In Which We (Don’t)
Mind The Gap
Ries Murphy, Varna Das, Daehyoung (DH) Lee
Selected for Presentation @ IxDA Indy (1.17.2019)
Chapter 1: Finding the Face of Hunger
This fall, the Indiana University’s HCI/d Masters Program teamed up with IxDA-Indy and the Indianapolis Office of Food Policy to tackle Food Insecurity in the state of Indiana. The prompt was simple: using design practices, find a way to help.
Over the course of our 16 week journey, we would conduct primary interviews with representatives of various stakeholders, including food distribution centers, locally owned co-op grocers, graduate students (domestic and international), representatives from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, and local business owners.
From the shape of these interviews, we eventually set our stakeholders into three categories: providers, recipients, and connectors. We owe our final idea to the wisdom of William of Ockham, who famously wrote pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate. Translated, this means plurality should not be posited without necessity; in other words - all other things equal, the simplest solution is often the best one.
This wisdom, known as Occam’s Razor, would ultimately be the key that unlocked Hoosier Bounty - a service (and system) we propose whereby all college students enrolled in the state of Indiana are afforded a basic food allotment in the form of Food Points. A deceptively simple answer to an impossible question, Hoosier Bounty sits at the penumbra of Human Computer Interaction, leveraging technology to tackle a deeply human problem. This is the story of our journey.
Look How Wrong We Were
Long before Hoosier Bounty came into focus, we started with a drawing.
Visualizing the food insecure population of Indiana, we imagined it as a series of concentric circles, with sub-groups within sub-groups, all part of the larger group labeled food insecure.
We could not have been more wrong.
What we thought the food insecure population in Indiana looked like.
Chapter 2: Behold, The Hydra
What we now think the food insecure population of Indiana looks like.
Estimates suggest that one in seven Hoosiers identify as food insecure. This accounts for 13.7% of the population. Yet trying to articulate the nature of that population proved difficult, largely due to an eclectic set of stories. One IU graduate family, for instance, had gone from making a salary of $110,000 a year to under $23,000 a year in the span of thirteen months. Another graduate family, being bound by the working limits imposed upon international students, relied on food from a local Food Pantry to feed their child. (This was despite being financially stable enough to move internationally in pursuit of a graduate degree.)
We began by assuming that those who identified as food insecure would be those under the brunt of poverty - homeless, ill, alcoholic, or otherwise addicted.
This was a mentality that propagated an “us” versus “them” mentality common to those fortunate enough to have never grappled with food insecurity themselves. Through our interviews and research, we had a humbling epiphany: just because someone is food secure today does not mean they will not be food insecure tomorrow.
The lines between populations weren’t just blurred - the lines didn’t exist.
“When I was a vendor at market I accepted WIC checks, but I have not had any customers that used it in the last two years.”
In addition to this misunderstanding faced by Indiana’s food insecure population, we discovered another problem in the meandering, frustrating, and often lonely process whereby individuals could offer their support to food security initiatives, whether through volunteering or contributing food as a provider.
Over the course of our interviews with distributors, providers and connectors (Monroe County Community Kitchen, Silver Valley Farms, and Indy Grown) we found that people wanted to help, but were discouraged by two primary issues: being unable to see the impact of their support, and the labyrinthine paperwork required to help in the first place.
We knew the truth, of course - that Indiana, like other states, is in dire need of volunteer support, both in terms of food contributed and time given to local efforts. Yet without a way for would-be providers and other volunteers to see the measurable impact of their work, convincing people of the vitality of their contribution proved difficult.
At the same time, those who stood to gain the most from actually using what food support programs already existed often reported a sense of shame and stigma when filling out the paperwork necessary to apply for aid. In more severe cases, interviewees reported feeling in danger when visiting food pantries or community kitchens. In these ways, our two primary stakeholders were being discouraged from participating in/using a support system designed specifically for their needs.
The issue of Food Insecurity in Indiana wasn’t one issue - it was several issues, all intertwined and overlapped, often at odds with one another. Like cutting off the head of a hydra, solving any one of these problems wasn’t a solution at all. In order to win, we needed an idea that was as sharp, strong, and simple as a razor. Our razor came in the form of a dangerous and seemingly naive question:
What if there was food for everybody?
Chapter 3: Fooling Around With a Razor
Image Source: www.indianagrown.org
“I find things and help them find a home. I am a connector. Our hope is that by promoting local foods we create an awareness as to what is growing in our own zip codes.”
Meeting a Connector
Our breakthrough came following a conversation with Heather Tallman, a Program Manager at Indiana Grown. Indiana Grown is a statewide branding initiative spearheaded by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture that aims to more clearly designate “which products truly come from Indiana, but to also help Hoosier consumers easily identify and buy these products.”
As we considered the complexity of our own challenge, similarities to the work conditions faced by the connectors at Indiana Grown revealed an opportunity space in the realm food insecurity. Simply put, we realized we needed to make everybody a connector - or at least, empower them with some connector abilities.
When studies conducted by our colleagues suggested that there was enough food in the state to feed everyone, but that the food wasn’t getting where it needed to go due to antiquated systems and the speed with which food spoiled, we realized that our question wasn’t as naive as we originally thought. The answer proved as simple as the question itself - There is enough food for everybody; it’s just not getting where it needs to go.
From our research, we prioritized three insights, which we later associated with one primary pain points we wanted our proposed project to address. Resolving every problem space was an impossible target. Resolving (or at least addressing) all three pain points - simultaneously - was not only a possible goal, but we believed was necessary for success. Resolving every problem space was an impossible target. Resolving (or at least addressing) all three of these pain points - simultaneously - was not only a possible goal, but we believed was necessary for success.
1
You Can’t Eat Good Intentions
If someone can’t get here, yeah - I mean, if someone lives out in the county off the bus line, and doesn’t have transportation, unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do.
- Monroe County Community Kitchen
Simply put, good will and an altruistic spirit wasn’t enough. It was in equal parts encouraging and discouraging to discover that Indiana had no shortage of people who wanted to help - and were actively helping - combat food insecurity by leading a myriad of initiatives, both individual and public. It wasn’t enough; and the sense of powerlessness discouraged them on their quest.
2
Blind Spot Blues
Over the course of our interviews, we learned the importance of collaboration between organizations, which allowed participating groups to lead more efficient operations. This highlighted the necessity of an appropriate food aid tracking system. Currently, food support centers minimally benefit from the use of technology due to the lack of post-development management and knowledge.
3
Beneficial, but Insufficient
Students parents perceived food pantries and WIC program as largely impactful and helpful in alleviating their financial burden. However, there still existed unresolved difficulties, such as emotional discomfort and a lack of ‘quality’ foods.
We drew our primary pain points out of our insights.
Chapter 4: Hoosier Bounty
Power To The User
We are proud to propose Hoosier Bounty, a basic food allowance program which affords a food allotment via Food Points (FP) to every student registered full time at an accredited college or university in Indiana. FP can only be spent on food, reducing potential abuses of the system.
Each month, as a matter of course, every student is awarded 500 FP, which maps to a set amount of food the student may take home. Hoosier Bounty would be treated and funded as a form of federal financial aid.
While this number never changes, the amount and type of food indicated can change depending on a variety of circumstances, including (but not limited to): number of dependents, dietary considerations, and how much food has been declined by other students in the program.
The Hoosier Bounty phone application is minimalist, clean, and friendly.
We Are All In This Together
Once a month, students can choose to redeem or donate their food points via a phone app or online portal. Since not all students will need all their points, voluntary relinquishment of their points will organically allow for greater portions of food to be allocated to those who need it more (parents, international students, etc.)
Donating Points: Students can choose to donate any amount of their points, the effect of which is tracked in their Impact Report. In this way, students are able to help one another out anonymously.
Redeeming Points: Whatever points are not donated by the 16th of the month are automatically redeemed. Redeeming half of their allocated points will treat the half not redeemed as a donation, and will effect their impact report.
By encouraging this group mindset, Hoosier Bounty closes the gap by removing the gap. Likewise, we remove the hassle and stigma of applying for assistance.
“Hoosier Bounty Food Points can only be spent on food, and can be attached to university IDs, much like the Indiana University Crimson Card. This allows for non-stigmatized, anonymous use.”
But How?
Most infrastructure necessary to get Hoosier Bounty off the ground already exists. Local businesses that already accepted Crimson Card (or other Indiana campus equivalents) could be brought into the new system by default. University campuses could function as distribution centers, allowing for a safer place to retrieve food from.
Through a central portal, Hoosier Bounty participants can perform a variety of functions, all of which associated with their respective roles: Recipients, Distributors, Providers, Connectors and Admin. Students, for example, function as “recipients”, and would use the Hoosier Bounty platform primarily as a FP management tool.
A Hundred Blades for A Hundred Heads
Hoosier Bounty, at its heart, brings people together. Different users will be empowered by different uses. We believe that the only way forward is by all of our stakeholders winning little victories. Providers (whether farmers, individuals, or distributors) will be afforded the ability to participate in food support programs through a streamlined, modern, and online application process.
Distributors (a specific form of provider) can use Hoosier Bounty to keep better track of food stocks, make announcements that are then pushed to geographically close recipients, and request specific foods when in ned - all via the Hoosier Bounty platform.
Connectors (such as those currently working at Indiana Grown) can more directly get food where it needs to go, interfacing more easily with providers through Hoosier Bounty’s centralized infrastructure. The kind of work being done at groups like Indiana Grown is commendable; our hope is that Hoosier Bounty would continue to learn from their wisdom and experience.
Hoosier Bounty has something for everybody.
You Matter - And We Can Prove It
Vitally, all stakeholders (providers, recipients, connectors) can use Hoosier Bounty to view a personalized Impact Report, where they will be greeted by a visual representation of how and where they’ve helped confront the issue of Food Insecurity in the state of Indiana.
Hoosier Bounty targets a relatively small user group. It is our hope that by proving this system can work with a controlled population (such as students) we make it possible to later increase the scope of the program to include everyone in the state of Indiana.
For the donating farmer, users might see exactly where their food traveled over the course of the month or year. For a recipient who only claims half their points, they might see how meals for those who did claim the grew larger as a consequence of their actions. The versatility and potential for creative ways to update and enliven the Impact Report excites us - “You matter,” we say, “And we can prove it.”
Teammates:
Varna Das, Daehyoung Lee