INTRODUCTION
Roles
Softwares
The content below is my undergraduate thesis project. I have a deep interest in mental health, and chose the topic of Eating Disorders as the focus for my project – a subject that resonated with me on a personal level. My hope was that someone attending OCAD’s thesis Exhibition spectators would feel a sense of connection upon seeing my work, and reach out to help their loved ones. With that goal set in my mind, I strived to design meaningful experiences for both affected individuals and their loved ones.
Problem Framing
Design Research
On-site Product Testing
Interaction Design
3D modelling
Photoshop Illustrator
Adobe XD After Effects
Rhino 3D
The goal of this project is to provide different ways to access educational information in regards to prevention, interventions and treatment of Eating Disorder while encouraging families to become more involved in the recovery journey of the victims.
Heed provide an understanding about Eating Disorder and foster empathy through 3 core products: an educational board game, a set of empathetic eating utensils and a mobile application.
MYSTERIOUS DINER
MYSTERIOUS DINER
In Mystery Diner, the game board depicts a dining table with different choices of food, as well as the events that occur in each player’s life and the emotions they experience. Players put themselves into either the shoes of the sufferer or someone who lives with an affected individual. Through playing the game, they are able to learn about eating disorders from both perspectives.
On each turn, a player can make use of their characters' abilities to find out what other players are eating. Then, they can add or replace the food item or reverse a daily event. One deck of cards provides the players with both foods and actions. The other provides them with daily event cards that could impact their overall points.
Each player takes a unique role in the family, they must plan their approaches strategically and cooperate with each other so that they can identify the hidden victim. If they fail to stop the victim from eating disorderly, or fail to keep themselves healthy, they lose - in which case, the victim conquers the game. If they manage to keep the victim healthy through all rounds, they all win the game!
EMPATHETIC EATING UTENSILS
EMPATHETIC EATING UTENSILS
A set of eating tools intended to be used by those who would like to gain a deeper understanding about eating disorder. Each piece translates a different eating disorder behaviour and make eating unpleasant, time-consuming, including other difficulties such as chewing, swallowing. Users go through discomfort and frustration while using the tools, which allows them to establish an emotional connection with affected individuals.
OBSESSIVE MEASURING
Designed for solid food. The fork is hinged in the middle and can only carry a small amount of food at a time, too much food causes it to break in half and spill everything back into the food container.
AVOIDANCE OF EATING
The use of the empathetic toolkit is meant to be facilitated in a hospital training program, where family and friends can take part and become involved in the treatment and recovery journey of their loved one.
Designed for both solid food and liquids. The bowl is magnetic and will be attracted to any metallic utensils, making it difficult for users to pick up their food.
PLAYING WITH FOOD
Designed for soup/liquid. In the body of the spoon lies a hollow channel, which causes fluid to flow backward into the food container
SELF-INDUCED VOMITING
Intended for both solid food and fluid. The bowl is magnetic and will be attracted to any metallic utensils, making it difficult for users to pick up their food.
EDDIE
EDDIE
Eddie is a digital application that features:
1. An online platform that allows networking among professionals , patients and families of patients to exchange information.
2. An AI training program to educate users about non-violent-communication and help them communicate more effectively with people who have eating disorders or seem to have early symptoms.
THE PROCESS
THE DESIGN
CHALLENGE
Social media is promoting a culture of body shaming, unrealistic body expectations and dieting references that aren’t scientifically proven to be effective. Body-weight teasing that persists both at home and outside of home could significantly increase the odds of engaging in extreme weight-control behaviours as well as developing a distorted perception towards eating and food in adolescents.
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How might we raise awareness of eating disorders and strengthen empathy for those affected by them among families and the general public?
As I expanded my research on the topic, I came to see the central design challenge: How can design address a mental health problem which has no one-fit solution? This question became the driving force behind my project. I learned to reach out to professionals to obtain facts and important information to deepen my knowledge about the issue and generate new design concepts.
Below are the different research methods I used.
FACILITATING WORKSHOPS / INTERVIEWS
Activities range from group brainstorming to empathetic role-play to quick design challenges. I wanted to see my peers' solutions to my topic. With the expert interview all together, I spent quite a lengthy amount of time on my research.
USER JOURNEY MAPPING
When I gathered enough facts, I created relationship maps, often with visuals added to make them more interesting. This way, my peers can get a better understanding of my findings when I presented them.
Click on the maps to view full size
DIAGRAMS AND MORE SCRIBBLINGS..
At this step, there were numerous diagrams with different information. The goal was to draw relevant connections between them and identify any insights/underlying problems.
Click on the maps to view full size
I drew upon personal experiences as well as empathy-driven secondary research and other intellectual sources to support my own findings. Having deepened my understanding of the problem space, I began to look for design opportunities and challenged myself with various design concepts. Each of these concepts went through several iterations, from rough models to refined 3D printed objects. I wanted to test the interactions that suited the context of each product, accessibility, and were intuitive to use.
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Board game's evolution
Initial user testings
Functional 3D print tests
PROCESS EXAMPLES
Functional app mock-ups
As I narrowed my focus, I reviewed my theories and selected a few social aspects I wanted to focus on. I created many prototype iterations and facilitated user testing sessions, which led me to realize that my problem space was much bigger than just dealing with the clinical symptoms: it had to do with a diverse range of roles, needs, motivations and behaviours associated with Eating Disorders.
SEMI-REFINED PROTOTYPES WERE DISPLAYED AT DESIGNTO 2019- OFF COURSE
Describe your image
A final system developed based on feedbacks and reflections
Click on the maps to view full size
My final design outcome took the form of 3 very different products. Each is intended to cater to different user groups through a range of different situations and contexts of use. The goal was to create personally meaningful experiences for the broad range of people they can relate to their lives and loved ones to build up awareness and support structures in our society. The whole experience working on this project was meaningful to me as the hard work I put in gave me a sense of accomplishment while showing me where my strengths and weaknesses lie.
FINAL PROTOTYPES WERE DISPLAYED AT OCADU'S GRADEX 2019
