My Role
As the sole UX Researcher, I spearheaded the entire research process, from meticulously planning the studies and user recruitment to engaging in continuous and productive discussions with stakeholders and project managers to gather essential business and product requirements. Additionally, I collaborated closely with the UX Designer during brainstorming sessions and the development of task flows to ensure a seamless user experience.
MandiOne
Embracing Digital Transformation: Empowering India's Farmers, Aggregators, Traders, and Vendors with an Online Marketplace.
Despite the widespread digitalization in our lives, a significant portion of India's population, including 58% who are farmers, continue to operate offline. Alongside them, aggregators, traders, and various vendors conduct their businesses in traditional mandis.
Our project aims to seize the potential of online platforms to bring about a transformative change. By creating an inclusive online marketplace, we envision connecting millions of people, enabling seamless buying and selling experiences at their convenience, breaking the barriers of time and location.
Method Used
As a mixed method researcher, the selection of research methods for this project was tailored to address specific research questions, achieve set goals, and navigate the constraints of time and budget. The fusion of qualitative and quantitative approaches allowed for a comprehensive and in-depth investigation, offering valuable insights into the research topic
Phase 1 (Discovery Phase)
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Desk Research
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Competitor Analysis
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Ethnography Study
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User interview
Phase 2 ( Discovery Phase )
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Diary Study
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Focus Group Discussion
Phase 3 (Validation Phase)
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Moderate Usability Testing
Phase 1
In todays digital age, many of us has transitioned our lives into online space. However, there still exist people and businesses that operate offline. For instance, in India 58% of the population comprises farmer who work in physical market along aggregator, trader and vendors.
To bridge this gap and facilitate easier buying and selling, online marketplace can play a significant role. By connecting millions of people, these platform can offer greater accessibility and flexibility for individuals to transact whenever and wherever they want.
Desk Research
Process
Insights
To gain a better understanding of Mandis and the APMC act, as well as how they function in states that do not fall under the APMC act, I read case studies and collected data. Additionally, I researched how large companies like ITC and Reliance interact with farmers, aggregators, ma di and agents.
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Lack of transparency in trading process. The delay in payment to farmers and low quality of Mandi Infrastructure.
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ITC was India's leading multi-business enterprises with a market capitalisation of INR 3,69,259 crore and turnover of INR 49,862 in 2019
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E-choupal has been one of the best ITC application platform that has been scaled replicated and sustained. This is due to the fact that it was specifically designed for specific business.
Competitor Analysis
After looking at multiple applications and analysing I figured we do not have a direct competitor.
Listing different features from the comp. apps and their IA, UX Copy and flow
Ethnography Study
2
Recruitment
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Farmers working in Different states, Aggregators and Mandi agents.
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Got Connected through the business team of the company
“We have used apps before, people come download in our phone and tell us how to use. But buyers or sellers don’t respond on time.”
Broker from Mandi
Notes
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Every user in this industry work on basis of trust. Developing a trust through an digital product is a call to action we need to take.
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In other platform the user faced issue with customer support or getting the response from buyer / seller which leads to frustration.
Ethnography & Focus Group
Discussion
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Through the ethnographic research approach, I fostered a deep sense of empathy for the users, primarily farmers and mandi agents, by immersing myself in their world and understanding their experiences firsthand. By spending time with the farmers while they performed their daily tasks and engaged in negotiations with aggregators, I gained invaluable insights into their challenges and perspectives.
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To comprehend the dynamics of the mandi ecosystem, I engaged in group discussions with mandi agents, allowing me to grasp their cultural context, backgrounds, and experiences in the business. I took the time to listen to their thoughts, emotions, and pain points, comprehending the intricacies of their roles and how they fit within the larger agricultural supply chain.
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Immersing myself in the environment, I closely observed the functioning of the mandi, paying attention to the early morning rituals of the farmers as they initiated their work. It was fascinating to note the different timeframes during which goods were sold, each with its unique significance and reasons. Additionally, I keenly observed the negotiation processes that occurred within the mandi, understanding the nuances and factors influencing the outcomes.
Thematic Analysis
I conducted a thematic analysis on the qualitative data collected during interviews and focus group discussions to uncover patterns, themes, and meaningful insights. This rigorous analysis allowed me to identify recurring themes within the data, enabling a deeper understanding of the participants' perspectives and experiences. By systematically exploring the data, I could distill essential meanings and connections, providing valuable context for interpreting and addressing the research questions effectively.
Key Insights
These findings helped in understanding their behaviour towards the market and how the communication takes place.
There are different users in the market and their roles interchange as per their requirements.
For example : In a company they buy from “vendor” a vendor could be an aggregator, farmer And at same time they are selling to aggregators, In Mandi
Currently all communication happen through call and whatsapp.
All the new offers or changed rates are sent out through whatsapp. They use multiple groups where they confirm the orders and discuss logistics.
Take Away from the Study
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As a user has interchanging role the future scope of the product has to be on a single platform where a user can buy and sell at same time.
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The new offers, deals, current prices are shared over WhatsApp which gives an understanding how well versed they are communication through conversational platform.
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Language could be an issue as every region has their own slang. For example In MP and eastern UP to close any deal they use the word "Sauda"
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There are early adopters in the market. But the major challenge is to keep them hooked to the platform, as their current deal gets closed within 5-10 mins.
Phase 2
Phase 2 of the research involves an in-depth investigation of our existing product, further expanding the study by conducting a diary study. During this diary study, we sought to gain a comprehensive understanding of our target market, which comprises traders operating within the mandi (wholesale market) setting. To accomplish this, we closely collaborated with our internal sales team, as they possess invaluable insights into the interactions and behaviors of these traders.
The diary study spanned across 5 days, during which we actively engaged with the sales team to glean real-time data and experiences from their interactions with traders. Through this research endeavor, we aimed to obtain a comprehensive picture of how traders begin their business activities within the mandi.
Diary Study
Process
1. Script to talk to Participants
2. Prepare Spreadsheet
3. Talk to Participants
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Participants were sales key manager and executives
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Out of 11 only 8 responded for the study.
4.. Follow up Discussions
Example of two participants
Key Insights
Traders give less price compared to mandi and negotiate more than Mandis:
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Elaboration: The study found that when participants engaged with traders instead of using the traditional mandi system, they received lower initial price offers for their produce. Traders were more likely to negotiate extensively, attempting to secure the produce at the lowest possible price. This behavior could be attributed to various factors, such as their desire to maximize profits and their perception of participants as individual sellers who might be more flexible than larger mandis.
Participant faced difficulty in convincing the traders, depending on the requirement it could be the source or destination:
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Elaboration: Participants encountered challenges while trying to persuade traders during the negotiation process. The level of difficulty seemed to vary depending on whether the produce was intended for local consumption (source) or for distant markets (destination). Traders might have different preferences or requirements based on their own market conditions, transportation logistics, and customer demand, making negotiations more complex.
Source traders are hesitant to tell their produce source:
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Elaboration: The study revealed that some traders were reluctant to disclose the origin or source of the produce they were offering. This lack of transparency made it difficult for participants to assess the quality, freshness, and authenticity of the products. The hesitation of source traders to reveal information could be attributed to market competition, trade secrets, or concerns about revealing their supply chain.
At times trader expects the best quality at a lower price, which takes a lot of time for the business team to convince:
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Elaboration: The diary study found that traders sometimes demanded high-quality produce at a price significantly lower than participants' expectations. This misalignment in expectations often led to prolonged negotiations between participants and traders, consuming valuable time and resources. The business team faced the challenge of convincing traders about the fair value of the produce, considering factors such as quality, market demand, and prevailing prices.
Note - These insights helped to understand how can we make our digital platform better.
Phase 3
Validation Phase
In the validation phase of the research, usability testing was conducted to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, and overall user satisfaction with the implemented design. The primary objective of usability testing was to ensure that the developed solution met the intended goals and provided a positive user experience.
Persona based on UT
Key Insights
While going through the application participant were having confusion points, recommendation points and gave up points in different screens. These are the topics which need improvement by accumulating all the points.
Quality and Price
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From the onboarding participants are looking for what is the value they are getting from the application.
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The participants were not able to evaluate the Quality of produce efficiently
Payment and Conditions
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Participants were having challenges in understanding the payment conditions through the application. They want to know where the money was going, which mode of payment and the timeline for payment
Transportation and Tracking
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Details of transportation and tracking is important for traders business. It is difficult for traders to know the status with given information hierarchy present in the application.
Learning from the studies
Tailored Interview Questions and Methods:
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Adapting interview questions and methods based on the understanding of the specific stakeholders (Farmers, Agents, Traders) resulted in more effective data collection. This approach allowed for better rapport-building and elicited more relevant and insightful responses from each group.
Buffer Days for Ethnography Study:
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Allocating 2-3 buffer days for ethnography study proved to be crucial for accommodating unexpected challenges or opportunities that emerged during fieldwork. These additional days ensured a more comprehensive and in-depth exploration of the context and enhanced the richness of the gathered data.
Ice Breaking Session with Traders:
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Conducting an ice breaking session with traders before commencing the research fostered a positive and collaborative environment. It helped establish trust and rapport, making traders more open to sharing their experiences and perspectives during the study.
Insights into Farmer Perspectives:
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The research provided valuable insights into the challenges, needs, and aspirations of farmers. Understanding their unique perspectives guided the development of more relevant and farmer-centric solutions
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Importance of Iterative Design:
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The iterative design approach, driven by user feedback and insights from usability testing, resulted in an evolving and user-friendly product. This approach demonstrated the value of incorporating user perspectives throughout the design process.
Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration:
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Collaboration between researchers, designers, and usability testing teams played a pivotal role in a holistic and well-informed product development process. The integration of expertise from diverse domains enriched the final solution.
