Design of a product that facilitates weight management by means of mindful eating
E.N. Toet · 2010
This reports describes the results of an Industrial Design (IPD) graduation project that was carried out in the Human Interaction & Experiences department of Philips Research Eindhoven. The user-centred design process resulted in a product that facilitates weight management by means of mindful eating. At the start of the project, existing literature on ‘mindful eating’ was explored. In addition, interviews with potential end-users were carried out, to explore interesting directions for innovative products in the area of mindful eating.. It was concluded that users were not interested in a product that solely enhances mindful eating, but they preferred to use mindful eating as a tool for weight management. Six design directions were defined, of which the search areas ‘portion size’, ‘slow down eating rate’ and ‘second serving timer’ were believed to have most potential for Philips Research. The focus of the project was specified as ‘preventing people from taking a second serving at dinnertime by means of mindful eating’ in relation to weight management. The three selected search areas, also called design directions, were studied in literature and analyzed by means of BJ Foggs’ behaviour model for persuasive design. As it appeared that long-term behaviour change was an important aspect of the design, an existing venture within Philips, called DirectLife, was also analysed to examine how their methods could be applied to this project. The conclusions were combined in a preliminary design brief. Next, ideas were generated by means of brainstorms and sketching. Six ideas were developed into scenarios; two per design direction. The scenarios were shown to 12 participants with an interest in weight management and led to the idea choice for the scenario ‘chopping board’. Subsequently, this scenario was evaluated by two nutrition experts and two members of the DirectLife team, which resulted in a design brief. The focus of the project shifted towards the design of a chopping board that provides feedback on portion size and is positioned as an extension of the DirectLife brand. Based on the design brief, three concepts were developed that differed on several aspects, such as usage, interface, and material selection. The three concepts were evaluated during a user test in Philips’ ExperienceLab by means of mock-up models. The results from the user test were unambiguous: all participants preferred the concept ‘slim as an ordinary chopping board’. This concept was developed into a preliminary design, which included the design of the tangible product, the interface and the integration in the DirectLife portfolio. The preliminary design was evaluated in the kitchen environment of Philips’ ExperienceLab by means of a working prototype. Ten participants were instructed to cook a recipe and determine their portion size by means of the prototype. The results suggest that the product could be effective in facilitating the user to eat more mindful in order to manage his/her weight. The participants had a positive attitude towards the product and the additional DirectLife Food program. Their remarks indicated that nearly all criteria and requirements specified throughout this project are satisfied. Long term effect of the usage of this product should be studied in a longitudinal study.