For this assignment, we had to design a vending machine that satisfied the needs of our specific neighborhoods. My neighborhood is Jackson Heights and this neighborhood has a lot of different local businesses from different cultures and countries.
In a way to support these businesses: restaurants, vendors, markets and the neighborhood’s community, I chose to create a vending machine that would give information to the locals and tourists, and recommend one of these businesses based on what the people are looking for.
Everyone would have to pay a small amount of money to unlock the screen and then they would select their need: information, food or markets. They can choose a type of food, based on country/culture or a specific type of food and the machine would recommend specific places for what they’re looking for and print a coupon for that specific restaurant with a little map printed on the back that would indicate how to get to the chosen place.
All the profits would go to a local charity, this way helping the community in different aspects and encouraging people to go to the local restaurants or vendors for food, helping the small businesses around the neighborhood.
I remember doing this exercise during the class before spring break started and I had a totally different idea for the vending machine. After the whole chaos of Covid19 and having to move out of NY I lost the printed worksheet and I couldn’t remember my previous idea. It was a bit frustrating having to do it all over again but I think that after having more time of working with the neighborhood and its needs I could provide a more helpful vending machine to help the community than before. It was fun trying to come up with a concept that would be different from a normal vending machine in order to help the neighborhood. I think it’s a very simple but helpful exercise to identify the general needs of a group of people or a way to help the community.
