Designing For a Sustainable pickup Process
Situation
Kroger, the #1 Grocery Chain in the United States by revenue, aimed to implement a new reusable tote program as part of its Sustainability Initiative to go completely bagless by 2025. As a UX student project, our team was tasked with redesigning the current Kroger pickup process to support this new bagless initiative.
Team
3 UX Student Lead Designers, 4 Student UX Designers, 1 Project Sponsor
Timeline
One full semester, August to December 2022
Task
Our goal was to redesign the current Kroger pickup process for a wide range of Kroger customers to support the new bagless initiative. This involved ideating on physical products as well as modifying Kroger's existing app to include the new process.
My role
Team facilitation
UX research
Sketching
Design
Presentation
Tools used
We used Miro, Procreate, and Figma to organize, sketch, and design our ideas.
Action
We took a deep dive into Kroger's current pickup journey for both users and employees. We used this to develop a journey map and a set of "proto-personas" that reflect the vast array of users of this ecosystem. We also ideated briefly on how the physical product may function to keep our designs in context.
Journey Mapping
Created an in-depth journey map based on in-person observations and Kroger's service blueprint
Identified key insights about the complexity of the Kroger ecosystem and the need to consider both customers and associates
Persona Development
Created 6 personas representing different user segments
Based on user interviews and surveys
Continuously updated throughout the project
Physical Tote Ideation
Developed concepts for reusable "totes" to replace plastic bags
Focused on sustainable materials, durability, and ease of storage
Takeaway
Results
Kroger App Integration
Education
Why is Kroger doing this? Why is it important?
Designed consistent call-to-actions throughout the app
Created a visual walkthrough onboarding process
Provided opportunities for users to learn more about the initiative
Incentivization
What will Enable users to use this program?
Developed a reward system allowing users to select their desired reward option
Created visualizations of progress through interactive graphics
Designed features to show users their environmental impact
Penalization
How do we Ensure Kroger Doesn't lose money?
Project Outcome
The project resulted in a comprehensive redesign of Kroger's pickup process, including:
A concept for sustainable, reusable totes
An updated Kroger app design incorporating education, incentivization, and penalization features
A user-friendly onboarding process for the new bagless initiative
Learning Outcome
Gained experience in service design
Improved ability to communicate professionally
Enhanced skills in group facilitation
Developed storytelling techniques to demonstrate project work
Learned to work effectively with different teams within a large corporation
The project successfully addressed Kroger's need for a sustainable pickup process, aligning with their 2025 bagless initiative while considering the needs of various customer segments.