The Big Issue
My brief
How to Rethink Social Enterprises
The Big Issue is the UK's leading street paper and social enterprise, established in 1991 and now published across four continents. The Big Issue offers individuals facing homelessness or poverty with a hand up, not a handout.
My aim was to explore services that offer a route out of poverty and homelessness through employment, in collaboration with the Big Issue.
What I did
Initial Mapping of Existing Employment-Based Social Enterprises
Setting out to explore employment-based social enterprises that offer a route out of poverty and homelessness through employment, I started by firstly exploring whether The Big Issue was achieving its aims as such a service. From here, the project's focus developed – to fundamentally rethink the vendor's role to deliver an alternative service and user experience for both the vendor and customer, by harnessing technology.
Understanding the Experience of a Vendor
To understand the vendor experience, I conducted a series of qualitative studies, including in-depth semi-structured interviews with vendors and distributors at their pitches. In close collaboration with The Big Issue Foundation, Big Issue volunteers, and customers, I gathered further qualitative insights. My questions covered aspects ranging from the experience of selling and the magazine's quality to the reasons people interact with vendors and purchase the magazine in the first instance.
I structured the interview questions to reveal what vendors and customers were doing, thinking, and feeling before, during, and after selling, or buying a magazine. This approach allowed me to identify the problems, concerns, motivations, and goals of both vendors, customers, and other stakeholders.
Zeroing in on Things Said and Done
In addition to in-depth interviews, I conducted ethnographic observations, which took two forms: 'Interactive shadowing' – observing and qualifying vendor behaviours and attitudes – and 'Photo ethnographies' – capturing experiences through a clip-on pinhole camera to document things said and done. By observing and experiencing what it's like to be a Big Issue vendor, I gained insight into the complex challenges they faced day to day.
Considering Other Services
Concurrently, I did various service safaris to experience other social enterprises, such as Unseen Tours, The Crisis Cafe, and Change Please. Employing ethnographic frameworks like POEMS and AEIOU, I documented and analysed the experience offered by each service. Additionally, secondary research from various sources both informed and shaped my approach to analysis and concept generation.
What I did
A Service in Need of a New Product
- Unawareness of the model: The general public does not realise vendors buy the magazine to sell it, misunderstanding that The Big Issue is an enterprise model.
- Misconception of Vendor as 'Beggars': Vendors are seen as beggars, yet they are actually micro-entrepreneurs.
- The product is an Unknown Entity: Limited understanding of the magazine's content and value proposition makes the 'sell' unclear.
- Transaction or Donation: The value exchange is ambiguous to new customers, blurring the line between purchasing and donating.
- Charity Over Purchase: Customers often choose to donate £1.25 rather than receive a magazine, treating the exchange primarily as an act of charity. Ironically, these 'do-gooders' unintentionally do more harm than good by doing so.
Where to Focus
Building upon these insights, I delved into which aspects of the service needed improvement. I identified two main opportunities: enhancing the vendor as a touchpoint to offer additional services, or refining the magazine as a touchpoint to deliver value to the customer in a new way. I used 'How Might We?' questions to explore a range of design opportunities and concepts.
An Unplanned Observation
Whilst observing a 'Coffee Cow' at a festival in Denmark, a service where vendors sell coffee and alcohol on the go using a drink dispensing backpack.
The outcome
Wake Up Call
Prototyping the Concept
To start prototyping, I built upon the concept using sitemaps and wireframes, detailing the process for both vendors and customers. Paper prototyping revealed the need for two distinct app pathways and additional digital features:
- A QR code on the lid or cup directs users to the vendor's page, allowing customers to learn more and interact with their vendor.
- An app-based vendor map enables customers to locate vendors easily.
- A digital payment feature in the app facilitates quick transactions and provides security against theft and abuse.
After conducting a comprehensive test by buying and selling coffee on the Loughborough University campus, I developed the concept into "Wake Up Call."
Wake Up Call
Wake Up Call is a social enterprise ecosystem that helps individuals escape poverty by providing them with an opportunity to earn a legitimate income through selling coffee on-the-go from specially adapted backpacks.
Behance link of app screens: https://www.behance.net/gallery/76266553/Wake-Up-Call
Reflections
Other projects
Vilda
