Bello Box
Social Innovation
Design
OVERVIEW
Design thinking is a transformative vehicle for social innovation. As part of a grad school project, we were tasked with designing a sustainable digital solution that solved a challenge in our local community. In Colorado, nearly 1.3 million residents lack convenient access to healthy and affordable food. Working in teams, we designed Bello Box, a community-oriented meal kit delivery service that brings healthy meals and nutrition education to Colorado families.
DISCOVER
Direct Observation
Our team visited local groceries stores, convenience stores, and small businesses in Colorado food desert communities. We observed what type of food residents were buying and what options they had available. In addition, we participated in a tour of The GrowHaus, a nonprofit indoor farm, marketplace, and educational center in Elyria-Swansea.
SHOTS FROM THE FIELD
Ethnographic Research
In order to understand resident pain points, each team member traveled to a local food desert community and tried to shop for healthy food. We made a grocery list for a meal featured on the USDA MyPlate website and then tried to shop for the ingredients. With the abundance of small convenient stores and fast food chains, most of us were unable to find the necessary ingredients to prepare the meal.
SHOPPING LIST
User Interviews
Our team conducted formal and informal interviews with local food desert residents, community leaders, businesses, and non-profit organizations to understand the multifaceted challenges associated with food access in Colorado. Based on our research, we created user personas and user journeys to pin-point the challenges residents face while living in food desert communities.
USER PERSONAS
USER JOURNEYS (BRAINSTORMING)
RESEARCH INSIGHTS
DEFINE
Overall Strategy
Our team created Bello Box, a healthy meal kit delivery service that alleviates the time burden and transportation challenges associated with living in a food desert. Our community-oriented approach combines resources and stakeholders from the government, local businesses, non-profits, and community residents. By partnering with local grocery stores, we are able to reduce cost barriers associated with normal meal delivery services. Meal kits start off at just $5 and meet a wide variety of dietary restrictions. Users can filter meals by price, diet, time, and child-friendly options. They can either pick it up or have it delivered by a community member for $5. By teaming with local nonprofits, such as Denver Food Rescue, qualified residents can have their meals delivered for free.
OVERALL STRATEGY & STAKEHOLDERS
USER JOURNEY (STRATEGY)
DESIGN
Our team designed screens to demonstrate the checkout process on Bello Box. As UI Lead, I was responsible for defining and ensuring design consistency.
SKETCHES
WIREFRAMES
FINAL DESIGNS
REFINE & DELIVER
The final deliverable was a functional prototype and formal pitch; both of which were well-received. We took key insights from this project to launch Noble Roots Kitchen, a healthy snack service making a local impact.
