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| Purdue Farmers' Market |
Education has largely been perceived as a venture attached to the ivory towers of esteemed institutions and learned scholars. On Thursday, September 6, the capstone course for the Purdue University Professional Writing Department decided to expand its educative scope to encompass space outside of our ivory towers—or matching brick walls, as all Purdue students can attest—to include the weekly farmers market as a site for educational exploration and rhetorical evaluation.
During this mini field trip we were particularly keen on examining the market’s location, signage, customers and vendors, and products in the context of user experience. Beyond the market, this investigation provides insight into how humans make decisions.
Many of us noted the advantages of the chosen location—the northern, curved edge of Memorial Mall. The site allows vendors quick access to their vehicles, is wheelchair accessible, is shaded by trees, and receives heavy foot traffic. On the other hand, there is a lack of walking space; it is difficult to hear the vendors or maintain conversation; the unlucky few who get placed in the awkward middle have trouble accessing their goods; and Crabby Mike’s grill could definitely set a tree on fire. One student spoke with the vendors and the owner of Smitty’s, who have been coming to the market for several consecutive years. The owner said his greatest difficulties were in dealing with street traffic and in setting up his tent at an offshoot from the main pathway, thus away from the curve along which most booths are set up.
Specifically, many students took note of Crabby Mike’s, a popular grill located at the southwestern end of the market. Although its line was long, Crabby Mike’s appeared to be well-staffed and able to move at a quick pace. However, to the frustration of some students, the menu was located at the end of line, past the checkout. Therefore, as a customer, you either had to wait until you got to the front of the line to decide what to order or stand by the checkout looking at the menu before getting in line. This resulted in a small crowd by the front of the line, glancing at the menu before moving to the back, waiting to order. Despite this, Crabby Mike’s did a great job creating distance between the line and the condiments. Keeping the extra items separate helped to not clog the line, especially if one didn’t intend to partake in the condiments table.
Our class discussed what general solutions could be pursued in combating the aforementioned concerns. Generally speaking, we thought expanding the market through Memorial Mall would solve most of the issues observed, particularly ones concerning signage visibility and crowds. Furthermore, this expansion would allow us—as experiential architects, rhetoricians, and general market attendees—to better identify design successes and shortcomings.
In addition to observations related to location, we decided to pay special attention to signage throughout the market. Signs not only convey the goals, expectations, and product information associated with a vendor, but also greatly impact the decision-making process for event attendees. Below are our general observations and reflections upon how signage design and presence.
To begin, we noticed that places with a variety of products being presented to customers typically had individual signage for specific items. This was especially helpful in booths with baked goods. Two scones might look very similar, yet scones having small signs in close proximity to them lets me know that the one on the left is blueberry and the one on the right is blackberry. Furthermore, we saw examples of this at booths selling fresh produce, and, while specifying produce probably wasn’t as high a priority as at a bakery, showing prices was convenient. One booth was selling baked goods and had a large, visible sign listing their products and prices, but we were having trouble linking the names with the product. Sometimes it is difficult to decide to buy something that looks good versus something that sounds good.
At Scones & Doilies, for example, some, if not all, of the signs were written in chalk and in cursive on a mini chalkboard; the handwriting was nearly illegible. Signs at another booth would say, “FISH $3.00” or “CHICKEN $2.00” without any indication of how that food is prepared. Therefore, one wouldn’t know what they’re going to get unless they ask, which was counterproductive to having signs in the first place.
This brings us to the appeal of the stalls and signs. The store owners for the most part seemed aware of the importance of this and almost every stall had colorful displays, signs and even items to catch people’s attention. Crabby Mike’s had a full display on their truck which definitely piqued interest. Most stalls had an aesthetic in mind, with the most common one being ‘homemade’ or ‘fresh’, which added to the expected ambiance of the market. That being said, signage was often vague or difficult for newcomers to navigate. Additionally, some signs didn’t successfully explain their product. For instance, one student always assumed “Crabby Mike’s” was a seafood stall. If it hadn’t been for the recommendations in class, the student likely wouldn’t have gone there.
Although it was not immediately obvious, signage relates directly to the flow of foot traffic at the market, especially around lunch hours. Since people are unlikely to stop very long in order to keep traffic moving, an easy to understand sign can be key in getting people to come to your stall. The congestion also made decision making difficult for new customers as they are more apt to browsing before purchasing. This can lead to bad or unsatisfactory purchases which will make the consumer reluctant to revisit the stall.
In conclusion, there were problems that we identified related to sensory overload, crowding, signage visibility, allergen information, and rhetoric. What are possible solutions can we, as rhetoricians, develop to solve these base problems? If given more time and resources, we would contend to answer the following questions and to further understand users’ decision making processes.
What are implicit and explicit goals of this market? How were these goals established? Was user experience testing conducted in the articulation of these goals? What are the goals of individual vendors? Are the expectations of vendors and consumers aligned? What role does novelty play into purchases?
Compiled by Professional Writing Capstone Students
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