A senior woman in a hijab sits at a sunlit kitchen table using a smartphone to order groceries. In the foreground, a mobile mockup displays the CRISP app’s high-contrast home screen, featuring large, accessible category buttons and a clear search bar

CRISP

A systems approach to restoring trust and agency in grocery delivery

OPEN BUILD

This is a design Log: a living record of my process, where I share decisions, research artifacts, and mistakes in real time. Both the direction and the design could shift and evolve in response to community critique, and/or new insights.

01 / THE EXPERIENCE

STATUS: ACTIVE

4 . 18 . 2026

I am building CRISP to restore trust and agency in the grocery delivery service for experienced adults by leading with value and respect. My mission is to embody 'elegant accessibility': the belief that by designing for specific human needs, we create a more intuitive, frictionless experience for everyone.

5 . 12 . 2026

CORRECTION!

I am building CRISP to restore trust and agency in the grocery delivery service for experienced adults by leading with value and respect. The target is to embody 'the curb cut effect': the belief that by designing for specific human needs, we create a more intuitive, frictionless experience for everyone. The experience will embody ‘Elegant accessibility’ — my vision to steer away from the utility-like feel typical of digital products aiming to serve the aging users.

02 / RESEARCH

STATUS: ACTIVE

4 . 20 . 2026

Desk research reveals a landscape of friction for older adults: mandatory account creation acting like a gatekeeper, intrusive data collection, and the noise of unsolicited recommendations.

A digital artifact labeled 'Artifact 2.1' showing aggregated research findings on usability barriers for older adults, including physical/sensory declines, cognitive overload, and anxiety over technological updates.
A digital artifact labeled 'Artifact 2.1' showing aggregated research findings on usability barriers for older adults, including physical/sensory declines, cognitive overload, and anxiety over technological updates.

Artifact 2.1 / Aggregated research findings: usability, physical, and cognitive barriers

A digital artifact labeled 'Artifact 2.2' showing research findings focused on trust and values, highlighting concerns over digital fraud, data privacy, and the rejection of technologies that conflict with relational or ethical values.
A digital artifact labeled 'Artifact 2.2' showing research findings focused on trust and values, highlighting concerns over digital fraud, data privacy, and the rejection of technologies that conflict with relational or ethical values.

Artifact 2.2 / Aggregated research findings: trust and value alignment

TOOLING IMPACT

STATUS: ACTIVE

5 . 11 . 2026

NotebookLM and Manus are my research partners. By gathering huge amounts of data in response to research questions regarding aging consumers’ buying habits, their friction points in the digital experience, and the psychological nuances of the online shopping experience of senior citizens, these powerful research tools allowed for a solid foundation of knowledge that will directly inform my interview guide.

INTERVIEW PREP & PROCESS

STATUS: IN PROGRESS

5 . 11 . 2026

Potential interview candidates:

  • Neighbors 60+

  • Local senior center visitors

  • My Pilates buddies who are 60+

Interviews expected June 2026

6 . 3 . 2026 — Interview process began.

  • 5 . 10. 2026

    How often do you use grocery delivery services?

    • Never

    • 1 - 3 times/month

    • 4 or more times/month

    Only respondents who use it 4 or more times/month will be interview candidates. Familiarity with the experience is a key factor for the credibility of the replies.

    5 . 11. 2026

    How old are you?

    • 60 — 70

    • 71 — 80

    • Over 80

    Almost missed that one! I have been internalizing the age factor the whole time that I forgot to explicitly mention it.

    All respondents in these ranges are interview candidates. The granular brackets are intentional — the needs and friction points of a 62-year-old may differ significantly from those of an 82-year-old. CRISP is designed to serve the full spectrum of senior experience.

    How often do you use grocery delivery services?

    • Never

    • 1 — 3 times/month

    • 4 or more times/month

    Frequent users (4+ times/month) provide credibility through familiarity. Occasional users (1—3 times/month) may reveal why commitment is hard to sustain. Non-users may reveal the barriers that prevented adoption altogether. All three perspectives are valuable to CRISP.

    Initially, I was going to consider only frequent users — that would have been a missed opportunity.

    • How would you describe your experience? Why is that so?

    • How would you describe the experience to someone who has never used that service before?

    • Tell me 3 things that you like and 3 things that you do not like about the experience with the delivery service that you currently use. Could you elaborate on why you feel that way?

    • Were you using a different one in the past? Which one? What made you quit?

    • What would make you switch to another service? Why?

    • If there is a “dream grocery delivery service,” what do you expect out of it? (updated 5 . 31 . 2026)

    • How does the service you are currently using make you feel? Why do you feel that way?

    The emotional question is intentionally last — respondents reflect on their feelings after articulating opinions, not before.

See Interview Notes 
03 / VISION

STATUS: ACTIVE

4 . 22 . 2026

To maintain project focus, I began by sketching the core experience principles that would govern every design decision that follows.

Handwritten CRISP design note outlining three values: freedom, calm efficiency, and control and respect.

Artifact 3.1 / Freedom, efficiency and respect

Handwritten design notes clarifying that CRISP is a holistic service and experience involving users and store staff, rather than a standalone 'AI-powered' app. It emphasizes a mental model where AI remains 'INVISIBLE' to the user.

Artifact 3.2 / Invisible service

Handwritten planning notes describing the desired emotional relationship between the user and the system: an experience that feels intuitive, knowing 'when to speak and when to give space' without being demanding or judging.
Handwritten planning notes describing the desired emotional relationship between the user and the system: an experience that feels intuitive, knowing 'when to speak and when to give space' without being demanding or judging.

Artifact 3.3 / Emotional tone

snippet of handwritten notes labeled 'Artifact 3.4' referencing the 'curb-cut effect,' articulating the vision that by designing CRISP for the specific needs of seniors, the resulting experience will be useful for everyone.
snippet of handwritten notes labeled 'Artifact 3.4' referencing the 'curb-cut effect,' articulating the vision that by designing CRISP for the specific needs of seniors, the resulting experience will be useful for everyone.

Artifact 3.4 / Universal design

Updated 5 . 26 . 2026

Added for clarity

These sketches led to the six testable system constraints, defined below.

04 /  DEFINITION

STATUS: ACTIVE

FOCUS: EXPERIENCE LOGIC

5 . 3 . 2026

Updated 5 . 26 . 2026

— Constraints expanded from 4 to 6 to align with vision pillars.

Trust — The system will request information only when strictly necessary and only after demonstrating value.

Agency — The system will never use dark patterns, urgency cues, or default selections that steer users toward a specific action against their will.

Freedom — The system will never penalize exploration: no dead ends, no confirmation anxiety, no irreversible actions without a clear reversible path.

Respect — The system will never use diminutive language, oversimplified instructions, or reassurance phrases like "Don't worry" or "It’s easy!"

Invisible Service — The system will never surface AI as a feature. Personalization will manifest as calm accuracy, not a flashy announcement.

Curb-Cut Effect — Every accessibility decision will be evaluated for its benefit to all users, not just seniors.

The system “fails” if it stops delivering these values.

05 / VISUAL LANGUAGE

STATUS: IN PROGRESS

FOCUS: VISUAL DESIGN DECISIONS EXPLAINED

5 . 6 . 2026

Translating Experience Pillars into Visual Decisions

Mapping the 4 pillars to a visual execution strategy is the first step.

Note: The table below is not yet conclusive.

A four-column planning table mapping CRISP's design pillars to their visual execution strategy. Columns are: Pillar, Core Logic (The Why), Visual Translation, and Execution Strategy. The four pillars are Trust, Respect, Agency, and Freedom
A four-column planning table mapping CRISP's design pillars to their visual execution strategy. Columns are: Pillar, Core Logic (The Why), Visual Translation, and Execution Strategy. The four pillars are Trust, Respect, Agency, and Freedom

Artifact 5.1 / Initial visual language audit with Gemini

Typeface Selection Process

Accessibility was the non-negotiable starting point. The question then became: which typefaces pass a rigorous legibility test and carry the premium feel CRISP's users deserve.

5 . 13 . 2026

Updated 5 . 26 . 2026

— WHY column added to document the reasoning behind each verdict.

Testing letter legibility and typeface aesthetic fit

Non-serif candidates

The first three candidates — Lexend, Atkinson Hyperlegible, and Radio Canada — emerged from research into the most legible typefaces for low-vision and aging users. Poppins was introduced as a contrast test: a widely used, character-rich font to see if aesthetic appeal could compensate for lower legibility. It couldn't.

Artifact 5.2 / LlI1 letter legibility test — Lexend, Atkinson Hyperlegible, and Radio Canada pass; Poppins fails

Updated 6 . 1 . 2026

— Verdict system refined: legibility and aesthetic fit are now evaluated and displayed separately.

— Lexend's legibility verdict corrected from 'partial pass' to 'fail' — the I/1 distinction issue is an unacceptable risk in a grocery context where quantities and prices must be unambiguous.

— Upon closer examination, Radio Canada fails the legibility test — the capital I and numeral 1 are not sufficiently distinct for senior users.

— Atkinson's aesthetic assessment updated: while functionally strong, it does not quite meet CRISP's premium feel requirement.

Artifact 5.3 (Updated 6.1 .2026) / LlI1 letter legibility test — revised verdicts with separate legibility and aesthetic fit criteria; Radio Canada and Atkinson assessments updated.

Serif candidates

Serifs were explored as candidates and put through the same legibility test.

Updated 6 . 2 . 2026

— Serifs were explored for their ability to evoke elegance, authority, and trust — core values in CRISP. However, none of the candidates passed the legibility test.

— Lora, Source Serif 4, and Merriweather passed the aesthetic fit, with the latter showing the most promise.

—Merriweather may be considered for headings only, where larger sizes reduce the risk of ambiguity.

—Search continues.

Artifact 5.4 (6.2.2026) / LlI1 letter legibility test — serif candidates evaluated against legibility and aesthetic fit criteria

UP NEXT

  • Spacing system

  • Art direction

  • Color — pending interview findings, which may influence final decisions.

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