U-M Food Accessibility
Understanding and improving food accessibility for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor students.
Role
UX Researcher
Team
Melissa Vozar
Timeline
August - December 2023
Tools
Otter.AI
Figma
Miro
This project explored food accessibility challenges for University of Michigan students. Through interviews, I identified key barriers students face in accessing food. I then conducted usability testing and a survey to refine unbiased question design and strengthen my testing procedure.
Overview
How might we expand food accessibility and mitigate food insecurity for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor students?
Problem
Primary Research (Conducted)
-5 user interviews
-Usability Testing: Of the existing mobile app Snackpass
Research Methods
Research Design (Course-Based Practice)
-Survey
To better understand students’ current experiences with accessing food, I conducted five interviews with University of Michigan students living in Ann Arbor. Participants varied by academic year and housing type to capture a range of experiences and perspectives. During the interviews, participants completed a collaging exercise to more deeply explore their thoughts, feelings, and attitudes toward food access.
Interviews
“If I were [to] struggle with this (finding resources regarding food accessibility as a student), like I don’t really know who I’d go to.”
“There’s not that many places for groceries, [and] for anything you have to go a little out of the area.”
“I would like to be able to just go to the dining hall, but a lot of the times it’s pretty packed.”
“My schedule kind of impacts my eating habits and like I’m not a big breakfast person.”
“I don’t have a car. So that has been a huge barrier for accessing food.”
After interviewing five participants, I created an affinity map to synthesize my findings. The qualitative data revealed that many students felt there was a lack of resources within Ann Arbor and from the university. They also experienced limitations or barriers when accessing food, which primarily occurred due to busy schedules.
Affinity Diagram
I conducted a usability test with two participants, asking them to complete tasks on the Snackpass mobile app. I selected Snackpass because it is commonly used by restaurants in Ann Arbor and by students at the University of Michigan to order food ahead of time.
This usability test was designed to help me become familiar with the usability testing research method and process.
Usability Testing
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How old are you?
What is your academic year?
How frequently do you use mobile applications for ordering food or snacks?
How would you rate your proficiency with mobile applications on a scale of 1–10 (1 being not proficient at all, 10 being an expert)?
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Task 1: You are a student who has seen advertisements for Snackpass. You are a new user who just downloaded the Snackpass app and must set up an account to begin engaging with the application.
Task 2: As a user in college, you are interested in saving money. Thus, your goal is to find a promotional code or discount on an order of your choosing.
Task 3: You would like to place an order at your favorite restaurant on Snackpass, located in Ann Arbor. Please search for the restaurant, navigate through the menu, select what you'd like to order, and then customize the order to your preferences.
Task 4: You have added the order to your cart, but you have changed your mind about a detail of your order. Your goal is to update this item in your cart so it is to your liking.
Task 5: You have just completed your order and want to track its status. Find and explore the order tracking feature.
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What did you think about using the Snackpass app?
Is there anything else you'd like to share with me about the Snackpass app?
I developed a 20-question survey designed to collect quantitative data. This survey was created as part of a course-based exercise to better understand the process of designing survey instruments that effectively address specific aspects of my research.
The survey includes a variety of question types, including Likert-scale items, multiple-choice questions, and yes/no responses. Using multiple formats allowed me to capture different types of quantitative information while improving clarity, response accuracy, and ease of analysis.
Survey
Visualizations
I developed an experience map to provide a visual representation of the insights and themes identified through interviews about a student’s journey in accessing food.
Experience Map
I developed a storyboard illustrating a common experience faced by many University of Michigan students.
Storyboard
Key Takeaways
Pushed my research thinking further. This project challenged me to dig deeper and think outside the box, whether in the questions I asked or the frameworks I chose to apply.
Grew more confident in people-facing research. Through this experience, I became far more comfortable navigating interviews and usability testing — moments that require reading people, not just following a script.
Expanded my research toolkit. From collaging exercises to think-aloud methods, I picked up new ways to generate ideas and uncover insights beyond the techniques I'd relied on before.
Gained a firsthand appreciation for research rigor. Seeing the thought and intention behind every stage of the process reinforced just how much care good UX research actually demands.
Keep Exploring My Work
