Coconut Sellers
RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS PROJECT
Aim: To understand the problems faced by roadside coconut vendors on a day-to-day basis.
Learning outcome: Familiarizing the various methods of data collection and analysis.
In my first semester I along with a team of 4 members conducted an in depth understanding of the work life of roadside coconut vendors in Bengaluru, India.
GALLERY
Duration: 3 months
Methods of Data Collection used: Interviews, surveys, questionnaires, qualitative research, quantitative research, group discussions.
Role: To interview vendors and organize data collection. I also took responsibility for conducting the survey and questionnaires. To write down our observations in the form of short accounts, secondary research (cumulative).
The first step in our research was to write down a set of questions for the interview.
Problems identified through INTERVIEWS.
issues faced by Vendor 1
-Injuries caused by the Bill Hook knife
-Constant covering of coconuts due to
rain and bad weather
-Method of Disposing coconut shells
-Market dealership
Issues faced by Vendor 2
-Travel 1 hour everyday
-Cramped and unhygienic location
-Straw and tissue paper waste
-Rain
-Stale coconuts
Issues faced by Vendor 3
-Shuffling between two jobs
-Hygiene concerns caused by stained hands
AFTER gaining a basic insight on their livelihood, we started to organize the data collected and come up with defined problems and situational occurrences.
Deliverables: Mind map, Brainstorming
We spent some time after that in secondary research and data collection to gain a better understanding of their situation. This step mostly involved reading articles in relation to our agenda.
Followed by a survey focused on the customers of the coconut vendors. we were able to formulate an idea of the attitude that people had towards tender coconut stalls.
We collected data from 40 individuals from various age groups to understand the customer perspective with regards to coconut sellers.
A questionnaire focused on close-ended questions helped us prioritize one problem.
Deliverables: User Journey, Stakeholders, Empathy Mapping, Macro and Microenvironment diagrams
Final Presentation
CONCLUSION
We were able to finalize one problem statement to carry forward for solution building. It was concluded from our research that workplace hygiene is the most important and significant issue in relation to roadside coconut sellers in Bangalore. A compact and portable workstation which will not just attract curious customers and regular buyers but also ascertain greater comforts for the seller was decided upon.
