Engaging children in supermarket redesign: unleashing creativity for enhanced shopping experiences

Engaging children in supermarket redesign: unleashing creativity for enhanced shopping experiences

September 2019
In Summer 2019, our studio in Tallinn, Estonia received an exciting assignment from one of the largest supermarket chains in the Northern Europe - Prisma Family Market. They invited the kids to generate ideas to innovate their children’s checkout counter.

The challenge commenced with an extensive tour of not only the supermarket's public areas but also its lesser-known storage spaces, offering participants a genuine behind-the-scenes glimpse into supermarket operations. This immersive experience provided a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of a supermarket. Additionally, all workshop attendees had the chance to test their skills both as a cashier and a shopper at the checkout counter.

By gaining insight into product procurement, showroom presentation, and the intricate dynamics of the buyer-seller relationship, participants developed a deeper empathy for the shopping experience and the objectives of the task at hand.
Engaging children in supermarket redesign: unleashing creativity for enhanced shopping experiences

Before the workshop, we assigned the children a homework  to visit one of the Prisma supermarkets featuring children's checkout counters. We recorded their observations and creatively depicted them on a wall in the form of a playful ship. Above the waterline, we displayed positive observations that propel the ship forward, while negative aspects were submerged below, symbolising obstacles hindering the ship's progress. Following that, the children were divided into four teams tasked with identifying the most critical "below the waterline" issue and brainstorming potential solutions. The ideas generated were diverse, spanning from foldable stairs to fruit pipes from Africa. Each group selected the idea(s) they wished to prototype. Prior to the concluding presentation, the teams also had the chance to field-test the completed models at the supermarket.

The pivotal aspect of collaborative design with children lies in fostering empathy. When a child comprehends the context of a problem, it becomes simpler to devise solutions.
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Team 1 focused on enhancing the store's child-friendly accessibility, exploring various technical solutions to help children reach items on shelves and at the checkout counter more easily. Among their ideas was the concept of pull-out stairs in the cashier and packing areas, similar to stackable kindergarten beds, which children could extend themselves. Additionally, they developed a prototype of a shopping trolley equipped with foldable stairs and a chip near the shelves, designed to lock the wheels of the trolley for stability while the child climbs up. The team also took care to consider areas where such features would not be necessary, such as by the alcohol counter.

Team 2 directed their efforts towards designing a versatile checkout counter suitable for individuals of different heights. They aimed to develop a counter that could be adjusted to accommodate customers in wheelchairs, echoing the considerations made for children's accessibility. Each team member contributed to the solution, with ideas including an elephant-shaped shopping cart machine, a snake-shaped product scanner, and a height-adjustment button enabling customers to modify the counter's height according to their needs.

Team 3 deliberated on crafting a product selection at the checkout counter that would appeal to children. Additionally, they devised a navigation game designed to assist families in locating the checkout counter within the store effortlessly. Children could engage in a scavenger hunt of sorts, searching for various animal shapes throughout the store. Upon successfully finding and collecting them all, they would be rewarded with a sticker from the cashier. Furthermore, the team revamped the design of the checkout divider and introduced new colors to the checkout counter.

In an imagined utopia, Team 4 envisioned a scenario where children's fruit baskets brimmed with a diverse array of fruits that never dwindled. Their concept delved into the realm of fantasy, proposing an underground pipeline system ferrying fruits directly from Africa to ensure an endless supply. In this utopian vision, an underground greenhouse beneath the store facilitated the perpetual delivery of fresh fruits. Furthermore, they imagined equipping the baskets with a reader that not only displayed the fruit quantity but also sent out automatic alerts when stocks ran low. As a conceptual prototype, the team crafted four baskets adorned with an umbrella-shaped reader and interconnected pipes.

In conclusion, over the course of the two workshop days, the children embarked on an exciting journey at the Prisma supermarket, identifying numerous significant issues and offering pertinent solutions. The immersive experience within the actual supermarket environment heightened the children's motivation to uncover problems and devise solutions, while also enabling them to better connect with these challenges.

Engaging children in supermarket redesign: unleashing creativity for enhanced shopping experiences
Prisma's mission, as encapsulated in our slogan, is to 'be the best for the family,' catering to the needs of both young and old visitors to our supermarkets. How can we best serve children within this mission? With the assistance of Vivita, we were able to directly inquire from children themselves. We received numerous ideas, witnessed surprising solutions, and observed intriguing thought processes. From these insights, Prisma will carefully select feasible solutions and begin implementing them.
Piret Lankots
Marketing manager of Prisma

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