Unmute video to hear the narration.
01
THE CHALLENGE
How might we address food insecurity in a racially segregated urban desert without perpetuating a history of broken promises?
Austin’s Eastern Crescent is a legacy of the 1928 Master Plan, resulting in deep geographical and health disparities. Residents face limited access to healthy food and higher mortality rates—a crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our partner, Equidad ATX, aimed to launch a retrofitted Cap Metro bus as a mobile grocery store. However, the challenge was not just logistical; it was relational. The community was "over-researched and underserved," leading to deep mistrust. We needed to move beyond a "food truck" concept to co-design a dignified, COVID-safe service ecosystem that truly belonged to the community.
“IT IS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND IN THIS DAY AND TIME WHY WE DON'T HAVE THE SAME THING THAT EVERY OTHER COMMUNITY HAS."
- Ms. S, Colony Park Community Member
Image Source: The Austin Chronicle
02
THE STRATEGY & RESEARCH
I led a Participatory Design approach, moving away from "designing for" to "designing with." We structured our inquiry around four strategic pillars: People, Places, Partners, and Plans.
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Deep Contextual Inquiry: We conducted 20+ interviews and 11 co-creation sessions, utilizing Card Sorting and Empathy Mapping to understand that for this community, food was not just sustenance—it was culture and identity.
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Systemic Value Mapping: We didn't just design a bus; we mapped the entire ecosystem. We modeled the complex value exchange between food banks, local farms, and residents to identify friction points in the supply chain.
Co-Creation Sessions: Validating cultural needs through direct community engagement.
03
THE SOLUTION: SYSTEM & EXPERIENCE
We translated our insights into a tangible service ecosystem, moving from operational logic to physical reality.
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Systemic Value Mapping (Business Origami): We didn't just design a vehicle; we mapped the entire service. Using Business Origami, we modeled the complex value exchange between food banks, local farms, volunteers, and residents to identify friction points in the supply chain.
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Spatial Prototyping: We built a full-scale foam-core model of the bus interior to simulate the service experience. This allowed us to rigorously test the patient flow for COVID-19 safety protocols and ensure dignity of access.
Systemic Modeling: Mapping the multi-channel value exchange to optimize operations.
Experience Prototyping: Validating spatial flow and safety protocols at full scale.
“THE SCALE MODEL OF THE BUS IS A GENIUS IDEA GENIUS. GREAT IDEA TO COMMUNICATE WHAT THAT EXPERIENCE WOULD BE LIKE WITHOUT HAVING THE ACTUAL BUS AND BEING ABLE TO PROTOTYPE AT FULL SCALE. I THINK IT ENABLES PEOPLE TO SEE WHAT THAT EXPERIENCE WOULD BE LIKE AND THINK THROUGH THE COVID PROTOCOLS."
- Diana Siebenaler, the Director of Partnerships- Network Strategy Design for the Design Institute for Health
04
THE OUTCOME & REFLECTION
IMPACT & ALIGNMENT
The project delivered more than just a bus design; it provided a strategic roadmap for community revitalization.
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Stakeholder Alignment: The service concept video and prototypes successfully generated critical buy-in from partners and funders.
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Operational Framework: We delivered a Business Origami map that served as a blueprint for the operational rollout, defining roles, resources, and communication flows.
REFLECTION: SYSTEMS OVER SILOS
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Structural Influencers: This project shifted my perspective from designing clinical interventions to addressing the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). I learned that healthcare design must extend beyond the hospital walls to where life happens.
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Ethical Research: We encountered community fatigue from being "studied." This taught me the vital importance of Research Ethics—ensuring that design research is an exchange of value, not just an extraction of data.
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Inclusive Scoping: We learned that language barriers (lack of Spanish fluency) create design barriers. In future work, building a linguistically diverse team is a non-negotiable requirement for true equity.
"I JUST WANT TO THANK THE TEAM; THEY DID AN AWESOME JOB. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE PASSION AND DILIGENCE. THE FINAL PRODUCT IS OUTSTANDING, IT GIVES US EXCELLENT TOOLS TO BUILD ON & WORK WITH. I CAN'T WAIT TO SHARE THIS WITH OTHERS AND SEE HOW WE CAN IMPLEMENT THIS ALONG THE WAY."
- Ashton Cumberbatch, President & Director of Equidad ATX