Field At Home

Objective

Build an app that connected farmers with consumers, without middlemen, ensuring a fair payment for the producer and fresh produce for the end user.
This wasn’t only about technology. It meant changing consumption habits, building trust in buying fresh food online, and solving many logistical, emotional, and economic barriers.

Main challenges

1. Build trust in fresh produce you can’t see before buying.

2. Minimize friction in navigation and the purchase flow.

3. Adapt to different profiles and levels of digital literacy.

4. Offer a solution to high shipping costs.

Trust you can’t see

Surveys show that more than 80% of people have never bought fresh produce online.

In interviews, the people we spoke with wanted to know what they would get to avoid being misled. Companies like Freshis don’t show who grows the food. Trust in a local market comes from knowing who cultivated what you eat. That’s why every product has a farmer behind it—with a name, a story, and traceability.

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The smiling farmer’s greeting helps the user empathize and build trust.

The fixed filter panel on desktop keeps users oriented and lowers cognitive load.

Savings are felt directly—not through a percentage that forces mental math.

Instead of a star rating (which could hurt smaller farmers versus more popular ones), each profile shows only the attributes that truly apply: track record, verification, order volume.

Shipping that kills the sale

Shipping fees were the most cited reason for dropping out.

“I’m afraid shipping will cost more than the purchase itself,” one interviewee said.

Freshis competes on speed and runs its own electric fleet, but adds a €7.90 surcharge on orders under €40.

Instead of racing on speed, the bet was to consolidate orders in 24–48h and offer refrigerated lockers with free shipping. That solves the price—and the anxiety of not being home to receive the delivery.

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Free 48h shipping is selected by default; express has to be chosen on purpose and costs €5. The sustainable option is the one with the least friction.

The refrigerated locker removes home-delivery fees and the anxiety of missing the courier: pick up when you want, without breaking the cold chain.

The summary makes it clear that locker shipping is free: the saving shows up in the total, not only in the option you picked. Users never pay without knowing exactly what they’re paying for and where they’ll collect the order.

Small orders don’t pay off

Not for the user, and not for the business. Small orders don’t cover delivery costs.

Inspiration came from an unexpected place: Pinduoduo, the Chinese marketplace that grew by grouping buyers to get better prices together.

The solution: group-buy campaigns where town halls, associations, or neighbor groups organize wholesale orders directly with the farmer.

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The progress bar and what’s still needed to close the order make the collective effort visible: this isn’t a solo purchase—it’s a shared threshold.

The map brings group buying to the neighborhood or town: users find nearby campaigns without searching blindly.

Anyone can organize: town halls, associations, or neighbors. The product doesn’t only join campaigns—it also creates them.

Reflection

As an academic project, validation rested on our own research: 200 surveys, interviews, and a usability test. These aren’t real production metrics.

Looking back confirms something I only sensed then: most of the hard decisions in this project weren’t about the interface—they were about the business. Trust, shipping, small orders… everything was solved first by thinking about incentives and the user, and only then about screens.