Bon Appetit
This project aims to develop an innovative digital plate designed to assist individuals with eating disorders and fitness enthusiasts. The plate will incorporate advanced technology to aid in managing eating habits and nutritional intake.
Time
February -Present 2024
Team Project
Responsibilities
User Research, Interview, Prototyping, Wireframe, Hardware & Software Developing.
Tools
Figma
Adobe Illustrator & Adobe Photoshop
Arduino
Processing
Rhino
Introduction
It's not just any plate, though.
This one's special because it's designed to help people who find eating tough, like those dealing with eating disorders, and folks who are super into staying fit.
The idea is to use some smart tech to keep an eye on what you're eating and help you manage your meals better.
Think of it as your food buddy that knows exactly what you need, whether you're trying to overcome challenges with eating or just want to make sure you're getting the right nutrients to stay in shape.
We're bringing something new to the table (literally!) that could change the way we think about eating healthily.
Design Framework
01.
Research
02.
Ideation
03.
Prototyping
04.
Development
05.
Iteration
01. Research
Backgrounds
Amidst the fast-paced modern lifestyle and cultural pressures, many grapple with eating issues, from binge eating to anorexia, exacerbated by a flood of generic health advice and social media-driven body ideals.
Despite numerous digital health tools, there's a glaring need for personalized solutions that address the complex psychological and emotional dimensions of eating, highlighting the gap between current resources and the nuanced realities of individual dietary habits.
Why diet tracking is important
The Tracking Dilemma
While diet tracking offers numerous benefits, it also presents a dilemma as it can lead to obsessive behaviors and exacerbate eating disorders in some individuals.
Our Users
Individuals with Eating Issues
People managing conditions like anorexia or binge eating disorder, who require supportive tools that offer gentle guidance without being prescriptive or triggering.
Health-Conscious Individuals
People aiming to maintain a balanced diet and interested in leveraging technology to make informed dietary choices easily.
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🌽
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Fitness Enthusiasts
Those focused on precise nutritional intake to support their fitness goals, looking for ways to accurately balance their meals according to specific nutrient ratios.
Elevated Dining Enthusiasts
Those seeking to enhance the ambiance and ritual of eating with a blend of technology and tradition, aiming for a formal yet health-conscious dining experience
Interviews
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Interview with Olivia, a Parent
Q: What are your priorities when it comes to meal planning for your family?
A: "I'm trying to teach my kids about healthy eating without making it seem like a chore. It's challenging to find ways to visually show them what a balanced plate looks like in a way that's fun and engaging."
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Interview with Kristine, Experiencing an Eating Issue
Q: In terms of technology or tools, what support do you find lacking in your journey towards healthier eating habits?
A: "Many apps are focused on weight loss or calorie counting, which can be triggering. I need something that gently guides me towards better eating habits without making me obsess over numbers."
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Interview with Alex, a Fitness Enthusiast
Q: How do you currently manage your nutrient intake, and what difficulties do you encounter?
A: "I track my macros with an app, but it's tedious. I spend so much time weighing food and logging it. A more direct, visual way to ensure I'm getting the right balance without all the logging would be a game-changer."
Competitive Research
Smart Plate
Key Features
Technologies
Automatically weighs and analyzes food with digital cameras and load sensors.
Physical plate with a mobile app for data tracking and analysis.
Limitations
Fixed plate, hard to adjust and update eating plan
Soulplate
Key features
By changing the color of the plate, creating a sensory eating experience
Technologies
A plate with LEDs to enhance eating experiences, users can change colors by slider
Limitations
Limited functions except for changing colors
Insights - Painpoints & Needs
Lack of Personalization
Diet plans often don't match individual needs due to their generic approach, making adherence difficult.
Technology Integration
Existing diet and fitness trackers fail to offer an integrated, engaging experience with real-time eating guidance.
Portion Control and Nutrient Balance
Diet plans often don't match individual needs due to their generic approach, making adherence difficult.
Accessibility
Many dietary management tools are not user-friendly, posing challenges for those with specific health conditions or limited tech skills.
Psychological Factors
Dietary habits are heavily influenced by psychological elements like stress and mood, an area overlooked by many dietary tools.
Social and Emotional Support
Lack of motivational and emotional support makes diet management harder, revealing a need for tools that offer more than just physical health guidance.
Persona
Jasmine
Goals
Challenges
25, Graduate Student
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Find a quick and manageable way to ensure her meals are balanced, nutritious, and align with her health objectives.
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Incorporate a dietary management tool that seamlessly integrates into her lifestyle, offering ease without becoming another task on her to-do list.
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Overcome emotional eating by identifying healthier eating patterns and reducing meal-related stress.
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Her emotional eating tendencies complicate her efforts to maintain portion control and make healthy choices, especially under stress.
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She frequently opts for convenience foods due to time constraints, leading to guilt and further stress over her dietary choices.
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Overwhelmed by generic nutrition advice that doesn’t cater to her personal health goals or consider her emotional eating habits.
David
31, Freelance Personal Trainer
Goals
Challenges
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Precisely manage his nutrient intake to support his active lifestyle while adhering to his dietary restrictions.
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Find a stress-free way to adjust his meals for balance and variety without compromising his health.
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Share his journey and insights with clients and fellow fitness enthusiasts.
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Difficulty finding tools that can adapt to his specific dietary needs while also supporting his fitness goals.
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Time-consuming meal preparation and planning due to his gluten sensitivity.
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Seeking ways to make his dietary restrictions less of a barrier to enjoying meals.
02. Ideation
Our Concept
A digital plate to support individuals with eating disorders and fitness enthusiasts by using advanced technology to enhance eating habits and nutritional management.
Why Plate?
Universal Use
Direct Meal Interaction
Simplicity & Accessibility
Our Functions
Nutrient Ratio Displays
The design includes segmented partitions on the plate, guiding users to allocate their food according to specific nutrient ratios. This system, adaptable to individual dietary information, aims to streamline meal planning and ensure each meal is nutritionally balanced, aligning with the user's health objectives seamlessly.
Color Changing Technology
It is scientifically proven that the color of the plate can affect on people's appetite effectively【ref】.
Integrating color psychology, the plate employs materials capable of changing colors to influence users' appetites and eating habits subtly. This feature is crafted to impact food consumption psychologically, nudging users towards healthier eating habits by leveraging strategic color cues.
Incentives and feedback
The concept involves visual and haptic feedback mechanisms as a means to boost motivation towards achieving dietary goals. By recognizing and celebrating users' progress, it offers encouragement and tangible rewards, keeping users on track with their nutritional objectives.
Companion App for Tracking and Analysis
A planned app aims to complement the plate, providing a straightforward way for users to log their eating habits and nutritional intake. With functionalities for detailed meal logging, comprehensive nutritional analysis, and personalized progress tracking, the app is designed to equip users with crucial insights for optimizing their dietary health.
Sketches
03. Prototyping
Icons
Wireframes
On Boarding - Personal Setup
Users input their personal physical info and goals, as well as their restrictions and preferences, the project will generate a suggested dietary plan for them according to these data
Main Page - Choose Mode
Mood Mode - Plate Color Changing
After input their personal info for first using this app, the main page shows for major functions of our app, users and merely choose "mood" mode for changing the color of the plate and stimulate different vibes for different appetite, or use the digital plate for regulating their meals.
And also users can choose more optional mode like "dynamic duo" for just have a bright dynamic visual effect for the eating vibe, or in a customizing mode so they can freely change their food plan
"Ratio" Mode - Regulate Meals
Generate suggested dietary plan
Dashboard Journal
04. Development
3D Modeling and 3D printing
Hardware Integration - Weight sensors & LED Strips
Software Development
05. Iteration
Testing & Feedbacks
After launching user tests with our prototype, we got many solid feedbacks and suggestions. And we summarized the points that we are going to work on to iterate our projects:
Refinement on outer look
We plan to redesign the appearance of our product to make it more visually appealing. Previously, due to the rush to produce a prototype and limitations in our equipment, the final design was quite basic.
To encourage user adoption, we aim to rethink the materials and shapes used and consider practical aspects like cleaning. This includes using waterproof materials and designs that are easier to clean.
Set boundaries for users
In the customization features, we need to implement boundary settings to prevent users from setting extreme dietary goals that contradict the health-oriented purpose of our product. For example, we must devise ways to gently discourage users from setting unhealthily diets like low-calorie or non-carbs/non-fat targets.
More Physical Interaction
We want most of the interactive actions to occur on the plate itself, rather than overly relying on the app, like most products currently do. We plan to maximize the use of our sensors and LED interaction modules to enhance the interactivity of the plate.
Reconsider the User Behavior Flow
We aim to improve how we record eating habits, which may require integrating functions like photography. However, we need to consider whether users are willing to photograph their food before eating and how we can streamline the process of setting up the plate and app to enhance user experience by reducing redundancy and simplifying operations.
To Be Continued...