lectoraat Social Design

The Oogstmarkt gave me the challenge of using technology to make their farmer’s market more attractive to a larger audience. So how could I achieve this using a realistic solution?

Hereby I formulated my design question: “How can we ensure that young adults from 18-35 years old who would like to be more environmentally conscious, go to the Oogstmarkt more often and how can we introduce them to ecological products that create awareness for the environment?”

With this in mind I started doing research.

My tasks during this project were as follows:

  • Team captain (individual project)

  • Planning

  • Deskresearch

  • Fieldresearch

  • Deliverables such as user profile and empathy map

  • Prototyping

  • Brand identity

Research

First of all I looked into what the Oogstmarkt was and several other markets that had the succes rate that the Oogstmarkt did not have.

In this project I mainly focused on fieldresearch, because I could not find out what the pain points of the market were without going to it. Therefore, I organized an observation at the market. I observed the different people there, their interactions with vendors and also the area around the market. This is where I found out that the market is touristic, overpriced and that the area around it is not as prosperous and also has stalls with cheaper food. Therefore, the market had visitors, but not many recurring ones.

I also conducted a guided tour with someone in my focus group and held several interviews with people aged 18-35.

From there I could start categorizing these results.

Findings

With all of my test results, I took to making several statement cards.

  • The average young adult wants to be more environmentally conscious.

  • The average young adult who still lives at home doesn’t need to do the grocery shopping because their parents already take care of it.

  • The average young adult finds that life and food are becoming very expensive.

  • The average young adult experiences stress about environmental issues but struggles to take action.

I also created an empathy map and a user profile. From here I could start brainstorming. I consulted with my peers and teachers on what I could create. I wanted to make something young people could enjoy, but it should be affordable and also favourable for the market. I wanted to make an accessible way for young people to take environmental action.

That is when I came to a solution. Inspired by services as HelloFresh and Goodiebox I figured: why not take inspiration from that and make a subscription-based box full of market goods? After this, I started prototyping and developing a brand.

Prototype

So that is how Fresh Finds came into fruition. My final concept is a biweekly or monthly box filled with Oogstmarkt products that customers can order through a website. The box also includes a handy brochure listing all the products, along with where they can be purchased at the market. This way, customers can try out new products from home, and if they enjoy them, they can purchase them again at the market. As a result, the market's audience grows, as it attracts more returning customers. At the same time, customers can try more new delicacies for less money without having to leave their homes. This benefits both parties.

I also presented these ideas at an exhibition, for which I designed a poster and actually made a box which showcased my prototype, to which I also added the brochure which I designed. I displayed my website mockup on a laptop. Overall the feedback on this exhibition was quite good, and I conducted some final tests here. The product was well-received and I received enthousiastic reactions on it.

My experience

So how did I experience this project? It was quite a change to suddenly have to do an entire project on my own, but I believe I adapted to it. I planned out what I wanted to do, and took the initiative to conduct tests and do research. I had to figure out things on my own, but was also helped by peers and experts. I developed my skills in Figma, which I wasn’t very experienced in. Overall, I thouroughly enjoyed this project due to the theme aligning with my interests and my ability to take initiative on my own.