Kitchef: A TUI for Parent-Child Cooking Together
Noa Morag Yaar, Ofir Sadka, Itay Shatil, Maayan Aharonson, Bar Efrima, Tal Barda, Mira Hayat, Oren Zuckerman, Hadas Erel · 2024
The benefit of cooking with children goes beyond the act of preparing food. Studies highlight how cooking together can help children develop openness to diverse food, a sense of independence, and can enrich the parent-child relationship. However, challenges such as parents concerns from the messy process and children’s lack of engagement, often hinder the motivation to cook together. We present the design and preliminary evaluation of a Tangible User Interface (TUI) for encouraging parents and children to cook together. The TUI is designed as a cooking recipe smart box and a pair of wristbands. A preliminary study with five families revealed that the TUI was successful in allowing for more control and visibility while maintaining flexibility in the cooking process. It also enhanced teamwork, high engagement, and physical closeness. Our results suggest that the TUI can assist parents and children in cooking together.