My Roles
Product design, Industrial Design, Design Strategy, User Testing, Illustrator
Context
Senior thesis project in collaboration with Unilever's in-house design team while I was working as a full-time design Co-Op focusing on accessible label design on-shelf worldwide. Showcasing summary of project work and thinking.
About
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Timeline
6 Months / 2023
Tools Used
Pathways aims to make the shopping experience effortless by acting as an in-aisle wayfinding assistant and accessible tool for those who might find it difficult to shop for everyday essentials in-store.
Pathways achieves this in the form of Pathways Guide, an app that can gps wayfind through aisles of its biggest store chain partners with Journeys, budget/give back with Rewards, and share shopping routes with Communities. Additionally, Pathways allows for a kiosk companion that can read labels aloud, translate, locate products, and detect colors for colorblind users in-store.
Index
Scroll to see a summary of Pathways' design journey
ABOUT
Problem
Audience: People who live with ADHD, OCD, Anxiety, Visual Impairments, those who find it overwhelming to shop in-store, and owners of brick and mortar store locations.
Need: A way to improve the in-store shopping experience.
Opportunity: How might we improve the in-store shopping experience to give back autonomy to those who find shopping difficult?
PHASE 1
Validating the Problem
Pathways first sparked as I noticed an overwhelming amount of exclusion found in label design on the majority of product labels on shelves. As I researched on, I found that most of the people excluded were those with color blindness and vision issues based on the Lightness-Contrast (Lc) and text size levels of crucial product information on 75% of labels. From there, I had an idea to improve the shopping experience for just those with vision impairments by creating a device whose specific function was to color read, translate, and zoom into product labels.
However, Pathways would grow to a much
larger scale after researching my scope further.
Statistics Found
41.1M
people in the U.S. live with disabilities and have
$500B
spending power, yet
73%
experience barriers on more than a quarter of stores they visited, sending most away.
- American Institutes for Research, Purple Pound Study, 2021
54% of 18-24-year-olds prefer to online shop.
M-Cube Study, 2022
Direct Link Study, 2022
50% of 18-24-year-olds reported having anxiety when shopping in-store as opposed to online. Most claiming to have either ADHD, Anxiety, OCD, a disability, a visual difficulty, or a language issue.
YouGov & Monzo Study, 2022
60% of individuals with ADHD and Anxiety Disorders spend impulsively because they are overwhelmed by choice and their environment. This is called CBB disorder and it affects 6% of the U.S.
“To get Gen Z back into physical stores, retailers need to make it more of an experience, the products alone are no longer enough to sway customers. Younger generations are known for being digital natives, who enjoy the speed and convenience that ecommerce offers. That’s why it’s crucial brands bring the advantages of the online world into the physical stores, and create a social space that Gen Z is excited about.”
- Alexios Blanos, UK Business Director of M-Cube, a global leader in In-Store Digital Engagement solutions
"To remain viable in this (in-store) environment. Retailers must constantly improve their store economics by simplifying, eliminating, or automating routine activities."
-McKinsey & Company, "Future of retail operations: Winning in a digital era", 2020
Survey Results Among Adults Ages 18-30
105
"How does the in-store shopping experience make you feel?"
Issues arose initially through targeted polls, online shopping data, and widely circulated blog posts highlighting a disconnect between Gen-Z and the differently-abled community. Personal surveys and field interactions supported this observation.
According to statistics, a growing number of Gen-Z individuals and those with disabilities are shifting from in-store to online shopping due to the nature of the environment.
Many cited feelings of over-stimulation, overwhelm, and anxiety as reasons for this transition. Notably, statistics focusing on neurodivergent or disabled individuals show a significant disapproval of the in-store shopping experience. The COVID-19 pandemic also seemed to influence the hesitance to shop in-store based on statistics before and after the 2020 year, however, statistics pre-dating the pandemic show high disapproval for those that struggle.
Real Voices:
Gabriel Drolet, diagnosed with ADHD:
"Grocery shopping is inaccessible to neurodivergent people... I grow weary and overstimulated, wanting to go home every time."
Katie Cashin, wheelchair user:
"Shopping is riddled with accessibility pitfalls which causes anxiety to peoples with disabilities."
Luke Jones, diagnosed with ADHD:
"I spend so much more than I need whenever I go to pick up one thing. It's a maze of choice for me."
I began investigating the demographics advocating for change. It became evident that a substantial portion of Gen-Z expressed reservations about in-store shopping.
Equally concerning were the experiences of individuals with physical disabilities, anxiety disorders, ADHD, OCD, visual impairments, and language barriers, all of whom found the traditional shopping experience to be both cumbersome and anxiety-inducing.
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In conversations with those managing ADHD and anxiety, I unfortunately heard firsthand experiences. Most described the feeling as overwhelming, some found it physically taxing. One person with ADHD and anxiety expressed feeling "small and alone in a vast expanse of choice," describing it as occasionally "unbearable." These insights prompted me to focus on designing a supportive system, aiming to be a guide for these individuals during their shopping journeys, ensuring they aren't alone and simplifying the process to make it more attainable.
PHASE 2
Market Analysis
What is being done about the problem?
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Amazon Fresh's "just walk out" technology, grab items and go.
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Kroger's KroGO self-checkout carts
I found various attempts to address the in-store hesitance: Amazon Fresh's "just walk out" technology, Kroger's "KROGO" self-checkout carts, M-Cube's take on in-store redesigns, Instacart's in-store solutions, and more—most innovations related to the response of consumer hesitance to shop after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The following was clear: most did not actively alleviate the "overwhelm" problems in-store of those who have physical disabilities, anxiety disorders, ADHD, OCD, visual impairments, and language barriers, beyond mobile order pickup and drive-up options (both not in-store).
This signaled the opportunity Pathways took in the market:
To give back autonomy to those who find shopping difficult, whether it be to help those with visual impairments read product labels, those with ADHD navigate aisles responsively, or those with anxiety find all items they need to get through the week.
PHASE 3
Concept Ideation.
Goal: Design a system that will limit the overwhelm of choice.
Design Criteria:
Easy access in store
Helping hand to those living with disabilities
Able to connect with online capabilities
Stress-free to use
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Wayfinding & Social App
Needs to be more involved physically in-store
!
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In-Aisle
Search tool & Product Database
Disrupts valuable
product real estate
!
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Start of Store
Information and link to app
Need to be more present
as a helping force.
!
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Built-in wayfinding display &
phone stand for cart
Too much maintenance required
!
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Start of Store
Information kiosk and wayfindng + community app
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After ideating and testing 20+ ideas to meet the goal and design criteria, I settled to develop both a wayfinding app and a help kiosk.
How the final concept meets design criteria:
Easy access in store
Kiosk would be at the beginning of store, along with the wayfinding app easily on a pesonal phone.
Helping hand to those living with disabilities
The kiosk and app would include color-recognizing technology for those who are color-blind, translation engines for those who have a language barrier, and item-finding "wayfinding" technology.
Able to connect with online capabilities
The app would be able to connect the customer with an online directory of products as well as a community of people to share recipes through "wayfinding journeys".
Stress-free to use
The app and kiosk need to be straightforward to use in its design and function.
PHASE 4
Development
Goal: Fully develop a wayfinding app in Figma, and conceptualize ADA certified kiosk companion.
App Development
For the app, I had the goal to design an in-store wayfinding tool; a tool to help those with colorblindness, language barriers, and visual difficulty; and a place for a community to share recipes and recommend product journeys. Testing with users and following ADA and WCAG web accessibility guidelines, the app transformed into one that was meant to be seen by people who had visual difficulty.
The community page was simplified, the search was divided into easy steps, and the visual language of the homepage and profile were specifically tailored to peak legibility. Additionally, a rewards and budget system was added at the recommendation of my users when testing.
Scroll to see Pathway's app components simulating different modes of color blindness
Kiosk Development
For the kiosk, my initial idea had a large screen and seating around it to create a stress-free communal safe space. However, maintaining current feasibility, I determined a sole kiosk would be best based on plausibility and ease of installation. All in all, I decided I needed the kiosk to be easily purchased by store owners and and placed in designated areas. When designing the sole kiosk, I adapted to ADA guidelines adjusting the height, width, and reach for people who use wheelchairs.
PHASE 5
Brand Identity
Aiming for a polished and easy-to-read style, I chose to lead away from screaming colors and instead choose relaxed yet attention-seeking shades of purple and orange.
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PHASE 6
The Story of Pathways
Based off of a true shopping journey,
A woman who suffers from anxiety walks into her local grocery store.
She holds her shopping list, feeling prepared to pick up the items.
Until the aisles grow huge and her list grows long. She is overwhelmed and does not know where to start.
However, with pathways, she knows exactly where to go.
Final Product
Here is a full summary of
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Community connects all who have Pathways Guide to share their shopping journeys and recipes for other users to wayfind through in-store. The user has a username and profile, along with the ability to gain followers and to share videos.
When a user posts a journey to Community, the user receives an amount of points that goes towards special money-saving coupons. Under Rewards is OnTrack, which helps the user budget and save according to a set budget amount the user sets.
On Pathways Guide and Kiosk, Journeys navigates the user throughout the store based on on-shelf data provided by existing data maps, Community members & store representatives.
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Toolkit
Pathways Toolkit includes color recognizing, translating, zoom, and read-aloud functionality for those who struggle to identify all aspects of a product. Pathways Toolkit also provides users with an information database on the disabilities Pathways aims to help.
Pathways transformed into not just one product, but a system capable of eradicating the over-stimulation of the in-store environment.
The Pathways App, renamed to Pathways Guide ended with three main components: Journeys (in-aisle navigation and way-finding), Community (share and compare), and Rewards (discounts and bonuses). The system also ended with features including budgeting tools with Ontrack and product-reading tools with ToolKit.
The Kiosk ended up being a subscription-based service to all grocery chains utilizing Pathways to help gain traction in their stores, allowing the service to be free to the public. The kiosk also utilizes all of the accessible technology included in the app.
However, Let's first jump into Pathways Guide..
The backbone of Pathways Guide is Journeys. Journeys guides the user aisle by aisle and item by item throughout the store space based on on-shelf data provided by existing data maps, Community members & and store representatives.
To manually add a journey, simply search for your store location, and add items from your store’s product database, and Pathways will navigate you through the established product points, recommending new products and showing you other users who are in the store at the same time along the way.
Pathways Community provides a platform for users to share their shopping journeys with other Pathways users. The user would be able to create a profile and post their items individually found and located in a specified store for other users to add to their carts, In addition, other users can share, like, or comment on the posts.
You can earn points to save on purchases through Pathways Rewards. When another Pathways user adds Journey items to their cart from your post on Community, you can earn fuel points and coupons towards your next purchase.
OnTrack
Under the umbrella of Rewards is OnTrack. Based on testing feedback from individuals who had ADHD and those who needed to keep track of their spending, they exclaimed that they needed a budget system to keep them on track to save money.
Simply set your goal in settings and Pathways will remember to notify you and filter products by price to help you stay within your target goal.
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Toolkit
The kiosk utilizes all of the app's features, but it is designed specifically for accessibility functions within Pathways' Toolkit. Toolkit allows the user to translate, zoom in, or use colorblind filtering technology to help the user read important information on labels with a front facing smart camera. In addition to these functions, the kiosk would be able to read aloud all text and functions the app also has to find products in-store. The kiosk would also be placed at the start of every store that subscribes to Pathways while utilizing an ADA-compliant form factor.
Finally, when the user approaches, the app and kiosk can interact via Bluetooth to sign into their Pathways account and use all of the app's features. In future applications of the kiosk, pickup orders will be available at the kiosk when the user orders on the app, eliminating the need to journey through aisles altogether.
The Future
Pathways' Kiosk will become the store itself, acting as a dropoff point for users to pick up their groceries, allowing users to skip aisles altogether while maintaining independence. Furthermore, presently the system of Pathways reiterates that...
the future of the inclusive shopping experience does not have aisles of products at its center, it has us.
The system of Pathways is paving the way to an all-inclusive future in the most pivotal place of our health and living. The future benefits of Pathways aim to bring consumers back in-store, increase the revenue of small product businesses, decrease the amount of overspending, and even, decrease rates of obesity. And that is on top of its promise to eradicate overwhelm.
Amazing what we can do when we place the needs of humans over products on-shelf.
Reflection
In the beginning, this project started with a focus on addressing the exclusion I noticed in label design during my time at Unilever. However, it evolved as I grappled with the growing challenges in the in-store environment for individuals with disabilities. Inspired by the hundreds of personal testimonies I received, my passion deepened for enhancing the in-store shopping experience, especially for those who faced difficulties in independently navigating and obtaining essential items.
Upon careful investigation, I realized that many of the documented problems were rooted in how in-store environments tended to prioritize the products on the shelf over the person shopping. Recognizing that the widespread feelings of overwhelm and lack of transparency stemmed from design choices, I saw an opportunity to make improvements for the benefit of all shoppers. This realization prompted me to develop a solution that would shine a spotlight on the person behind the purchase and guide people in the right direction. Despite the challenges of juggling a full-time job and 18 credit hours in my last semester of college, Pathways came to fruition after six months of dedicated work.
Let's Make Something Together.
Whether its to say hi or to set up a meeting, let's connect!