Assumption Testing
FarmLink – Team 7
Card 1 – Madi and Sunny
The assumption we are testing:
Customers will want to choose the Custom Box option so they can tailor their box to suit their preferences.
Prototype:
Learning Card:
Interview transcript:
Unknown
Okay, so what I see here is three different packages that I can choose from.
Unknown
And so we have the basic, and then standard, and then custom.
Unknown
So I’m gonna check out the basics first. So if I go to continue to check out, what
Unknown
the to sign in?
Unknown
Say that I signed in, or do I have to actually sign in? You had to actually sign in. I can just use my head created an account. Okay?
Unknown
What? The
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Okay, let’s sign up. Okay, actually, I’m gonna make
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when I’m On the camera for tell her now,
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complete my order, so adapter my delivery address
Unknown
And then delivery date
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today,
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but keeping in mind that I want a flexible delivery time, this is like not a good option for me, because it would not allow me to choose the delivery window. And given that it’s fresh produce, I want to actually receive it like door to door. Let me explore the other option, the standard box, and then, similarly, doesn’t give you a delivery window, so we’ll look at the custom box option.
Unknown
Okay, so I need to choose my own kind of like stuff that I want in the custom box, and it updates the total based on stuff that I choose. But also it does not have delivery slots,
Unknown
even though it says that it should.
Unknown
So it looks like these three options will not satisfy my need of like receiving, you know, having a specific window for yoga, like nine to two, nine to 10am where I’m at at home to receive the goods. So I think that it’s something that maybe could be worked on. Okay, great. Now, let’s consider this other
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interface.
Unknown
Okay.
Unknown
All right, so I’m signing here again. I
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Okay, just signed
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in.
Unknown
So here we still see the same thing. So three different options.
Unknown
Now I’m going to check them again, so looking at our basic box
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again, we have the delivery address and then deliver date, but now we can actually choose the delivery window, so
Unknown
like options of like every hour. So that’s something that I would need, because if I’m only going for like, certain times of the day, I want that fresh produce to be delivered in that window. So again, the price is the same. So this is a much better option compared to the previous interface.
What we learned (Learning Card):
We saw that our test user said that “ so I need to choose my own kind of like stuff that I want in the custom box”, meaning that the custom box option provides value to the user that the other two options do not. Users are treating the custom box as grocery shopping, and want dietary control over their produce box.
Card 2 – Vardhan and Teddy
The assumption we are testing: A 3 hour delivery window provides enough flexibility to users to enable them to integrate Farmlink into their weekly schedules.
Interview Transcript:
Unknown 1: Me – moderator
Unknown 2: Alex, coterm studying econ
Unknown 3: Maya, junior studying chem
Unknown 4: Jordan, junior (I don’t know what he studies)
Unknown 1: Thanks for doing this with me guys. We’re testing out a new grocery delivery service designed for organic produce straight from farms bu before we show you anything, I’d love to hear about your typical week. Alex you want to start?
Unknown 2: Yeah, sure. So I’m a coterm, and my schedule is kind of all over the place. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays I have classes from like 9am until about 2pm, with a break around noon. Tuesdays and Thursdays are lighter – just one class in the afternoon around 3pm. And then I work at the library Thursday and Friday nights, like 6 to 10pm.
Unknown 1: And how do you currently get groceries?
Unknown 2: Honestly? I don’t really do like, proper grocery shopping. I’ll like go to munger market between classes and just grab whatever. Or like, my roommate and I will split an Uber to Target maybe once every two weeks? But it’s expensive and takes forever. I end up eating out way too much because I just don’t have stuff at my apartment.
Unknown 1: Got it thanks appreciated. Maya, how about you?
Unknown 3: So my schedule is pretty packed. I have classes Monday through Thursday, usually from 10am to like 4 or 5pm, sometimes later if I have a lab. On Fridays I try to keep clear for studying, doing assignments, that kind of thing. But I’m also in two clubs that meet in the evenings – one on Monday nights, one on Wednesday nights.
Unknown 1: And groceries?
Unknown 3: I actually try to be pretty organized about it. I usually go to Trader Joe’s on Sunday afternoons because that’s when I have the most time. I’ll meal prep for the week. But honestly, even that’s hard because sometimes I have group projects or study sessions that pop up, and then I’m like scrambling. I’ve tried Instacart a few times but the fees add up.
Unknown 1: That makes sense. Jordan what about you?
Unknown 4: I only have classes Monday and Wednesday mornings, like 9 to noon. But I have an internship downtown Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday – I’m there from like 10am to 6pm. So those days I’m basically gone all day.
Unknown 1: How do you handle groceries with that schedule?
Unknown 4: It’s tough. I used to go on weekends, but honestly I’ve been trying to use grocery delivery more because I just don’t have time. Like, I’ll put in an order late at night and have it delivered the next day. But the problem is I’m never home during the day on Tuesday through Thursday because of my internship. So I have to schedule it for like evening delivery, and sometimes stuff gets delayed or they’re out of the time slots I need. It’s frustrating it is such a pain.
Unknown 1: Okay, this is all really helpful. So now I want to show you the service we’re testing. It’s basically like instacart but like just for organic groceries straight from farms. The one thing we’re testing today is the delivery window – we offer a 3-hour window for delivery. So you’d choose a window like 9am to noon, or noon to 3pm, or 3pm to 6pm, and your groceries would arrive sometime in that window. Let me pull up the interface here. So you can see, you’d select your items, and then when you check out, you choose your delivery date and your 3-hour window from the dropdown menu. Alex, what’s your initial reaction?
Unknown 2: Okay, so… 3 hours. That’s actually kind of a long time to wait around. Like, if I pick 9am to noon on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, I’d have to skip class or risk missing it. I guess I could do the noon to 3pm window on those days since my classes end around 2? But even then, sometimes I go grab food with friends or go to the gym right after class.
Unknown 1: Would you feel comfortable being away during the window?
Unknown 2: I mean, where would they leave it? If it’s at the munger door, I guess that could work, but I’d be definitely worried about someone taking it, especially if there’s like nice stuff in there. And if it’s produce or anything cold… I don’t know, three hours is a while for it to just sit there.
Unknown 1: That’s fair feedback. Maya?
Unknown 3: Hmm. Let me think about my schedule. So Tuesdays through Thursdays, I’m at class from 10 to like 4 or 5. So if I did a noon to 3pm window, I’d completely miss it. The 3 to 6 window could work on those days since I’d be home by like 5:30, but again, it might be sitting there for a bit. Mondays and Fridays I’m usually home, so I could do pretty much any window. But the thing is, I don’t know my schedule week to week super far in advance. Like, what if I have a group meeting that gets scheduled? Or I decide to study at the library? Three hours is kind of limiting because I feel like I’d have to plan my whole day around being available.
Unknown 1: So it sounds like the flexibility is an issue?
Unknown 3: Yeah. Like, if it was same-day delivery and I could pick a window that morning based on what my day actually looks like, that would be better. But if I have to schedule it in advance and commit to being around for three hours, that’s tough.
Unknown 1: Jordan, you mentioned you’re hardly home during weekdays so how would this work for you?
Unknown 4: Yeah, so Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays I’m literally gone from like 8:30am until 7pm. So none of the daytime windows work. I guess I could do an evening window if you offered one, like 6 to 9pm? But even then, on Wednesdays I sometimes have to stay late at my internship, so I wouldn’t know for sure if I’d be back by 6.
Let me think about Monday… Monday I’m only at class in the morning, so I could do the noon to 3pm or 3 to 6pm window. That could work.
Unknown 1: What about weekends?
Unknown 4: Weekends are actually the most flexible for me. I could pretty much do any window on Saturday or Sunday. But honestly, if I’m ordering groceries, I probably need them like mid-week, not the weekend. Like, I’m planning meals for the week ahead.
Unknown 1: So it sounds like the timing is tricky with your internship schedule.
Unknown 4: Yeah. And three hours is a long window. I think what would help is if I could get a notification like “we’re 30 minutes away” so I could head home if I needed to. Or if there was a secure place they could leave it. But just committing to being home or having groceries potentially sitting out for part of a 3-hour window… that’s not ideal.
Unknown 1: This is all really valuable. Let me ask you all this – if you could redesign this, what would make it work better for you? Alex?
Unknown 3: I think shorter windows would be better. Like, even a 90-minute window would feel more doable. Or if I could track the delivery in real-time and see where the driver is, that would help. Also, maybe options for secure delivery, like a lockbox or something? Because I really don’t want to miss class just to get groceries.
Unknown 3: Yeah, I agree. Shorter windows for sure. And I think same-day delivery would be huge. Like, if I could order in the morning and get it that afternoon, I could plan around my actual schedule that day instead of trying to predict what I’ll be doing three days from now.
Unknown 3: For me, it’s the evening thing. If there were evening windows, like 6 to 9pm or even 7 to 10pm, that would make a huge difference for people with internships or jobs. And definitely the real-time tracking. I’d be willing to pay a little extra for a 1-hour window honestly, because then I know I can plan around it.
Unknown 1: What if the 3-hour window stayed, but you could specify “leave at door” and we’d send you a photo confirmation when it’s delivered?
Unknown 2: That would help. I’d still worry about theft though. And temperature-sensitive stuff.
Unknown 3: Same. I think I’d only do that if it wasn’t a big order or if it was stuff that didn’t need to be refrigerated. Like, if I’m ordering meat or dairy, I’d want to be home.
Unknown 4: Yeah, the photo would help, but I’d still prefer a shorter window or evening options.
Unknown 1: Okay, last question. Given the 3-hour window as it is right now, would you use this service?
Unknown 2: Maybe occasionally, like on weekends or days when I know I’m home. But it wouldn’t be my main way of getting groceries.
Unknown 3: Probably on Mondays or Fridays when I’m home anyway. But I wouldn’t rely on it for my weekly shopping.
Unknown 4: I’d use it on Mondays or weekends. But honestly, with my schedule, I’d probably still end up going to the store on Sundays because that’s easier than trying to coordinate the delivery windows.
Unknown 1: Got it. Well, thank you all so much for your honest feedback. This has been super helpful. Appreciate it.
Participants: Emma (Junior, CS major, lives off-campus), Carlos (Senior, Product Design major, does side hustle selling meal prep), Priya Sharma (Coterm, MS&E, manages a student org budget)
Moderators: Peter Lee and Andrew Lee
Peter: Thanks for meeting with us, everyone. We’re testing this new tool for farm link basically an inventory tracker to help people manage their groceries and supplies. Before we jump into the prototype, can you tell me how you currently keep track of what you have at home? Emma, you wanna start
Emma: Um, honestly I don’t really track it. Like, I just know when I’m running low on stuff? I’ll open my fridge and be like “oh shit I’m out of eggs” and then I’ll add it to my Instacart. I don’t have like, a system or anything
Peter: Got it. Carlos?
Carlos: So I actually do meal prep boxes on the side. Like I sell them to other students, so I kinda need to track my ingredients. But I just use a Google Sheet. It’s janky but it works. I update it when I buy stuff in bulk from Costco.
Peter: How often do you update the sheet?
Carlos: Uh… maybe once a week? Sometimes I forget and then I’m like scrambling because I thought I had more chicken than I actually do. It’s annoying but I haven’t found anything better.
Peter: Makes sense. How about you Priya?
Priya: I manage the budget for an outside student org, so I track like, supplies and stuff we order. But that’s on Airtable because we need to share it with the whole team. For my personal groceries though? No, I just wing it. I’ll go to Trader Joe’s when I feel like my fridge is empty.
Andrew: Cool, okay. So we built this inventory tool that integrates with farm link. The idea is you set it up once, and then it tracks what you have, reminds you when you’re running low, stuff like that. Let me share my screen and walk you through the onboarding. Alright, so when you first open it, it asks you to do a quick setup. You’d enter what you currently have at home, like, categories are produce, dairy, proteins, pantry staples. You put in quantities and it’ll track everything from there. Let’s say Emma, you’re setting this up for the first time. What do you think?
Emma: Wait, so I have to like… manually type in everything I have right now?
Andrew: Yeah, just the first time. After that it tracks based on your farm link orders.
Emma: Dude, I have no idea what I have at home right now. Like, I’d have to go through my whole fridge and pantry and write it all down? That sounds like… a lot.
Peter: What if we made it optional? Like, you could skip the initial setup and just start tracking new orders?
Emma: I mean, maybe? But then wouldn’t it be inaccurate? Like, it wouldn’t know what I already have, so the reminders would be off.
Carlos: Yeah, I’m kinda with Emma on this. Like, I already have a Google Sheet that I barely keep up with. If I have to spend 20 minutes setting this thing up, I’m probably not gonna do it. Can’t it just pull from my order history automatically?
Andrew: That’s interesting. So you’d want it to retroactively pull from past orders and assume that’s what you have?
Carlos: Yeah, exactly. Like, if I ordered eggs two weeks ago, just assume I still have some unless I’ve ordered again. Don’t make me input it manually.
Priya: That makes sense. I think the setup is the main issue for me too. Like, if this thing could just work without me doing anything, I’d probably use it. But if I have to sit there and be like “okay I have three tomatoes, half a gallon of milk, whatever,” I’m out.
Peter: Got it. Let’s say you get past the setup. Andrew, can you show them what it looks like after it’s set up?
Andrew: Sure. So here’s the dashboard. You can see all your categories, and it shows what you have in stock. There’s a little indicator here, green means you’re good, yellow means running low, red means out. You can click into each category to see details.
Emma: Okay, so like… what if I use something but don’t order it through farm link? Like, I go to Safeway and grab milk because I need it that day. Does it know that?
Andrew: Uh, no, you’d have to manually update it. There’s a button here “update stock” and you’d subtract what you used or add what you bought elsewhere.
Emma: Yeah, see, I’m never gonna do that. Like, I’m not gonna remember to log every time I use a tomato or buy something at the store. That’s way too much effort.
Carlos: Same. If it’s not automatic, I’m not using it. I already forget to update my Google Sheet half the time, and that’s for my business. For personal groceries? No shot.
Priya: This feels like when people try to get me to track my spending with Mint or whatever. Like, in theory it’s helpful, but in practice I never keep up with it because it’s too much work.
Andrew: What if we added notifications? Like, “hey, you haven’t updated your inventory in a week, want to check in?”
Emma: I’d probably just ignore those honestly. I already ignore like 50 notifications a day.
Carlos: Yeah, notifications are just annoying. I think the core issue is that this requires me to actively manage it. Like, I don’t want another thing to manage, you know? I want something that just works in the background.
Peter: That’s fair. So it sounds like the manual entry is the dealbreaker. What if it worked more like… Amazon’s “buy it again” feature? Like, it just tracks your farm link orders and suggests when you might want to reorder based on patterns?
Priya: Okay, that I would actually use. Because I’m not doing anything, it’s just watching what I buy and reminding me when I might need more. That’s helpful without being annoying.
Emma: Yeah, that’s way better. Like, if it said “hey, you usually order eggs every two weeks and it’s been two weeks,” I’d be like “oh true, I do need eggs.” But don’t make me log when I used the eggs.
Carlos: Exactly. Just make it frictionless. If I have to think about it, I’m not gonna use it.
Peter: This is super helpful. One more question, would you pay for a feature like that? Like, an auto-tracking assistant that reminds you to reorder?
Emma: If it’s part of farm link, sure. But I wouldn’t pay extra for it. It should just be built-in, like how Instacart shows you past orders.
Carlos: Same. I’d use it if it was free, but I’m not paying for it.
Priya: Yeah, I think it’d have to be a default feature. Otherwise people just won’t adopt it.
