Gather is an application by Andriana Garcia Gutierrez for her MFA Thesis in Web Design & New Media at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

Designing and building Gather has been a challenging learning experience that has allowed me to get a taste of the various jobs hidden under the Web Design & New Media umbrella. Throughout the past three years, I have overcome numerous obstacles, learned a variety of new skills, worked with industry specific tools, and discovered which direction to take my career.

Gather was developed as a tool to solve the product information overload many employees of specialty grocery stores go through on a daily basis. As a former employee of two specialty grocers, I have first hand experience with a lack of solid product information available when out on the floor. With a growing emphasis on seasonal and locally available products, this problem is only getting worse. Add in the public’s natural interest in the latest diet or healthy eating fad and there is even more specialty information that grocery store employees are required to know.

Customers often expect more from specialty markets, not only because of their higher quality products and usually higher prices, but for the exceptional level of customer service they provide. An aware and educated customer is the best kind of customer to have because but they also require a more delicate approach when addressing their needs. Many stores have their inventory database on antiquated systems, usually only available to department managers. The Point of Sale systems available to average employees do not have the capability to store detailed product information. Gather would allow employees to have access to the knowledge necessary to field customer questions efficiently and with confidence.

In theory, Gather would be applicable to any specialty grocery store or market featuring the store’s specific products and floor plan. The store I will be testing at and building my prototype for are Whole Foods Markets in Long Beach, CA. This store is ideal because of my level of access, having worked there in the past, and a relatively small floorplan compared to other locations. My Personas are real employees of this store and the much larger nearby Whole Foods Market in Huntington Beach, CA. Users will range in age from 18-65, work in different departments, and have varying levels of responsibility and experience at their store.

Gather must have struck a chord with users because they were reaching out, telling me they were looking forward to more rounds of testing, and were excited about the project concept. Telling me they truly believed Gather would be a great tool to use on the store floor. Creating a product that meets the needs of real grocery employees, something they actually want to use, is an experience I never imagined when setting out to build this application and is something that will benefit me for years to come.