Because of their over-concern with body shape and weight, chronic dieters may eventually damage their physical and mental health. Typical problems include hair loss, extreme hunger, depression, and food obsession. For the sake of their health, they have to get rid of chronic dieting and change their restrained eating behavior. This project will focus on chronic dieters who have been aware of the harm of a long-term restrained diet and are willing to change their current eating habits. Specifically, I will tackle the Chinese college female students who are in their 20s.
This project aims to develop a product that guides chronic dieters to counter their fear of eating and to finally formulate a personalized food ritual. Getting rid of restrained eating does not mean they will end up eating a lot of junk food and have a disastrous life. But they will be more mindful about the food they eat. Their focus will be shifted from calories or nutrition of food, and how food makes them gain weight to the essence of food and their internal feeling due to eating. In this way, they will receive positive experiences and memories that will confirm their decisions of giving up dieting to pursue a healthier lifestyle.
The result turns out to be a product that accompanies and guides the user to be more mindful throughout the eating journey. Foodpal is a product with a pair of chopsticks linked to a plant-growing app. The pressure sensor on the head of the chopsticks can monitor the user's eating speed, thereby affecting the growth of plants on the app. The interaction with the app encourages the user to be more mindful of the eating process. The growth of the plant on one hand is a metaphor for the recovery of the user's body due to eating. On the other hand, it is the reward for the user’s courage to fight against their fear of eating and gaining weight, so that they can be motivated to keep eating in a new mindful way.