Play with Morphing Food
Figure: Children utilize the Play with Morphing Food toolkit (1), which includes a food library, trigger tools (exemplified by the use of wafer paper (2)), and instruction cards. They adeptly create personalized morphing dishes (3 and 4) and derive enjoyment from tasting their creations (5).
Abstract
To support children’s food interaction and enhance their understanding of food through morphing food technology, we develop a design exploration through the Research through Design (RtD) methodology. Our exploration integrates four stages: (1) defining design objectives through empathy with stakeholders, (2) investigating morphing food materials to understand their deformation mechanisms, (3) designing and iteratively developing tools based on user feedback, and (4) conducting a workshop-based evaluation. Our design outcome is a toolkit, comprising a morphing food library, trigger tools, and instructional interfaces. The workshop showed that through interaction with morphing food, children learned not only scientific principles but also developed culinary skills, as well as the diversity of food forms and functions. We discussed the detailed findings, insights, and implications for future design.
For more details, please refer to the video and paper linked at the bottom of this page.
Authors
Guanyun Wang, Yilin Shao, Boyu Feng, Mengge Wang, Xiaojing Zhou, Yifan Yan, Zhengke Li, Yue Yang, Kuangqi Zhu, Yanan Wang, Lingyun Sun, Ye Tao
Publication Information
Journal: IJHCI (International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction)
Received 29 Feb 2024
Accepted 01 Nov 2024
Published online: 02 Dec 2024
DOI: 10.1080/10447318.2024.2427407
Notes
This project was built on the foundations of EdibleToy, where my team and I explored the potential of edible thin films as interactive materials for children. In this follow-up work, we expanded our experimentation to a wider range of edible materials and developed a comprehensive toolkit for children.
As the project lead, I was responsible for managing the overall research while staying deeply involved in material testing, user research, and other hands-on aspects of the study. I also took the lead in writing the long-form paper documenting our findings. Since this was my first time authoring such a comprehensive manuscript, I acknowledge there are areas for improvement, and I sincerely welcome feedback and guidance from colleagues in the field.