DESIGN FOR AMERICA
CINCINNATI FOOD DESERTS: Spring Sprint 2023
DESIGN FOR AMERICA
UC’s chapter of Design for America (DFA) is an interdisciplinary design research team
focused on tackling social issues through human centered design. We do this through
5 week design sprints.
Programming by: Leah Riben, Marcus Dhuadji, Katie Van Gulick
Team Leads: Greta Tebbe, Emmet Meiners, Danny Smoroske
focused on tackling social issues through human centered design. We do this through
5 week design sprints.
Programming by: Leah Riben, Marcus Dhuadji, Katie Van Gulick
Team Leads: Greta Tebbe, Emmet Meiners, Danny Smoroske
DESIGN SPRINT?
A design sprint is a condensed version of the design thinking process. In a 5 week sprint, we quickly move through a problem space, immersing ourselves in research, ideating on solutions, and building prototypes, all with the end goal of tackling social issues in our community and campus.
IDENTIFY
We spent the semester working in the problem space of food deserts, specifically
focused on the neighborhood of Walnut Hills, Cincinnati.
How can we as students lessen the impact of food
focused on the neighborhood of Walnut Hills, Cincinnati.
How can we as students lessen the impact of food
deserts in the city of Cincinnati?
What is a food desert?
A food desert, also referred to as food apartheid, is an area in which people have no/limited access to healthy food.
They are often caused by income inequality, transportation challenges, or the fear from businesses of starting a grocery store in a low-income area.
Approximately 25% of Cincinnati lives in a food desert, or food apartheid. Nationwide, it is estimated that 13% of people live in a food desert.
They are often caused by income inequality, transportation challenges, or the fear from businesses of starting a grocery store in a low-income area.
Approximately 25% of Cincinnati lives in a food desert, or food apartheid. Nationwide, it is estimated that 13% of people live in a food desert.
IMMERSE
We immersed ourself in the problem space through primary and secondary research, including diving into articles, statistics, and interviews with experts in the area of food equity in Cincinnati. We were then able to compile this into major insights.
REFRAME
We were able to take these research insights, and reframe them into “How Might We” statements. My group focused on the following questions:
IDEATE, BUILD, TEST
Our ideate, build, and test phases were unique in this sprint. In a weeked long event, we collaborated with DFA studios from around the midwest to share our research and collaboratively ideate, build, and share our solutions.
FINAL SOLUTION
As a team, we moved through several strategies of ideations before coming to
our final solution.
Our final solution was an app: Swap&Save. The goal of the app was to educate students on food apartheid, and encourage them to engage with it in their communities. In exchange for students donating meal swipes and watching informational videos on food deserts, they would receive coupons for chain and local grocery stores in areas at risk of becoming food deserts, in order to generate business for these companies.
our final solution.
Our final solution was an app: Swap&Save. The goal of the app was to educate students on food apartheid, and encourage them to engage with it in their communities. In exchange for students donating meal swipes and watching informational videos on food deserts, they would receive coupons for chain and local grocery stores in areas at risk of becoming food deserts, in order to generate business for these companies.
APP SCREENS
After going through this sprint, I envisioned what a few of the screens
for this app could look like.
for this app could look like.
Interested in more of my work with food? Click here︎︎︎ to check out my
project with Indy Winter Farmer’s Market.
project with Indy Winter Farmer’s Market.