Food Oasis
Improved Food Oasis search results by making operating hours easier to understand for food seekers.
Overview
Food Oasis was created to connect Los Angeles residents with local food resources during a period of increasing food insecurity.
Challenge
Users struggled to understand pantry hours, leading to confusion about whether locations were currently open.
Original site issues
Default view can be misleading — missing hours
Open 11:30 am–8:00 pm’ looks like the hours apply every day, but they only apply to Monday.
Same hour display everyday
Users wanted to see more operating hours without needing to expand the schedule.
Solution First
For places that will close soon:
For places that will open :
For places that are open monthly (i.e. 1st Friday of the month)
Impacts
+34%
3.5 / 5
Here's How I got there
Interviews
User interviews with 11 potential food seekers, a mix of aged group that from 18- 70 years old that focus on schedule and the feeling of text display related to time.
Surveys
Key findings
After interviewing users and testing the app and website with five participants, I wondered:
How can we improve the date and time display so food seekers can understand their schedules at a glance?
What do food seekers need to know at a glance?
Feedbacks
After question, I created different mockups and post in FOLA-RESEARCH Slack team, here's what I got from
Why I chose the final Design
Food seekers can easily see when food pantries are open or closing today, along with the next available opening time through a simple countdown system. The card is designed with minimal, non-redundant text, making it easy to scan at a glance. This allows users to quickly understand whether a pantry is open today and view key hours directly on the card without needing to expand it.
What I learn
users need quick and clear information about whether food pantries are open today and when they will open or close next. Simple time display is more helpful than detailed or expandable information.
focusing on the most relevant user needs is important when designing. While collecting feedback, I received many opinions that were not related to time display, which made me realize the importance of filtering and prioritizing insights that directly support the design goal.
Different people come to food pantries for different reasons, such as needing food or socializing. For example, some seniors come not only for food but also to talk and connect with others, while students and other busy individuals often come quickly just to pick up what they need and leave due to their schedules.