Feeding Miami’s forgotten black mecca through games
The long, agonizing history of Liberty City, and the way a teacher is trying to change the next generations' malnourishment through mobile games.
There was a time Liberty city was a place where black people felt…liberated. Homes were being built and black families were moving in. An “ideal black community”. Then, in the 1960s began the decline of the city. Integration, the crack epidemic, and a burst of absentee landlords led to decades of violence, crime, and drugs. Which in turn created an environment difficult for the children of Liberty City to get the necessary aid and food security.
“As a teacher, I noticed many of my students in the classroom lacked focus, energy, and ability to critically problem solve.
Then one day, it clicked — they were hungry. I was sick and tired of my students being sick and tired.
We have to be the generation that ends food insecurity for our youth.”
— Mr. Caesar, Teacher, Founder of Smoothies4Students.
“[Failing] schools are representative of the fact that there is no value placed on education … until there is a restoration in the importance of education, the Liberty City that comes up in your mind — one of chaos and dependency — will be there”
Smoothies4Students is a donation driven organization founded in Liberty City whose mission is to serve students with limited access to healthy food options in Miami-Dade, nutrient-dense blends of fruits, vegetables, and plant-based protein smoothies for $1.
After meeting with Mr. Caesar it became clear that our mission was to increase ways in which supporters could aid the cause and supply quality alternatives that would have the same base outcome while providing transparency and clear branding
Providing clear testimonials, videos, and pictures to ensure that user’s are visually motivated
Being able to recognize the organization through logo designs, color themes, and branding slogans
Allowing users to learn about the organization’s process from making the smoothie to delivery
“It wouldn't have jumped to me”
“I would absolutely donate to it, I would want my daughter to support it, she does some school sports, she’s always hungry”
-for current site
“Good fundraising stories are full of emotion and draw people in.
They paint the picture of the problem and show how your nonprofit is addressing that problem.
They give hope, which triggers action.”
Opportunity for Design
In comparison to a few other donation platforms it’s apparent that they prioritize encouraging descriptions and distinct missions/goals
Pains
Who does this benefit?
How do I buy for someone else?
Gains
Community benefit
Helped a student that was hungry
Customer Jobs
Research the mission
Download app
Check their donations
Parents who needs to understand why they should donate to Smoothies4Students and feel that they've done good for their community
Young teens and children need a game more engaging to past time with while also learning and donating to feel apart of something bigger
Smoothies4Students needs to be more transparent and established to feel "legit" while also promoting positivity towards their community
How might we target parents to donate towards Smoothies4Students?
How might we provide more transparency while establishing a brand that'll feel more secure?
How might we create an engaging game that'll entice young teens and children to play and feel like they're contributing to something bigger?
Pain Relievers
Define the game goals
Check donations
Process description
Gain Creators
Encouraging explanations Emails/Text messages
Community benefit
Products/Services
App purchase
Testimonials
Landing page
1st - upgrade with points, in-app purchases
2nd - code for friend invites, variety of selection
3rd - character customization, premium version
Must have - notifications, Should have - premium versions
Most Impact - notifications
resistance community excellence triumph miami
100% Completion Rate
Reviews: “Very simple and straightforward”, “Small alignment issues”, “Have a different flow for students”
Goals for Mid-Fi: “What grade are you in?”, breakfast question should be after onboarding, user flow for non-students/parents
Next Steps
Work on: landing page, different user flow, media recognition, more features