Fresh Grove
UX Research
Inclusive Design
AgriTech
Fresh Grove is a UX project focused on creating a simple, human-centered digital platform that helps small-scale farmers in India sell directly to local consumers. Grounded in deep contextual research, the project identifies core barriers—middlemen dependency, low digital literacy, pricing anxiety, and lack of trust—and translates them into meaningful design interventions like voice-first navigation, multilingual support, localised dashboards, and storytelling-driven farm profiles.
Story
Small-scale farmers in India face systemic challenges in accessing fair markets. Despite digital transformation in other sectors, most rural farmers still rely on middlemen due to barriers like language, usability, and lack of visibility. This project, conducted as part of the Design Thinking Theory and Practice module at Kingston University, explores how technology can be reimagined with empathy, simplicity, and community embedded in its core.
Problem
How might we design a digital platform that gives small farmers control over their identity, pricing, and customer relationships—without overwhelming them with technology?
Story
Research & Insights
🔹 Digital Exclusion: Many farmers have smartphones but don’t engage with complex apps due to literacy, fear, or language barriers.
🔹 Trust is Local: Buyers often prefer vendors they know. Familiarity breeds loyalty—apps need to preserve this.
🔹 Middlemen Control Pricing: Farmers feel powerless in price negotiation and want visibility + autonomy.
🔹 Stories Build Trust: A farmer’s background, farm methods, and crop journey can foster consumer confidence.
🔹 One Tap = Ideal: Farmers prefer fewer steps, less reading, and more visual/voice-based prompts.
🔹 Modular Use: Different farmers need different feature depths based on experience, crops, or scale.
Story
Design Process
Empathize: Conducted contextual interviews, developed personas (Gopal, Rahul, Anjali)
Define: Identified opportunity areas using insights and pain points
Ideate: Sketched and co-created solution directions with low-fi paper flows
Prototype: Created mid-fi wireframes and interface screens focused on localisation and simplicity
Test: Conducted usability testing with key flows like storytelling, order dashboard, and navigation
This structured yet flexible approach helped us stay anchored to real human needs while iterating meaningfully.
Story
Key Solutions & Features
✅ Voice-First Access — Interface supports Kannada/Tamil with speech-based actions
✅ Farm Profiles — A mix of bio, photos, and story cards builds digital trust
✅ Radar-Based Discovery — Customers find nearby farmers within a custom radius
✅ Delivery Flexibility — Farmer can self-deliver, allow pickup, or assign to third-party
✅ Multilingual UI — All core screens accessible in local languages
✅ Action-Centric Dashboard — Quick prompts for “Harvest Now”, “Check Orders”, “Today’s Sales”
✅ Verified Badges & Ratings — Establish buyer confidence with transparency
✅ Lightweight Design System — Built for low bandwidth, offline caching, and rural connectivity
Story
Impact & Reflections
This project was a reminder that good design isn’t about sophistication—it’s about relevance. Fresh Grove challenged the assumption that “digital = progress” and asked instead: What if digital could feel like home? It taught me to listen better, localise deeply, and design with presence—not just persona.
Fresh Grove
UX Research
Inclusive Design
AgriTech
Fresh Grove is a UX project focused on creating a simple, human-centered digital platform that helps small-scale farmers in India sell directly to local consumers. Grounded in deep contextual research, the project identifies core barriers—middlemen dependency, low digital literacy, pricing anxiety, and lack of trust—and translates them into meaningful design interventions like voice-first navigation, multilingual support, localised dashboards, and storytelling-driven farm profiles.
Year
2025
Services
Field Research & Contextual Inquiry Affinity Mapping Persona Development Usability Testing Voice-First & Localisation Strategy Information Architecture Design Systems
Story
Small-scale farmers in India face systemic challenges in accessing fair markets. Despite digital transformation in other sectors, most rural farmers still rely on middlemen due to barriers like language, usability, and lack of visibility. This project, conducted as part of the Design Thinking Theory and Practice module at Kingston University, explores how technology can be reimagined with empathy, simplicity, and community embedded in its core.
Problem
How might we design a digital platform that gives small farmers control over their identity, pricing, and customer relationships—without overwhelming them with technology?
Story
Research & Insights
🔹 Digital Exclusion: Many farmers have smartphones but don’t engage with complex apps due to literacy, fear, or language barriers.
🔹 Trust is Local: Buyers often prefer vendors they know. Familiarity breeds loyalty—apps need to preserve this.
🔹 Middlemen Control Pricing: Farmers feel powerless in price negotiation and want visibility + autonomy.
🔹 Stories Build Trust: A farmer’s background, farm methods, and crop journey can foster consumer confidence.
🔹 One Tap = Ideal: Farmers prefer fewer steps, less reading, and more visual/voice-based prompts.
🔹 Modular Use: Different farmers need different feature depths based on experience, crops, or scale.
Story
Design Process
Empathize: Conducted contextual interviews, developed personas (Gopal, Rahul, Anjali)
Define: Identified opportunity areas using insights and pain points
Ideate: Sketched and co-created solution directions with low-fi paper flows
Prototype: Created mid-fi wireframes and interface screens focused on localisation and simplicity
Test: Conducted usability testing with key flows like storytelling, order dashboard, and navigation
This structured yet flexible approach helped us stay anchored to real human needs while iterating meaningfully.
Story
Key Solutions & Features
✅ Voice-First Access — Interface supports Kannada/Tamil with speech-based actions
✅ Farm Profiles — A mix of bio, photos, and story cards builds digital trust
✅ Radar-Based Discovery — Customers find nearby farmers within a custom radius
✅ Delivery Flexibility — Farmer can self-deliver, allow pickup, or assign to third-party
✅ Multilingual UI — All core screens accessible in local languages
✅ Action-Centric Dashboard — Quick prompts for “Harvest Now”, “Check Orders”, “Today’s Sales”
✅ Verified Badges & Ratings — Establish buyer confidence with transparency
✅ Lightweight Design System — Built for low bandwidth, offline caching, and rural connectivity
Story
Impact & Reflections
This project was a reminder that good design isn’t about sophistication—it’s about relevance. Fresh Grove challenged the assumption that “digital = progress” and asked instead: What if digital could feel like home? It taught me to listen better, localise deeply, and design with presence—not just persona.
