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Food insecurity is a social and economic condition where an individual or household have difficulty to obtain safe and nutritious food. Food insecurity in America is a serious issue given that more than 30 million people in America are food insecure. The complex nature of the problem cannot be address by federal nutrition assistance programs alone. Non-profit hunger relief organizations also play a significant role. Feeding America is the nation’s largest hunger relief organization and has over 200 affiliated food banks. Those food banks used to focus on providing emergency food assistance, more and more are paying more attention to the needs and preferences of the people they serve and provide culturally relevant food and food that meets the dietary and other health considerations. Working with a local food bank and its affiliated partner agencies, neighbor preference data were collected. An interactive dashboard was developed to allow decision-makers of the food bank to make evidence-based informed decisions in complex hunger relief operations such as food procurement and distribution. 

Food banks are key players in the fight against hunger. The complexity of the food bank operations data makes decision-making very challenging. Data visualization can allow food bank operations managers to quickly and easily understand the data and make evidence-based decisions. However, poorly designed visualizations could be confusing and/or misleading. This study uses eye-tracking technology to understand how users interact with various food bank data visualizations and use eye-tracking data to better design those visualizations. The findings of this study will have an impact on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the food bank operations.