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Redesigning Michigan's Food Assistance Program
A project aimed at improving EBT usability and accessibility in Michigan while reducing its social stigma through design.
My Role:
Researcher,
Copy-editor
Timeline:
3 weeks
Background
1.3 million Michiganders rely on government assistance to afford groceries, spanning diverse ages, demographics, and abilities. As a team of seven, we analyzed Michigan's current food assistance process with the goal of addressing user challenges and enhancing its design. Our research revealed that food stamp users face numerous significant barriers in navigating and understanding the application process.
Despite the fact that SNAP fraud accounts for only 1% of total benefits, it is frequently politicized and unfairly linked to marginalized communities, perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
Food assistance is a crucial government resource, yet this program and its application progress is outdated and inaccessible for many of its users. Aside from accessibility issues and old design, there is negative stigma associated with being an EBT user which must also be addressed through this project.
Revamping EBT Cards
A common issue discovered among EBT users is dissatisfaction with the current card design. Users expressed feelings of shame and embarassment when using the bright orange cards in stores.
With all the negative social stigma attached to EBT cards, and our users' privacy in mind, we designed new and improved physical and digital cards.
The EBT cards we designed resemble credit/debit cards and can even be added to digital wallets for convenience.
The remaining balance left on the card is also displayed in the digital version, erasing the need for checking reciepts or logging into their EBT account.
Pssssttt.... this page is in progress! Stay tuned to learn about the research process, different testing we conducted, and other deliverables!
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