As part of our design challenge, "How Might We Provide Healthier Food Options for People in Need?" our design team considered existing barriers to getting healthier food options to people in need including infrastructure, distribution, storage, education, access, and capital in order to design solutions for providing healthier food options to low-income residents of West Oakland.

1. DESIGN KIT: The Course for Human-Centered Design
Team Oaklandish
Bringing Healthier Food Options to People in Need

2. The Process
2
The Challenge Inspiration Our Insights Our Solution
3 6 14 29 34

3. DESIGN KIT: The Course for Human-Centered Design
The Process
3

4. The Human-Centered Design Process
Pioneered by IDEO, the HCD process asks its practitioners to approach
developing design solutions to social challenges by focusing on the needs of
its end users, channeling deep empathy and gathering constant feedback
while continually generating and iterating on ideas in a convergent and
divergent manner.
4
Inspiration Ideation Implementation

5. The Human-Centered Design Process
Our Team:
Team Oaklandish
Alex Krzyzosiak
Cindy Bayley
Celeste Layne
Radha Seshagiri
Tammy Chung
5

6. DESIGN KIT: The Course for Human-Centered Design
The Challenge
6

7. How Might We Provide Healthier
Food Options for People in Need?
7

8. How Might We
Provide Healthier
Food Options for
People in Need?
As part of this design
challenge, the team
considered existing barriers to
getting healthier food options
to low-income residents of
West Oakland including
infrastructure, distribution,
storage, education, access,
and capital
8

9. With consideration to our
end-users, we have defined
“healthier” to mean:
Primarily:
Balanced Meal
Unprocessed / Fresh
Vegetables & Fruits (shelf stable)
Secondarily:
Low Salt / Low Sugar
Home-cooked
Organic
But what do
we mean by
“healthier”?
9

10. Source: City Slicker Farms http://www.cityslickerfarms.org/west-oakland;
https://oaklandnorth.net/few-food-choices/
“It is easier to stay drunk
than it is to eat”
- Oakland resident Gregory Higgins
West Oakland is a food desert where
there is an average of only one
supermarket per 93,126 residents
Why West
Oakland?
10

11. In contrast, there are over 40 liquor
stores selling tobacco, alcohol, and
little to no fresh foods
Access to healthy food is further
restricted due to economic reasons:
the average household has three
people and an income of only
$21,124 per year—32% of the
21,000 residents live below the
poverty level
Source: City Slicker Farms http://www.cityslickerfarms.org/west-oakland;
https://oaklandnorth.net/few-food-choices/
11

12. We tested our own knowledge...
What do we know?
Food is cultural
Produce markets are a short bus
ride away
There are existing organizations
dedicated to relieving food access
issues in West Oakland
What are our assumptions?
Food waste (from produce markets,
farms) in the area is an issue
Healthy food is expensive
Healthy food is boring
12

13. ... And determined our gaps
What don’t we know? What do we have to find out?
Why is there a disconnect between availability in nearby Chinatown and
people in need in other parts of Oakland?
How do people choose what they eat?
What current infrastructure for food access is in place and available?
What are people’s perceptions about food, healthy vs. unhealthy?
13

14. DESIGN KIT: The Course for Human-Centered Design
Inspiration
14

15. Seeking Inspiration
In light of our information gaps, the team identified several key people
and organizations to immerse ourselves into West Oakland’s challenge:
• Families located in West
Oakland’s food deserts
• Children attending public schools
in the region
• Food distributors
• Nutritionists
• Food suppliers
• City Slicker Farms (local urban farming
organization)
• Social worker and child behavioralist
People to Learn From: Experts to Speak to:
15

16. Seeking Inspiration
Our learning could be grouped into three distinct themes:
1. Knowledge
2. Resources
3. Motivation
16

17. Knowledge
There are varying degrees to how much
knowledge residents have regarding
how to cook and eat healthfully. Further,
there is varying opinion as to which
foods qualify as “healthy”
17

18. “You have to consider their
economic status and what they
can afford to eat. It would be
unfair to say you have to buy
everything fresh. It’s important to
find a good balance.”
- Andrea Robles,
Nutrition Researcher at Stanford University
18

19. “The vegetables at
school aren’t salty
enough - they need to
have ‘zang’ [ to taste
good ]!”
- Destiny, 10 years old,
student at KIPP Bridge
19

20. “Many people have trouble
understanding food labels”
- Andrea Robles,
Nutrition Researcher at Stanford University
20

21. Resources
Residents lack time to reach
supermarkets where they may find
healthier food and lack access to
infrastructure for which to cook
more healthfully
21

22. 22
“I would buy milk and bread for
my son at the liquor store.”
- Jennifer Dhillon,
West Oakland resident

23. “People in the neighborhood can cook food here
on the spot [if they don’t have access to
kitchens]... If time is tight, they can make a juice.”
- Larry Davis, People’s Grocery
23

24. Motivation
Eating is emotional—there is a need to
stay sensitive to existing cultural norms
around eating and communicating
about food
24

25. “Even though these programs
exist, many low income families
in need are too embarrassed to
actually use them”
- Maddy Conboy, Social Worker /
Child Behavioralist
25

26. “Culturally appropriate
food is sometimes in
conflict with what’s
considered healthy”
- Joseph Davis,
City Slicker Farms
26

27. “We need to be intentional about outreach”
- Andrionna, Mandela Food Cooperative
27

28. “Word of mouth is
the primary way
people hear about
City Slicker Farms.”
- Joseph Davis,
City Slicker Farms
28

29. DESIGN KIT: The Course for Human-Centered Design
Our Insights
29

30. Insights Into Opportunities
Our research provided insights and the framework for opportunity areas
for which to design against:
1. Existing Behaviors
2. Food Waste & Food Surplus
3. Grassroots Communication
30

31. INSIGHT 1
Existing
Behaviors
INSIGHT
People often have engrained
existing behaviors around
food that can act as a barrier
to eating balanced and
healthfully
How might we enable more
balanced (healthy) eating
over time by understanding
and leveraging people's
existing behaviors around
food?
HMW Q
31

32. INSIGHT 2
Food Waste &
Food Surplus
INSIGHT
There is often limited access
to food, but at the same time,
some organizations often
have a surplus of food
How might we bridge the
gap between lack of access
to food and existing surplus
of food?
32
HMW Q

33. INSIGHT 3
Grassroots
Communication
INSIGHT
Organizers find grassroots
methods of communication
most effective
How might we leverage
grassroots means to bring
awareness to healthy eating
options and behaviors?
33
HMW Q

34. DESIGN KIT: The Course for Human-Centered Design
Our Solution
34

35. Insights Into Ideas
35
Given our three ‘how might we’ questions, the
team ideated around potential design solutions,
rapidly generating a large volume of ideas to
capture the gamut of opportunities and to build off
of one another’s ideas

36. Our Solution:
A Liquor Store Redesign
36

37. A Liquor Store
Redesign
How Might We Provide
Healthier Food Options for
People in Need?
With the insight that there is
and excess of liquor stores in
West Oakland where residents
often visit to re-stock on staple
food products, we identified
an opportunity to leverage
people’s existing behaviors
in order to implement
incremental change.
37

38. A Liquor Store
Redesign
OUR IDEA
A Healthy Oakland,
A Healthy You:
A partnership amongst West
Oakland corner stores bringing
healthy foods within reach
An effort to redesign the
liquor store to better
promote healthy and
balanced eating, meeting
people where they buy
their food today
38

39. 39
A Healthy Oakland,
A Healthy You
Our team ideated realistic
solutions for corner store
owners that were low-cost
and easy to implement.
Further, to take into
account each customers’
varying circumstances, we
incorporated a dual-level
pricing system.

40. Branded signage
to draw recognition
amongst the
network of partners
40
Low-cost, versatile, mobile
cart unit that is easily
collapsable (for storage) and
adaptable for a variety of
store layouts
Tiered pricing based on
an ‘honor system.’
Customers decide
whether they can afford
the full price or need to
purchase food at a
reduced rate
A Healthy Oakland,
A Healthy You
PROTOTYPE A
A cart outside displays
healthy, fresh food. This
food is surplus food
collected from local
organizations and is sold at
a heavily discounted price.

41. 41
SIGNAGE:
Our Mission
To provide accessible, healthy food
for West Oakland residents, taking
into account each of our customers’
different circumstances.
Pick a Pricing Level:
Level A – Reduced Price
For when money is tight and income
is intermittent.
Level B – Regular Price
For those who have greater access
to cash, pay a little more to help a
neighbor!

42. Branded signage and a
mission statement with
information about the
dual pricing model
42
A Healthy Oakland,
A Healthy You
PROTOTYPE B
An indoor cart/unit, clearly
displays healthy, shelf-stable
options below the register
where customers are
making their purchases.

43. Hearing About the Store
Jennifer hears from a
neighbor about how the
corner store down the block
is now selling an expanded
offering of fresh groceries
and shelf stable vegetables
and fruit.
Discovery
Jennifer has decided to make
chicken, rice, beans and collard
greens for dinner. While the kids
are at school, she goes to the
corner store to check out the
assortment. She realizes that
there’s now a new produce cart
outside the store
Meet Jennifer
37, Nurse’s Aid
(night shift)
Resident of West
Oakland with two kids
(10, 13 yo), and a single
parent
43
The Experience

44. The Experience
Checking-Out
She sees the pricing sign near
the shelf and learns about the
dual-level pricing system. A
reduced rate is available for
those who aren’t able to
afford the full price. She pays
the reduced rate, as money is
currently tight for her family.
Healthy Meals at Home
Jennifer cooks her family’s
favorite meal and is happy
that she had time to
prepare it before she had
to leave for work. She’s
especially glad that her kids
are happy and full.
Initial Purchase
Jennifer picks up collard
greens from the cart outside
and continues to enter the
corner store. Immediately,
she sees there’s a new
dedicated section to shelf
stable vegetables.
44

45. The Experience
Spreading the Word
Jennifer runs into her friend
Paul, who asks to borrow milk
and eggs. She tells him how
easy it is now to pick up fresh
groceries at the corner store
down the street. Paul had no
idea about the change to the
store, and goes the next day.
Full Adoption
Next time, Jennifer takes her
kids to the corner store, which
now comes to mind first when
she thinks about buying
groceries for dinner. She tells
her kids that they can come
by to purchase groceries
when she’s unable to.
45

46. Testing Our
Prototype
46
To test our prototype, we
leveraged our diagrams to
gather feedback from those
outside of our process, role
playing with them to discover
the concept’s strengths and
areas for improvement.
^ Prototype A
Prototype B >

47. Feedback: Strengths to Leverage
47
• Cart: A mobile, versatile, and approachable way to introduce healthier
foods into the corner store setting
• Branded Element: Brings credibility, imbues Oakland pride, and is a
recognizable element (e.g., badge, signage, colors); consider using badge
to brand produce

48. Feedback: Potential Barriers to Consider
48
• Pricing Ambiguity: May need further guidance to customers on how to
determine their level; honor system may cause an awkward disposition for
customers; the proposition may not be relevant to level B customers (thus,
potentially no need for different levels)
• Corner Store Owners’ POV: May not have capacity (shelf space, floor
space) or resources to upkeep; may not be incentivized to house the cart
within their stores

49. Feedback: Ideas to Build Upon
49
• Identify the Source: Leverage signage or other materials to indicate where
the fresh produce is sourced from (e.g., local farms, nearby city farms)
• Share Inspiration: Display and distribute 10-minute recipe cards,
pamphlets with tips on cooking more healthfully, and suggest alternatives to
foods and beverages
• Educational Materials: Leverage space to provide information on serving
suggestions and other nutritional benefits

50. What’s Next?
The Design Kit: The Course for Human Centered Design course concludes at
the Implementation phase, whereby the team identifies key next steps to bring
A Healthy Oakland, A Healthy You to life:
• Continued prototyping and iteration incorporating feedback received
• Identification of key roles necessary to staff to execute on our plan, including:
operations, inventory management, community outreach, development, and
design & engineering
• Preparation for sell-in, including a pitch for funders
50
West Oakland is classified as a food
desert—for every 93,000 residents,
there is only one supermarket. A
Healthy Oakland, A Healthy You is a
partnership among West Oakland
corner stores aiming to address this
issue and bring healthy food within
reach. By designing a new approach
to leverage surplus food for people in
need, the corner store will become a
convenient resource for local
residents to buy healthier food
options right in their neighborhood.
THEPITCH

51. Thank You!
Team Oaklandish wishes to thank the folks at IDEO.org and +ACUMEN for
introducing us to a new way of thinking, and our fellow classmates for their
feedback and inspiration.
- Alex, Celeste, Cindy, Radha & Tammy
51

52. DESIGN KIT: The Course for Human-Centered Design
Team Oaklandish
Bringing Healthier Food Options to People in Need
52