Timeline
Sep 2022- Now
My Role
Researcher | Website Designer | Graphic Designer Part of the Final Project of MA Design for Social Innovation and Sustainable Futures program
Methods
Questionnaire | Interview | Case study
Project Partner
Granville Community Kitchen(GCK)
Background & Problems
How to help GFB achieve community business success and economic sustainability?
Good Food Box(GFB) is one of the main ongoing programs of Granville Community Kitchen(GCK). The project aims to bring affordable, fresh, organic and culturally appropriate food* to South Kilburn, a deprived and ethnically diverse area. It has a special tiered pricing system, which means customers can choose a price tier based on what they can afford.
However, 2 years after the program launched, Aug of 2022, the revenue of GFB can just cover the cost. The slow growth of the business shows the vulnerability of the business model and less operation ability to develop itself and support other programs of GCK.
Analysing and Mapping Problems
Different from for-profit businesses that focus on growth and scale, GFB, as a community business, represents GCK’s attempt to leverage market mechanisms to primarily achieve social objectives. Therefore, it is essential to focus on the well-being of community members while assisting GFB in adding value and achieving growth.
The customer management and marketing of GBF should be a balancing act. Specifically, it needs to improve GFB products and services to meet local customers' needs competitively in the marketplace, while also crafting messages that showcase the contributions of the projects to the local community.
Research Methods Design
According to the two research directions,
Insight GFB service and customer experience pain points to identify unmet customer needs and expectations
explore how to leverage the network of the geographic community to gain more ‘valued subscribers’.
I scheduled 2-week research plan with mainly interviews, questionnaires and case studies as research methods.
Based on the objectives of the questionnaires, I drafted the initial questions and developed them to the point with more appropriate wording for non-native speakers* to easily understand. Considering ethical issues, I avoid questions directly related to household income and consumption ability, reducing the likelihood of embarrassment and feeling judged.
The questionnaires are distributed with the veg bags. To know more about subscribers’ real feedback on GFB, I came to pick up points twice a week to talk with subscribers.
Questionnaire Design
* South Kilburn is an ethnically diverse area. Simple vocabularies are more inclusive for local subscribers.
Key Findings
Improvements (constantly updated)
This proposal is a live document, and its content changes based on discussions with the GFB team and the current phase of the GFB project.