Kat Stovall - Arkansas Food Innovation Center

Overview

About AFIC

The Arkansas Food Innovation Center is a facility within the University of Arkansas that gives local startups the opportunity to perfect and produce their clean-label food ideas by providing them access to professional equipment and advice from legitimate food scientists.

The Problem

AFIC is a unique and innovative business for clever and ambitious food producers, but its website didn't show it. It was outdated, its content was overwhelming and boring to users, and it had no logo or discernible design system. Worse still, its unclear, disorganized messaging left users confused and frustrated.

The Solution

AFIC needed a website designed from the user's perspective. An updated website and visual identity would make its messaging more digestible and get users excited to work with AFIC.

Logo + Identity

Food + Innovation

Erika Gamarra and I collaborated to create a meaningful logo and visual identity. Together, we created a logomark that represented AFIC's primary elements: food and innovation.

As a subsidiary of the University of Arkansas, AFIC had been using the university's red-and-white color scheme, which we felt didn't adequately represent AFIC. We were limited in what we could do due to university guidelines, but we were able to convince the university that green would better serve AFIC than red.

Website

Business Needs

AFIC needs to post and edit blog posts, edit its list of available services, upload educational resources (PDFs), add upcoming training courses, showcase its success stories, receive payments, receive membership applications, and reduce the number of applications received from people whose products do not qualify for AFIC.

User Needs

AFIC's previous website had two main users: current producers and potential producers. Since all current producers were once potential producers, we were able to understand the problems of both user personas through interviews with current AFIC members.

Current Producers

Current AFIC producers regularly use the website to pay fees, sign up for classes, and find educational resources. They need to pay fees online, browse and download educational PDFs, browse and enroll in upcoming training courses, and contact AFIC.

Potential Producers

Some users will be food producers who are interested in taking their product to the next level. These users need an introduction to AFIC, a list of services that AFIC offers to members, testimonials from successful clients, a step-by-step guide on how to become a member, to check if their product is eligible for AFIC, to apply for AFIC membership, to contact AFIC, and directions to the facility.

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