December 2023
UNDP
Digital platform tackles cocoa supply chain traceability in West Africa, ensuring deforestation-free practices and empowering farmers.
UNDP concept proposes a digital platform to track cocoa from farm to buyer. It addresses challenges like remote locations, low digital literacy, and data collection errors. The platform will be user-centric, catering to farmers, government representatives, and buyers. It aims to promote sustainable practices, improve data collection, and connect stakeholders for a transparent and ethical cocoa supply chain.
Platform
Website
Timeline
December 2023
Role
UI / UX designer & researcher
Key problem statement
Transparency Issues :
Difficulty in tracing cocoa origins fuels deforestation concerns
Limited Infrastructure :
Remote locations, poor internet connectivity hinder data collection.
Data Obstacles :
Inconsistent data collection practices create challenges in verification.
Unmotivated Farmers :
Lack of incentives discourages sustainable practices.
Inefficient Management :
Stakeholders need improved tools for task management and data verification.
Business goals
Ensure deforestation-free cocoa certification for EU compliance.
Empower farmers and connect them with buyers for better opportunities.
User goals
Farmers
Easily provide data and gain access to educational resources.
Government representatives
Efficiently plan, schedule, and verify data collection.
Buyers
Source ethically and trace cocoa origin for sustainability assurance.
Concept design
UNDPs website presents a concept of digital system through which we can trace cocoa and its supply chain.
We have aimed to create a database of farmers and buyers through which they can both interact, gain business, educate and empower while solving UNDP’s agenda for sustainable cocoa farming and tracing practices.
The user interface is designed in accordance with the website functionality: it is based on an earthy color palette with a mix of images, uploaded by the farmers to help trace the conditions of cocoa as the grows and develops into pods. Additionally we’ve used water color illustration making it engaging, approachable & free flowing in nature with a mix of icons which are easy to recognise and understand. The usage of stroke based icons is preferred since it is easier to recognise from an accessibility stand point while adding details and maintaining clarity .
The fonts used are Proxima Nova which is a simple, clean, versatile and geometric font that was designed for screens. Sudestada adds dimension and passion with its distinctive hand written style and personality.
By humanising the story of cocoa we want to engage the farmers and buyers to create an emotional connect with a product that has been an integral part of their lives. By immersing the user in a virtual world in a way that the buyer believes that they are a vital part of an unfolding story and that their actions have meaningful consequences.
The website also provides additional features where one can come to learn in depth about cocoa, a buyer can register themselves or input data and keep a track of their shipments, live view of farms, certifications and trainings completed by farmers and understanding cocoa and sustainability. Additionally to engage the user and increase their knowledge base, we have also added features like ‘ news updates’ where in the user can see the current news and ‘ cocoa trends’ where one can understand the trends in cocoa.
The website aims to create a systematic map via images and weekly/ daily updated to allow physical traceability of cocoa from farmers to buyers while maintaining a check on certification, deforestation free cocoa and child labour. We want to educate farmers and buyers about ethical farming and sourcing practices creating opportunities for growth for all.
Final consensus
In conclusion, this project offers a unique opportunity to address critical challenges in the West African cocoa supply chain. By implementing a user-centric, digital traceability system, we can ensure deforestation-free cocoa reaches consumers, empower farmers, and promote sustainable practices. Through a three-phase approach encompassing stakeholder needs assessment, intuitive UI/UX design, and scalable development, this project has the potential to revolutionize the cocoa industry, creating a win-win situation for farmers, buyers, and the environment.
