WIC Shopping
UX Research and User Interface Testing | Texas WIC
The Challenge
The purchase of healthy foods by participating families is central to Texas WIC's mission to improve nutrition for its clientele. Unfortunately, the WIC grocery shopping experience has a history of being difficult, particularly for those who are new to the program. SUMA Social Marketing's comprehensive 2015 research (during which I conducted focus groups, interviews, and contextual inquiries at WIC clinics and shop alongs at grocery stores) indicated that store staff, WIC staff, and WIC clients often lacked the needed training or education to make the shopping experience a positive one. However, the most striking improvement on this front was the rollout of the myTexasWIC app. Texas WIC asked SUMA in 2020 to continue our research to assess how the myTexasWIC app has impacted the shopping experience.
The Research
In 2020, I conducted in-depth interviews with current WIC clients to learn about their history with shopping for WIC items. Interviewees then went on a shopping trip to test the myTexasWIC shopping app in stores. After their shopping trip, I interviewed them again about their experiences using the key features of the app in the grocery store, noting detailed feedback on the user interface, design, and layout. In 2020, SUMA also held focus groups with WIC staff concerning their training on the shopping experience to build upon our 2015 research.
The Results
Texas WIC received feedback on specific app features, as well as ideas for new features, that can be used to further improve WIC clients' shopping experiences. Hearing directly from users that the app is an invaluable tool for navigating the difficult shopping experience helped Texas WIC understand the impact of the investment made in this technology.
Get in Touch
Let's do something cool together.
You can reach me at tessa.baker@gmail.com.
