Food Ladder
Transforming the way Australia eats with IBM's cutting edge AI technology
the world
Tools
Mural
Figma
Keynote
Teams
Project Duration
6 weeks
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Please note: This project is subject to client confidentiality and assets produced can not be shared
Team
x2 Innovation Designers
x2 Platform Engineers
x1 Manager
x1 Executive Project Sponsor
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Contribution
Innovation Designer
UX / UI Design Lead
Project Lead
Food Ladder
An Australian non-for-profit organisation, implements greenhouses at schools nationwide to supply fresh food to remote communities, fight climate change, and improve the teaching experience.
The Business Challenge
Food Ladder’s unprecedented success has led to rapid and exponential growth demanding innovative, sustainable solutions. As a result, its current operations are struggling to keep pace, due to its reliance on manual labour.
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Two IBM watsonx AI use cases were designed and implemented;
User Challenges & AI Solutions
Food Ladder Operations Team needs a way to quickly onboard schools because their time is valuable, but they currently struggle with a time-consuming, manual process that relies on individual team members engaging schools one by one.
AI chat agent to support schools in regional and remote areas of Australia - to efficiently answer questions and queries to support them in getting their Food Ladder system up and running.
Teachers need a way to create lesson plans using Food Ladder education content because their time is highly valuable, but they currently struggle with already existing teaching responsibilities that require physical & mental effort.
AI-generated learning and classroom plans to support teachers in delivering learning experiences for students from the greenhouse that align with curriculum and learning objectives.
“IBM is walking alongside us on this journey. Heartfelt thanks go to IBM and their exceptional team for taking what we do, to a whole new level of impact. Australia is better for it”
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- Kelly McJannett, founding CEO of Food Ladder at the 2024 Australian Financial Review (AFR) BOSS Awards.
Research & Insights
Co-creation is key
Design Thinking Workshops with Food Ladder
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Gained insight into the business landscape and broader problem spaces
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Ideated on potential use cases using needs statements
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Prioritised most impactful and feasible use cases to explore in proof-of-concept
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Discussed potential solutions to solve for pain points
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Conducted sprint plan with user stories
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Set daily stand-ups and end of sprint playbacks​
Design Process
Rapid iterations, continuous feedback
Design & Solution Build
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Designed AI conversation flow for chat bot solutions
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High fidelity prototypes
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Synthesis of workshop outputs
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Continuous collaborative work with client on the pitch deck created to present to key Food Ladder stakeholders
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Designed future-state prototypes to showcase the 'art of the possible' using IBM technology
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Facilitated daily stand-ups with continuous feedback on designs & build
End of Sprint Playbacks
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End of sprint presentations to key stakeholders, highlighting deep understanding of pain points, AI technology benefits and capabilities and demo of the solution built.
Joined Kelly McJannett, CEO of Food Ladder, at IBM's AI Summit 2024 to discuss how the intersection of social impact and AI technology drives meaningful solutions
Outcomes
Food Ladder, Winner of Government, Education and Not-For-Profit category in the AFR BOSS 2024 Most Innovative Companies awards
IBM proudly stood by Food Ladder to applaud their recent success at the AFR BOSS Awards.
This is a celebration of our innovative team following IBM’s belief in world-changing progress and focus on fulfilling our customer’s needs​​​.
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Our recent partnership in implementing the AI use cases is just the beginning of our continued support in Food Ladder's AI journey. Through our collaborative ways of working and expert guidance, large enterprises and non-for-profits like Food Ladder can see value in AI so long as we meet them where they are on the AI ladder.
Learnings & Takeaways
Our client first approach that drove impact
Progress over perfection
Bringing everyone together in person and creating a dynamic atmosphere allowed the client to break the conventional first workshop dynamic. “Pass me a sticky pad & pen, you can’t have all the fun without me!” - Kelly, CEO
Collaboration cultivates client confidence
Instead of working independently, we worked closely with Food Ladder in regular sessions, shaping their story in their own voice & language. By involving them in the process, we fostered a strong sense of belief in our work. This collaborative effort not only enhanced their investment in IBM technology but also reinforced their confidence in our shared goals.
Leveraging the new IBM watsonx Figma assets to move faster
A last-minute request was raised near the end of the engagement to help Food Ladder envision the future of technology in their organisation. We swiftly brought this to life, thanks to the new watsonx Figma assets. What should’ve taken 1 week, took 1 day which received such a visceral emotional reaction.
Showing that we truly care
Lastly, we were supportive of Food Ladder’s own journey outside our scope. This helped Client Engineering become trusted advisors to Food Ladder, and has given us opportunities to continue working together in the future.
