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An embodied interactive product based on gastrointestinal sensory response to women's healthy eating problems
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School of Arts, Design and Architecture |
Master's thesis
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Authors
Teng, Xuemiao
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en
Pages
69
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Abstract
This thesis focuses on women experiencing extreme eating behaviors driven by body image anxiety and disrupted interoceptive awareness. It aims to enhance women's awareness of gastrointestinal health and bodily self-consciousness through the development and application of embodied interactive wearable devices. By combining gut-brain axis theory with embodied interaction technology, the devices provide intuitive, multimodal feedback (tactile and thermal) designed to recalibrate users' perception of internal bodily signals, effectively interrupting maladaptive cycles between disordered eating habits and emotional distress.
Employing a mixed-methods design, the study includes narrative interviews to uncover critical triggers and emotional responses related to interoceptive disruptions, contextual experience sampling to collect dynamic real-time data linking physiological hunger signals with emotional states and eating behaviors, and participatory workshops to explore sensory preferences and derive women-centered design principles.
These methods informed the iterative design of the interactive product, emphasizing modular adaptability, tactile intimacy, rigorous data sovereignty, and personalized sensory engagement to address the specific needs identified through user research. The resulting embodied interactive wearable demonstrates the potential for empowering users by prioritizing bodily au-tonomy, emotional comfort, and aesthetic preferences.
This approach signifies a meaningful shift from traditional health monitoring to holistic somatic empowerment, offering a user-centered solution grounded in gastrointestinal sensory feedback. However, limitations such as sample homogeneity, absence of continuous real-time physiological data, and short-term evaluation indicate directions for future research. Subsequent studies should explore broader demographic diversity, implement continuous physiological monitoring, evaluate long-term efficacy, and develop community-oriented support mechanisms through wearable interactions.