Autumn 2026
Rainier Valley Food Bank: Researching and Designing an Online Ordering System
Instructors: Andrew Davidson, Jordan Cheung
OVERVIEW
In this DRG, we will explore the online client shopping and ordering experience at a local food bank, using user research and prototyping techniques to make recommendations for how to develop and optimize that experience.
BACKGROUND
The Rainier Valley Food Bank, RVFB (rvfb.org), “is the primary emergency food resource for Seattle’s most racially, ethnically, and economically diverse neighborhood.” RVFB has a grocery store and community service facility in the Rainier Beach neighborhood of South Seattle. In this facility, they provide a supermarket-like shopping experience, a free lunch program, and many other support services for their clients.
RVFB would like to work with HCDE students to explore expanding the client shopping experience to include an online ordering component and learn how they might improve their services.
HCDE has been collaborating with RVFB for the past year in a series of DRGs and a capstone project. This DRG is a continuation of that collaboration. See this article – How HCDE students helped Rainier Valley Food Bank see its community in new ways – for more information on the relationship between RVFB and HCDE. There is a possibility that this project could continue in subsequent quarters.
Note that RVFB has actually implemented many of the proposals that HCDE students have made in previous DRGs and capstone, so participating in this DRG is an opportunity to make a concrete contribution to a worthy organization that serves its community.
DETAILS
Students will work with RVFB staff to identify areas for change, suggest new designs or processes, and prototype their solutions. They will work as a small team to engage in user research, ideation, design, and prototyping/presenting solution concepts. Students will have access to the RVFB facility and to various staff members to inform and guide their research.
After engaging in the research and design process, the team will develop prototypes or other effective methods of communicating their concepts, and will present these concepts to stakeholders at the end of the quarter.
Enrollment information
- Credits: 1 – 3 credits, to be arranged upon acceptance
- Meeting Time: Mondays, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
- Who should apply: We are looking for students to cover a range of activities, including user research, ideation, prototyping, and development. As the desired goal is likely an online ordering system, experience with web development platforms and consumer UX is desirable. Students with a strong interest and experience in community service and/or service design are encouraged to apply.
- This DRG does not meet the PhD research requirement.
- Application: Complete this Google Form
- Application deadline: Friday, September 25, 11:59 p.m.
- Anticipated notification date: Monday, September 28.
- Questions: Andrew Davidson, Associate Teaching Professor Emeritus, adavid7@uw.edu
Professor Davidson's Research Group archive