MASTER PROJECT
RADICLES
Predicted to negatively impact agriculture around the world, greenhouse gas emissions largely contribute to climate change. The major challenge for the 21st century will be to produce enough healthy and quality food for a growing world population, whilst reducing individual carbon footprint.
Role:
Market and Competition Analysis, User Profiles, Brand Identity, Wireframing, UI Design
Tools:
InVision Studio, Adobe Illustrator
Problem
Government and economic actors remain deaf to the innumerable warning messages and too little actions were taken. Suspicions are growing over brands because of their greenwashing. Consumers are demanding more transparency and a real change on our consumptions.
Solution
Radicles brings back our connection to nature through our plates. In the shape of a website, Radicles is here to connect, inform, and spur actions (#beradicles). It aims to renew contacts and to cultivate the link between workers in the fields, cities and citizens. Radicles aspires to grow a social movement.
Result
The prototype was well-received by my limited test group. The main feedback was that this would be very popular amongst people looking to eat healthy and locally, if Radicles teams up with the right partners. I believe Radicles will be able to meet user hungry for knowledge and transparency in their food origins.
Project Development
Challenge
To take a complex problem and narrow it down to a simple solution.
Research
The approach is to find the opportunity space to build up a brand and a product. It involves the research of:
■ Differentiating from competitors
■ Credible for your brand
■ Relevant for the target groups
1. Market
The food industry is very complex, so the first step is to map it out. Focusing specifically on the British market, there are several actors influencing, directly and indirectly, the food supply chain and the end consumers. It can be divided into two main categories: the Food Business Systems and the Food Influential Groups.
Mapping out the market is a great way to look out for Friends (partners), Enemies (competitors) and Frenemies (enemies but potential partners).
There are three direct and three indirect competitors competing for similar customers and grants. The three indirect competitors should not be considered as enemies but as potential partners that bring added value. The three direct competitors are analysed into the competition analysis.
2. Competitors
These competitors are competing for similar customers and grants. They all have similar value propositions, promoting British food and its producers. They are all membership-based, I am not in favour of this format if the goal is to advocates citizen engagement to change the industry.
3. Brand
Mission
To connects and cultivates the link between workers in the fields, cities and consumers to collectively develop responsible solutions together and catalyse actions for a better British food system.
Vision
To empower and mobilise collectives for a future where the agricultural economy and environmental sustainability go hand in hand (environment centered design).
Brand Promise
Cultivate the link.
4. Users
78% of British shoppers agree that it is important to support British farmers while only 4% disagree, source.
Through desk research, individual interviews (producers and farm shops), and a survey, I went to empathize to create products that are truly relevant to both segments, workers in the fields, cities, and consumers. Instead of creating fictional characters, I decided to understand and focus on their needs, desires and fears to ensure the product to fit their needs.
The value proposition map guided me to think of website architecture whilst keeping the users' needs in mind.
Website Architecture
Features
■ Newsfeed with daily articles about the industry, trends, change-makers etc.
■ Local farm/ shop map finder
■ Food label to create a network of change-makers
■ Group finders to find likeminded people
■ Knowledge hub with resources
■ Design toolkit for citizens to create local social media groups to create a network
User Flow & Wireframe
I originally drew it on a piece of paper but I decided, later on, to digitalise it for better readability. The first version of the product simple and to the point because it is easy to overload it with information. The website has to connect, inform and spurs actions.
More features can be added as the product mature (see Website Architecture).
UI Design
Aesthetic Inspiration → Mood Board
Good visual organisation improves usability and legibility, allowing users to quickly find the information. This the UI is kept a minimalistic design so the focus is put on the content rather than on its visual aspect.
Reminder, the service is must go to the point to inform, engage, and amplify actions.
Tone of Voice
The tone is honest, casual, savvy and jargon-free to invite everyone to learn, discover and create more transparency in what we put in our plates.
Name/ Logo
Radicle [ rad-i-kuhl ]. Botany. The part of a plant embryo that develops into the primary root.
Colour Palette
I decided to use the 60-30-10 rule and to keep a modern and simplistic look and feel, I limited the palette in term of colours to create a contrast with the indirect competitor.
The dominant hue is Mint achieved by blending blue and green. By looking at the colour theory for blue and green, mint stands for freshness, growth, ambition intelligence, trust, and authority.
The secondary hue is Orange Coquelicot mainly used for information highlights and CTA. It is the complementary colour of the dominant hue. It is a colour that stirs thirst for action, desire and longing.
Icons/ Illustration
Product Presentation
Project created in 2019.
