Prototype Presentation February 15th

During a one-day project a few weeks ago, I decided to take the small area of New Cross, then chose a recipe at random and recorded the prices of each ingredient in five different stores. I then worked out the cheapest way of making the recipe, and how much it cost to make it organic. I put this information into a mini leaflet, with a map showing where the shops were.

Then I made the same recipe leaflet but in my own area of N1, where I know the markets and shops a bit better. I quickly realised that the recipe I had chosen – beetroot and bean pasta – was out of season, and should really be made in the summer. I also decided to rule out online delivery stores such as Ocado as an option, because using only local stores would help to keep them open.

I wanted to establish whether other people felt confused about ethical issues when buying food, and also to get an idea of how much people spend on food each week. I used a method that was successful in one of my earlier projects – putting postcards in bus stops with questions on, in order to get text responses. However, after putting cards in bus stops for a few weeks now, I’ve only had one text response. This could be because the questions I’m asking are too personal, or the cards are being removed too quickly.

The system I was using to record prices and map shops wasn’t working, so I made my own map and started using a mobile phone and a numbered shopping list to record prices. This was a bit less conspicuous.

I found another obstacle in that it would be difficult to predict prices and availability for ingredients that are currently not in season.

I realised that the guidelines I’m using to select ingredients, and the reasons behind them, needed to be included with the service, so that people trust the meal plans.

I was also photographing each shop, and numbering the photos to correspond with the map.

I was using a database to record the prices of each ingredient in different stores, which was becoming increasingly complicated.

So I have come to the decision that my final piece will be a website. At the moment, I picture it as a tool, where someone can enter their postcode, budget, number of meals needed, preparation time available, the time of year, and for how many people – then they choose meal options from the results, and get shopping lists, a map of where the shops are, a meal planner and recipes.

I’ve started thinking about what ideas and service could emerge from this basic structure. There could be an email or text service, which tells you what to buy each day and where, and fits into your own routine. Users of the website could register in order to get a more personalised service – so that meal plans don’t become repetitive, for example.

There might be a shopping scheme for people who are elderly or too busy to shop for food – run by local volunteers. This could be integrated into shopping lists, for example asking users if they would mind picking up an extra pack of sausages for their neighbour.

There could be seasonal community cooking lessons, so that people learn what is in season and can teach each other how to cook with it. Users could submit their own recipes to the site, which would then be categorised by area, month and price, and be added to other people’s meal plans.

On Monday 15th February I presented my project so far to five tutors. They suggested that I collect the minimum amount of information necessary to make the website convincing and believable, then communicate and design it really well. They also felt strongly that involving people on a personal level, such as picking up an extra can of beans for your neighbour as I mentioned earlier, should be at the heart of this project. They suggested that I focus on community elements and possibilities. One tutor suggested that there is an opportunity to do something besides a website, such as a tool to help people make shopping decisions.