Using a User Experience Framework to Improve a Learning Management System Informing the Implementation of Healthy Pantry Practice Initiatives at Food Pantries Within the Virginia Federation of Food Banks

Kaitlyn GoodFollow

Faculty Advisor Name

Michelle Hesse

Department

Department of Health Professions

Description

Food pantries are transforming and want to adopt health-focused initiatives that center the needs of increasingly diverse pantry guests. Training opportunities and resources are necessary to support these goals. To introduce Virginia's Healthy Pantry Initiative (HPI)1, a movement guiding pantry to implement more health-focused and neighbor-centered practices, the Federation of VA Food Banks (the Federation) created a Learning Center (LC) to share courses, tools and resources with the state’s food pantries. To inform future development of high-quality courses and resources offered through the LC, a qualitative study assessing user experience within pilot courses across four user-centered design constructs: value, satisfaction, efficiency, and effectiveness was evaluated.1 A convenience sample of five pantry directors were interviewed with a structured interview informed by a User Experience Framework2 describing their experience with one of three pilot courses. A recruitment email was sent to a select group of pantry directors from the Federation. Pantry directors contacted JMU faculty to enroll in the study and upon enrollment, received a link for a 30-minute Zoom interview and were randomly enrolled in 1 of 3 pilot courses. Participants were asked to review all materials within their assigned pilot course before participating in the Zoom interview. Verbal consent was obtained prior to the participation in this research study. The interview was recorded for the purpose of documenting interactions in real-time. Recording did not begin until each participant granted the researcher permission to be recorded. A script that outlined a structured interview using the User Experience Framework was used to gather participant responses. These interview questions evaluated different constructs within a user-centered design approach, including those that pertain to value, satisfaction, efficiency, and effectiveness. At the discretion of the researcher, non-structured probing questions were used as a follow-up to relevant phenomena or to encourage the participant to more deeply share their experience. The data was collected and analyzed using a grounded theory approach3 in combination with coding to organize the qualitative data into themes using constant comparative analysis. Pantry directors reported the LC courses provided them with HPI implementation experiences from other pantries, focused on a client-centered approach, was easily navigable and provided a strong framework for pantries beginning their implementation processes. Areas for improvement included the need to reinforce learning with visual components and to improve the editing quality of videos. These data provide an understanding of how to position content and improve the quality of future courses within the LC to support pantry implementation of Healthy Pantry Practices.

References:

  1. VA Food Banks. Food Is Medicine - Federation of Virginia Food Banks. vafoodbanks.org. Published February 1, 2023. Accessed March 27, 2024. https://vafoodbanks.org/programs/food-is-medicine/#:~:text=The%20Healthy%20Pantry%20Initiative%20is

  2. Zarour M, Alharbi M. User experience framework that combines aspects, dimensions, and measurement methods. Park E, ed. Cogent Engineering. 2017;4(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2017.1421006

  3. Chun Tie Y, Birks M, Francis K. Grounded theory research: A design framework for novice researchers. SAGE Open Med. 2019;7:2050312118822927. Published 2019 Jan 2. doi:10.1177/2050312118822927

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Using a User Experience Framework to Improve a Learning Management System Informing the Implementation of Healthy Pantry Practice Initiatives at Food Pantries Within the Virginia Federation of Food Banks

Food pantries are transforming and want to adopt health-focused initiatives that center the needs of increasingly diverse pantry guests. Training opportunities and resources are necessary to support these goals. To introduce Virginia's Healthy Pantry Initiative (HPI)1, a movement guiding pantry to implement more health-focused and neighbor-centered practices, the Federation of VA Food Banks (the Federation) created a Learning Center (LC) to share courses, tools and resources with the state’s food pantries. To inform future development of high-quality courses and resources offered through the LC, a qualitative study assessing user experience within pilot courses across four user-centered design constructs: value, satisfaction, efficiency, and effectiveness was evaluated.1 A convenience sample of five pantry directors were interviewed with a structured interview informed by a User Experience Framework2 describing their experience with one of three pilot courses. A recruitment email was sent to a select group of pantry directors from the Federation. Pantry directors contacted JMU faculty to enroll in the study and upon enrollment, received a link for a 30-minute Zoom interview and were randomly enrolled in 1 of 3 pilot courses. Participants were asked to review all materials within their assigned pilot course before participating in the Zoom interview. Verbal consent was obtained prior to the participation in this research study. The interview was recorded for the purpose of documenting interactions in real-time. Recording did not begin until each participant granted the researcher permission to be recorded. A script that outlined a structured interview using the User Experience Framework was used to gather participant responses. These interview questions evaluated different constructs within a user-centered design approach, including those that pertain to value, satisfaction, efficiency, and effectiveness. At the discretion of the researcher, non-structured probing questions were used as a follow-up to relevant phenomena or to encourage the participant to more deeply share their experience. The data was collected and analyzed using a grounded theory approach3 in combination with coding to organize the qualitative data into themes using constant comparative analysis. Pantry directors reported the LC courses provided them with HPI implementation experiences from other pantries, focused on a client-centered approach, was easily navigable and provided a strong framework for pantries beginning their implementation processes. Areas for improvement included the need to reinforce learning with visual components and to improve the editing quality of videos. These data provide an understanding of how to position content and improve the quality of future courses within the LC to support pantry implementation of Healthy Pantry Practices.

References:

  1. VA Food Banks. Food Is Medicine - Federation of Virginia Food Banks. vafoodbanks.org. Published February 1, 2023. Accessed March 27, 2024. https://vafoodbanks.org/programs/food-is-medicine/#:~:text=The%20Healthy%20Pantry%20Initiative%20is

  2. Zarour M, Alharbi M. User experience framework that combines aspects, dimensions, and measurement methods. Park E, ed. Cogent Engineering. 2017;4(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2017.1421006

  3. Chun Tie Y, Birks M, Francis K. Grounded theory research: A design framework for novice researchers. SAGE Open Med. 2019;7:2050312118822927. Published 2019 Jan 2. doi:10.1177/2050312118822927