“This vs. that” comparison: grocery store infographic

Using primary and secondary research to analyze a topic and find ways to highlight the similarities and differences.

Course:

Information Visualization

Project type

“This vs. that” comparison

Analysis

Individual project

The assignment

Overview

Create a “this vs. that” infographic, displaying one or more facets of comparison between two related items in the topic of your choice.

Topic selection

I often shop at two stores in my neighborhood, and realized that exploring the similarities and differences would allow me to identify the reasons someone might choose one over the other for some or all of their grocery shopping needs.

Project goal

The focus of this project was conducting research and practicing rapid iteration.

Research phase

Conduct site visits

I conducted several site visits at each store, observing customers, documenting floor space usage, and identifying how each store’s product placement and layout was designed to attract their target customer.

Assess brand identity

The online research component of the project consisted of collecting qualitative and quantitative data from the stores’ websites as well as from other publicly-available sources to determine how each store presented itself, and the types of customers they appeared to be targeting.

Analysis phase

Develop personas

I created several customer personas based on my in-store visits, each designed to reflect the major types of customers I observed. Each persona definition included an assessment of the criteria they used to make purchasing decisions (price, convenience, quality, etc.).

Identify themes

In looking at the data I collected, several key themes emerged. These revealed differences in priorities that resulted in different opinions about what the “right” grocery store would be for that person and/or that situation.

Select data sets

From the fourteen data sets I collected, I chose six, including both quantitative and qualitative data types, that I felt represented a diverse set of decision-making options. I selected data points that appeared in multiple personas, particularly those for which different personas would make different assessments about what the “better” choice was. I also included some areas for which the two stores were similar enough that it would not represent a factor in decision-making.

Iteration phase

First draft visualization

I used Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to create my first draft, working to select the best way to represent each data item, while also working to create a cohesive final product. I decided to style my infographic in the style of a retro newspaper, using a grey background, typewriter-inspired font, and bold lines.

Peer critique

After presenting my concept and first draft, classmates provided feedback on the project’s strengths and weaknesses.

Revise and iterate

Taking this feedback, I continued to refine and develop my infographic to ensure that all aspects were immediately understandable and styling was consistent with the theme.

Finalize and present

The final phase included an in-class presentation to describe my research process, explain my content and design decisions, and discuss lessons learned.

Rapid prototype infographic in the style of a retro newspaper

Summary

Key tasks

Primary observational research
Secondary research (web-based)
Data analysis
Digital prototyping

Deliverables

Data collection
Data analysis
Persona creation
User journey map
Site visits
Industry background research
Price comparisons
Infographic

Tools

Adobe Bridge
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
iPhone camera
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Word