Exploration

Goal: Further examine the motivations, pain-points, and provide contextual clues to the Sauve Terre’s customers experience.

Research Methods Used

• Ethnographic Observation

• Guerrilla Interviews (n=12)

• Survey (Google Forms/M Turk n=76)

• Stakeholder Interviews

Findings

Supplied the team with firsthand knowledge of the atmosphere of the farmers market, what brought guests to the market, if patrons were members of a subscription food delivery services (e.g., Butcher Box), or a member of Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA). Some strengths and weaknesses as well as highlights from the ethnographic observation and interviews were:

Strengths

Joe is charismatic, funny, and knowledgeable. You see him at the farmer’s market, you want to buy your meat from him. He raises quality cattle/pigs and has a strong brand – Sauve Terre, meaning “Save Land”.

Weakness

Joe has a poor online presence and neglects his website. He often lacks focus on his strengths as he gets distracted with his many awesome ideas such as…

Define and Synthesize

It was important to map out the current path for a Sauve Terre Farm customer. We first used affinity mapping to categorize the patterns, incentives, pain points, and opportunities. Out of this we developed empathy maps and a user journey to illustrate the experiences of all stakeholders and to better convey our findings. The journey map and business model canvas (see bellow) were used to demonstrate the bottlenecks of Farmer Joe’s current service model as well as insights that emerged out of our research.

Insights

Insights that emerged from of our research and synthesis

• Customers are concerned with storage, quantity, and waste (packaging and food waste) and this deters them from committing to a food subscription service.

• Customers are reluctant with the financial outlay of purchasing a bulk order of protein.

• Customers want options, autonomy and general control insofar as what their order consists of, but also

Business Objectives

• Currently - 20 heads of cattle - 20 hogs

• Objectives are increase product 60 heads of cattle and hire an employee

• The farm is scalable. Same amount of chores for 20 or 60 cattle

• In order to do this he needs to make $10k a month - currently at 4k to 5k a month

Design Principles

The following design principles emerged out of the research and mapping

• Buying a cow/pig share is confusing; the ordering process should be clear, concise, and explain exactly what the customer is getting.

• Customers are hesitant to purchase in bulk due to a perceived lack of space, so the solutions should reinforce that orders are manageable and storage is not actually an issue for most people.

• Customers are not just buying animal products but rather buying the notion of sustainability and supporting local business, therefore the web presence should tell Farmer Joe’s story and emphasize his mission-driven values and ethos.

• Customers have different wants and needs regarding their specific order, so the checkout process should allow for customization and tailoring of their order.

• Farmer Joe runs a small operation and struggles with organization, therefore the online shopping platform should be streamlined to allow him to automate orders, reduce customer “noise”,

• Customers want to be more connected to the farm and to their farmer, so the the delivery process should have a more personal touch

Solutions

Build, Test, Iterate

Rebrand the delivery package.

Farmer Joe is delivering more than quality meats. He is delivering an experience and connection something greater.

Restructure the online experience

Creating a more seamless online experience was essential. Including a shopping cart, FAQ, info, and clear communication channel.

Recategorize the bundles and create a true subscription service

Make what is included in the bundles clear for the customer. Additionally, it was essential to restructure the bundles to ease fears of storage space.

Results

Sauve Terre Farm has all the elements to make a successful business. High quality products and a passionate operator. Assisting Joe with organization was a top priority. Therefore, restructuring the delivery service, rebranding the packaging, and streamlining the online experience provided building blocks that will benefit Sauve Terre Farm and their customers.

Check out the prototype!