A study on dining experience design: For people with taste disorders
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School of Arts, Design and Architecture |
Master's thesis
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Date
2023
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Master’s Programme in Design
Language
en
Pages
58+12
Series
Abstract
The sense of taste holds a crucial role in numerous aspects of human life, influencing food intake, nutritional equilibrium, personal safety, interpersonal communication, and mental well-being. When the senses of smell and taste become impaired, adverse effects extend to an individual's appetite, perceptual abilities, and dietary balance. In addition to the physiological effects, taste disorders can also precipitate a range of emotional challenges. Addressing the enhancement of dining experiences for individuals with taste disorders is not only essential but also an urgent contemporary issue that designers need to face in the current social context. The study establish a systematic model of the dining experience, building upon the analysis of The Meal Experience Scale proposed by Kiattipoom and Ian. This model integrates the three primary factors influencing user experience, alongside considering the span of time. This study initially classified people with taste disorders, focusing on those aged 18 to 35 with hyposmia as the main symptom. Through shadowing observation and semi-structured interviews, a diverse group of participants was engaged, including 2 pregnant women, 1 person with head trauma, 3 persons with psychological disorders, 2 persons with long-term sequelae of COVID-19, 1 person undergoing head and neck radiation therapy, and 2 breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. This diversified selection enabled the study to comprehensively capture the perceptions of individuals with taste disorders regarding the context, product system, and interpersonal interactions during dining experiences. This approach facilitated a thorough understanding of participants' dining scenarios, pain points, and needs, as well as their expectations. By analyzing the collected data, this study provides insights into the elemental characteristics of the dining experience system for the target user group from the perspectives of dining environment, types of food, and utensil products. It explores changes in dining habits following taste disorders, along with summarizing dining expectations, needs, and specific emphases of the younger taste-impaired people. Furthermore, the study consolidates and summarizes emotional needs of individuals with taste disorders concerning Novelty, Healing, Ritual, Companionship and Safety. The study results the importance of emotional design principles, including instinctual, behavioral, and reflective dimensions, to optimize the dining experience for people with taste disorders. In conclusion, this thesis contributes to the design for people suffering from taste disorders, including patients with new crown sequelae, in order to improve their dining experience, reshape the close relationship between people and food, and stimulate the attention of the community to people with abnormal sense of taste.Description
Supervisor
Roto, VirpiThesis advisor
Yu, YingKeywords
dining experience design, taste disorders, hypogeusia, design principle, semi-structure interview, emotional needs