Empathy

Do we need groceries in 10 minutes?

Photo by Lucrezia Carnelos on Unsplash

We live in a world where anything and everything can be at your doorstep within minutes/hours,/days. And with the pandemic, it has just amplified. Name it, and you'll get it lightning fast. But did anyone ask for groceries/vegetables and fruits to be delivered in 10 minutes?

What went into the research?

Echoing the title, what did go into the research of these apps? Who came up with the idea that it is a necessity? A few more questions:

1. Who was the target audience?
2. What was the research opinion on the need for 10-minute grocery delivery?
3. Were the drivers' thoughts taken into consideration?
4. When does the 10-minute delivery promise start? Is it from the moment the order is received or when the driver picks it up?
5. Are all the considerations of him reaching the shop/warehouse, picking up the items, packing and loading them on his vehicle, finding the customer's location taken into account?
6. Is there someone in the store/warehouse to facilitate/expedite the picking up and packing of the order so the driver can pick it up?
7. What about weight considerations of the order?
8. What is the delivery process for multiple customers? If the driver finishes one delivery, does he move on to the next customer, with the 10-minute countdown starting once the first delivery is complete? Or does he return to collect the parcel for the next customer, and then the 10 minutes begin again?
9. Have traffic issues, road blockages, and weather conditions been considered?

I want to pose a general thought here: If you can wait for parcels for days from small businesses, Amazon, etc., why do we need groceries so quickly?

Is Empathy a question here?

Empathy has become a vital part of the design process. Talking to users, understanding their wants, needs and desires, considering their thoughts is an essential part of the Design Thinking process. It forms the basis of the problem from where we develop ideas and solutions.

And with this idea of 10-minute deliveries, where has that Empathy for the drivers gone?

Drivers have to go through quite a bit to deliver goods in 10 minutes (maximum maybe 15 minutes?). Once they get the order, it's almost like a sprint for them — they have to rush to the shop/warehouse, gather the order, pack it up, load it into their vehicles and run to the customer's address. They may have to jump traffic signals, drive fast or on the wrong side, bump into people or other vehicles, all while ensuring nothing happens to the groceries. And if they get delayed, or something happens to the order, they have to face the customer's ire for it.

So when we are designing apps that promise 10-minute superhuman deliveries, are we taking the primary users — the drivers — into account? Shouldn't we be empathising with them?

Coming back to the main question — DO we need an app that promises your customers groceries, fruits, and vegetables that drivers will deliver at your doorstep in 10 minutes? Isn't it high time we prioritise something important like ambulances, all kinds of health services — tests, medications etc., to be at a customer's doorstep faster than a bag of potatoes?