Accento Grocery UX/UI Mandate

Goal: Bridging Digital & Physical Shopping for Urban Consumers

The Mandate: Our client, Accento, has engaged with us to establish a new shopping environment that focuses on smaller footprint, urban grocery stores that are appealing to Millennial and Gen Z demographics. They would like to create connections between the experience of the physical space and the target shopper’s digital experience. Their goal/mandate is to create a strong emotional connection between their brand, store experience, technology, and the younger (20-40yr) shopper. This connection should emulate a user’s “attachment” to their digital devices.

Role: UX Researcher & Designer (Collaborated with 3 teammates)

Impact:

  • Conducted in-depth discovery research that shaped key design recommendations for affordability, accessibility, and convenience in urban grocery shopping.

  • Developed ten core solutions based on user needs, making grocery shopping more predictable, efficient, and seamless.

  • Provided research-backed insights that influenced the connection between digital tools and physical stores.

Contributions:

  • Conducted user interviews & ethnographic research

  • Coded qualitative data to extract key themes

  • Created human problem statements & "How Might We" opportunities

  • Developed actionable design recommendations

Problem Statement

Urban grocery shopping lacks seamless integration between digital browsing and in-store experiences, making affordability and accessibility pain points for Millennial and Gen Z consumers.

Research & Key Insights

Key Findings

  • Budget control is crucial: Shoppers need predictable spending structures to manage grocery costs.

  • Fresh food accessibility is a priority: Users want reliable access to fresh, high-quality produce.

  • Convenience drives decision-making: Time constraints influence where and how users shop.

  • Desire for automated experiences: Some shoppers want a frictionless, hands-free grocery experience.

Research Methods

Secondary Research: Synthesized existing knowledge and market trends to establish context and identify gaps in current solutions.

User Interviews: Conducted 3 interviews each to gather qualitative insights on shopping behaviors and pain points.

Ethnographic Observations: Analyzed user interactions in grocery stores to understand decision-making processes.

Three Biggest Moments in the Case Study

  • Budget-Friendly Grocery Shopping: Fixed-rate grocery boxes to ensure predictable spending.

  • Fresh Food Accessibility: Auto-delivered produce at peak freshness to support healthier eating habits.

  • Time & Convenience Optimization: AI-driven grocery fulfillment and mini-markets for proximity-based shopping.

Coded Interview Example

Design Recommendations & Solutions

Seamless, Hands-Free Grocery Shopping

  • POV Statement: As a shopper who doesn’t want to shop in person, I need a full-service delivery option to meet all my grocery shopping needs.

  • HMW: How might we remove the in-person shopping experience from grocery procurement so that food is just there?

  • Solution: Design an AI-driven, predictive grocery fulfillment system that automatically places orders based on user habits and preferences, ensuring groceries arrive without the need for manual shopping.

Problem Statement to HMW statements to Design Recommendations Example

Predictable & Budget-Friendly Grocery Shopping

  • POV Statement: As a shopper with a limited budget, I need to control my spending so I can have food available for the entire month.

  • HMW: How might we make groceries more affordable for people with limited incomes to stay on budget so that they can have food available for the whole month?

  • Solution: Introduce a fixed-rate grocery box available at regular intervals (e.g., a $25/week essentials box). This ensures predictable, repeatable budgeting while maintaining access to necessary goods.

For a link to the final presentation with all design recommendations click here.

Final Thoughts

This project successfully explored how Millennials and Gen Z grocery shoppers engage with urban grocery stores and digital experiences. Through qualitative research and strategic problem-solving, we developed design solutions that address affordability, accessibility, and automation—helping to shape the future of grocery shopping.