The Family Meal Project

The Family Meal Project

The Family Meal Project

How might we inspire households to adopt healthier eating habits?

How might we inspire households to adopt healthier eating habits?

Project Scope

Project Scope

Project Scope

Brief by: IDEO

Project Type:
 Academic (2 weeks)

Brief by: IDEO

Project time: 4 Weeks

Project Type:
 Academic (2 weeks)

Project time: 4 Weeks

My Role: UX Researcher, UX Designer.

My Role:
UX Researcher, UX Designer.

My Role: UX Researcher, UX Designer.

Methodologies:

Contextual Inquiry
Affinity Mapping

Directed Storytelling
Empathy Mapping
Crazy Eights
Impact vs. Effort Matrix

Methodologies:

Contextual Inquiry
Affinity Mapping

Directed Storytelling
Empathy Mapping
Crazy Eights
Impact vs. Effort Matrix

Methodologies:

Contextual Inquiry
Affinity Mapping

Directed Storytelling
Empathy Mapping
Crazy Eights
Impact vs. Effort Matrix

Tools
Miro, Figma Artboard, Post-it Notes

Tools
Miro, Figma Artboard, Post-it Notes

Tools
Miro, Figma Artboard, Post-it Notes

Project Brief

Project Brief

Project Brief

As a child, would you rather have eaten carrots or dessert? For most children, the answer is dessert. It just tastes better at that age. In 2013, an estimated 43 million children (under the age of five) suffered from early obesity globally, a 60% increase since 1990. Some might blame this increase on a shift in exercise habits with the advent of video games,

Tablets, and cell phones. Others might point to the family structure and a decline in family mealtime routines. Regardless of the cause, children have less focus and energy without proper nutritional intake. So, what might you do to solve this challenge?
How might you inspire households to adopt healthier eating habits?

As a child, would you rather have eaten carrots or dessert? For most children, the answer is dessert. It just tastes better at that age. In 2013, an estimated 43 million children (under the age of five) suffered from early obesity globally, a 60% increase since 1990. Some might blame this increase on a shift in exercise habits with the advent of video games,

Tablets, and cell phones. Others might point to the family structure and a decline in family mealtime routines. Regardless of the cause, children have less focus and energy without proper nutritional intake. So, what might you do to solve this challenge?
How might you inspire households to adopt healthier eating habits?

As a child, would you rather have eaten carrots or dessert? For most children, the answer is dessert. It just tastes better at that age. In 2013, an estimated 43 million children (under the age of five) suffered from early obesity globally, a 60% increase since 1990. Some might blame this increase on a shift in exercise habits with the advent of video games,

Tablets, and cell phones. Others might point to the family structure and a decline in family mealtime routines. Regardless of the cause, children have less focus and energy without proper nutritional intake. So, what might you do to solve this challenge?
How might you inspire households to adopt healthier eating habits?

Aim

Aim

Aim

  • Understand influences – Explore factors shaping children's eating habits, including taste, parental influence, and culture.

  • Identify Barriers – Examine obstacles to healthy eating, such as cost, convenience, and awareness.

  • Analyse Digital Impact – Assess how technology and media influence children's dietary choices.

  • Develop Solutions – Generate insights for designing effective, user-centered interventions to promote healthier eating.

  • Understand influences – Explore factors shaping children's eating habits, including taste, parental influence, and culture.

  • Identify Barriers – Examine obstacles to healthy eating, such as cost, convenience, and awareness.

  • Analyse Digital Impact – Assess how technology and media influence children's dietary choices.

  • Develop Solutions – Generate insights for designing effective, user-centered interventions to promote healthier eating.

Methodology

Methodology

Methodology

Research

Secondary Research: Understanding a Healthy Diet

Secondary Research: Understanding a Healthy Diet

At the start of the research process, secondary research was conducted to establish a foundational understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet. Key sources included guidelines from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, emphasising evidence-based nutrition practices.

At the start of the research process, secondary research was conducted to establish a foundational understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet. Key sources included guidelines from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, emphasising evidence-based nutrition practices.

At the start of the research process, secondary research was conducted to establish a foundational understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet. Key sources included guidelines from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, emphasising evidence-based nutrition practices.

Findings were categorised into essential aspects of a balanced diet, including food sources, liquid intake, dietary guidance, and restrictions. A mind map further outlined critical components of a healthy eating lifestyle, such as:

Findings were categorised into essential aspects of a balanced diet, including food sources, liquid intake, dietary guidance, and restrictions. A mind map further outlined critical components of a healthy eating lifestyle, such as:

Findings were categorised into essential aspects of a balanced diet, including food sources, liquid intake, dietary guidance, and restrictions. A mind map further outlined critical components of a healthy eating lifestyle, such as:

Convenience Over Nutrition:

Encouraging a variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.

Encouraging a variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.

Encouraging a variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.

Limiting Added Sugars & Processed Foods

Emphasising mindful eating and balanced food consumption.

Emphasising mindful eating and balanced food consumption.

Emphasising mindful eating and balanced food consumption.

Portion Control & Moderation

Emphasising mindful eating and balanced food consumption.

Emphasising mindful eating and balanced food consumption.

Emphasising mindful eating and balanced food consumption.

Cultural and Personal Preferences

Emphasising mindful eating and balanced food consumption.

Emphasising mindful eating and balanced food consumption.

Emphasising mindful eating and balanced food consumption.

Healthy Fats & Hydration

Highlighting the importance of incorporating healthy fats and maintaining adequate water intake.

Highlighting the importance of incorporating healthy fats and maintaining adequate water intake.

Highlighting the importance of incorporating healthy fats and maintaining adequate water intake.

From Secondary → Primary Research

Conclusion:

Conclusion:

While secondary research provided a strong foundation of what a healthy diet should include, it lacked insight into how these guidelines were actually being followed in everyday life—especially in urban Indian households.

Next Steps:

Next Steps:

To bridge this gap, I conducted primary research to understand the behavioural patterns, cultural norms, environmental limitations, and emotional triggers that influence food choices. This real-world context was critical in uncovering the why behind dietary decisions and identifying design opportunities rooted in lived experiences.

Contextual Inquiry: Understanding influences of Household Eating Habits

Contextual Inquiry: Understanding influences of Household Eating Habits

Objective:

To understand the behavioural, environmental, and social influences on households’ eating habits and food purchasing decisions, in order to identify opportunities to encourage healthier choices

Objective:

To understand the behavioural, environmental, and social influences on households’ eating habits and food purchasing decisions, in order to identify opportunities to encourage healthier choices

Objective:

To understand the behavioural, environmental, and social influences on households’ eating habits and food purchasing decisions, in order to identify opportunities to encourage healthier choices

Research Plan:

Primary Focus Areas:

  • Behavioural patterns during grocery shopping.

  • Environmental factors influencing food choices.

  • Social and cultural challenges in preparing nutritious meals.

  • Interaction with digital tools (e.g., food delivery apps).

  • Behavioural patterns during grocery shopping.

  • Environmental factors influencing food choices.

  • Social and cultural challenges in preparing nutritious meals.

  • Interaction with digital tools (e.g., food delivery apps).

  • Behavioural patterns during grocery shopping.

  • Environmental factors influencing food choices.

  • Social and cultural challenges in preparing nutritious meals.

  • Interaction with digital tools (e.g., food delivery apps).

Observation Contexts:

  • Supermarket/Grocery Stores: Analysed shopping habits, promotional triggers, and layout influences.

  • Indian Household Settings: Observed meal preparation, time constraints, and cultural food practices.

  • Supermarket/Grocery Stores: Analysed shopping habits, promotional triggers, and layout influences.

  • Indian Household Settings: Observed meal preparation, time constraints, and cultural food practices.

  • Supermarket/Grocery Stores: Analysed shopping habits, promotional triggers, and layout influences.

  • Indian Household Settings: Observed meal preparation, time constraints, and cultural food practices.

Participants:

  • Families with working members.

  • Parents shopping with children.

  • Urban Indian households with access to digital food delivery services.

  • Families with working members.

  • Parents shopping with children.

  • Urban Indian households with access to digital food delivery services.

  • Families with working members.

  • Parents shopping with children.

  • Urban Indian households with access to digital food delivery services.

Food arrangement in in Pantry

Food arrangement in in Pantry

Food arrangement in in Pantry

Observing buying patterns in Super Markets

Observing buying patterns in Super Markets

Observing buying patterns in Super Markets

Food arrangement in the Fridge

Food arrangement in the Fridge

Food arrangement in the Fridge

Observing buying patterns in Vegetable Markets

Observing buying patterns in Vegetable Markets

Observing buying patterns in Vegetable Markets

Observations

Affinity Mapping

Challenges in Adopting Healthier Habits

  • Perceived Cost of Healthy Foods:
    Families believe fresh fruits, vegetables, and health-focused products are expensive.

  • Perceived Cost of Healthy Foods:
    Families believe fresh fruits, vegetables, and health-focused products are expensive.

  • Perceived Cost of Healthy Foods:
    Families believe fresh fruits, vegetables, and health-focused products are expensive.

  • Taste Preferences:
    Resistance from children to accept healthier alternatives due to ingrained preferences for sweet or fried foods.

  • Taste Preferences:
    Resistance from children to accept healthier alternatives due to ingrained preferences for sweet or fried foods.

  • Taste Preferences:
    Resistance from children to accept healthier alternatives due to ingrained preferences for sweet or fried foods.

  • Lack of Awareness: Limited knowledge about simple, time-efficient recipes for healthy meals.

  • Lack of Awareness: Limited knowledge about simple, time-efficient recipes for healthy meals.

  • Lack of Awareness: Limited knowledge about simple, time-efficient recipes for healthy meals.

Convenience Over Nutrition:

Busy lifestyles push households to prioritise ease and speed, even at the expense of nutrition.

Busy lifestyles push households to prioritise ease and speed, even at the expense of nutrition.

Busy lifestyles push households to prioritise ease and speed, even at the expense of nutrition.

Environment-Driven Decisions:

Supermarket design and promotional offers heavily influence purchasing patterns, leading to an increased consumption of processed foods.

Supermarket design and promotional offers heavily influence purchasing patterns, leading to an increased consumption of processed foods.

Supermarket design and promotional offers heavily influence purchasing patterns, leading to an increased consumption of processed foods.

Digital Ecosystem Influence:

Food delivery apps have created a digital dependency, shaping dietary habits through suggestive marketing.

Food delivery apps have created a digital dependency, shaping dietary habits through suggestive marketing.

Food delivery apps have created a digital dependency, shaping dietary habits through suggestive marketing.

Cultural Tension:

While traditional meals are valued, they are often impractical to prepare regularly, creating a disconnect between cultural ideals and modern realities.

While traditional meals are valued, they are often impractical to prepare regularly, creating a disconnect between cultural ideals and modern realities.

While traditional meals are valued, they are often impractical to prepare regularly, creating a disconnect between cultural ideals and modern realities.

Conclusion:

Conclusion:

The contextual inquiry revealed key environmental, behavioural, and social patterns around household eating habits. While this helped identify practical barriers—like time constraints, snack visibility, and kitchen layouts—it lacked depth in understanding motivations, emotional triggers, and personal experiences that guide these behaviours.

The contextual inquiry revealed key environmental, behavioural, and social patterns around household eating habits. While this helped identify practical barriers—like time constraints, snack visibility, and kitchen layouts—it lacked depth in understanding motivations, emotional triggers, and personal experiences that guide these behaviours.

next Step:

Next Step:

To uncover the why behind the what, I conducted Directed Storytelling Interviews. This allowed me to explore how diverse individuals perceive food choices, rationalise decisions, and navigate cultural and emotional trade-offs in different life stages and roles. These deeper insights informed more human-centred opportunities for design.

To uncover the why behind the what, I conducted Directed Storytelling Interviews. This allowed me to explore how diverse individuals perceive food choices, rationalise decisions, and navigate cultural and emotional trade-offs in different life stages and roles. These deeper insights informed more human-centred opportunities for design.

Directed Storytelling Interview: Understanding eating habits across different Personas

Directed Storytelling Interview: Understanding eating habits across different Personas

Directed Storytelling Interview: Understanding eating habits across different Personas

Research Goal:

To explore the motivations, challenges, and environmental influences on eating habits across different personas to identify opportunities for encouraging healthier food choices.

Research Goal:

To explore the motivations, challenges, and environmental influences on eating habits across different personas to identify opportunities for encouraging healthier food choices.

Research Goal:

To explore the motivations, challenges, and environmental influences on eating habits across different personas to identify opportunities for encouraging healthier food choices.

Research Needs

Research Needs

Research Needs

  1. Diversity in Eating Habits: Understand differences across socioeconomic and cultural contexts.

  2. Barriers to Healthy Eating: Explore challenges like cost, time, and resistance to change.

  3. Motivations: Uncover emotional and social triggers behind food choices.

  4. Decision-Making Roles: Represent various roles in meal planning (caregivers, influencers).

  5. Cultural and Social Dynamics: Capture traditional and modern influences on eating habits.

  1. Diversity in Eating Habits: Understand differences across socioeconomic and cultural contexts.

  2. Barriers to Healthy Eating: Explore challenges like cost, time, and resistance to change.

  3. Motivations: Uncover emotional and social triggers behind food choices.

  4. Decision-Making Roles: Represent various roles in meal planning (caregivers, influencers).

  5. Cultural and Social Dynamics: Capture traditional and modern influences on eating habits.

  1. Diversity in Eating Habits: Understand differences across socioeconomic and cultural contexts.

  2. Barriers to Healthy Eating: Explore challenges like cost, time, and resistance to change.

  3. Motivations: Uncover emotional and social triggers behind food choices.

  4. Decision-Making Roles: Represent various roles in meal planning (caregivers, influencers).

  5. Cultural and Social Dynamics: Capture traditional and modern influences on eating habits.

Criteria for Selecting Participants

Criteria for Selecting Participants

Criteria for Selecting Participants

  • Income Levels: Low, middle, and upper-middle classes.

  • Family Structures: Nuclear, single-parent, and multigenerational families.

  • Roles: Primary decision-makers (mothers, homemakers) and influencers (fathers, grandparents).

  • Life Stages: Young parents to retired elders.

  • Occupations: Working parents with time constraints and homemakers with flexibility.

  • Income Levels: Low, middle, and upper-middle classes.

  • Family Structures: Nuclear, single-parent, and multigenerational families.

  • Roles: Primary decision-makers (mothers, homemakers) and influencers (fathers, grandparents).

  • Life Stages: Young parents to retired elders.

  • Occupations: Working parents with time constraints and homemakers with flexibility.

  • Income Levels: Low, middle, and upper-middle classes.

  • Family Structures: Nuclear, single-parent, and multigenerational families.

  • Roles: Primary decision-makers (mothers, homemakers) and influencers (fathers, grandparents).

  • Life Stages: Young parents to retired elders.

  • Occupations: Working parents with time constraints and homemakers with flexibility.

Participants

The Juggling Mom

Age: 35

  • Role: Primary caregiver and decision-maker for meals

  • Family: Spouse and two children (ages 6 and 9)

  • Occupation: School teacher

  • Income Level: Middle-income

The Budget-Conscious Worker

Age: 29

  • Role: Working mother and meal planner

  • Family: Spouse and two young children (ages 3 and 5)

  • Occupation: Daily wage laborer

  • Income Level: Low-income

The Health-Conscious Homemaker

Age: 42

  • Role: Homemaker focused on family health and wellness

  • Family: Spouse, teenage child (age 15), and elderly parents.

  • Occupation: Not employed; manages the household.

  • Income Level: Upper-middle-income

The Overwhelmed Dad

Age: 38

  • Role: Sole breadwinner and caregiver.

  • Family: Single parent with one child (age 7)

  • Occupation: IT professional

  • Income Level: Upper-middle-income

The Traditional Grandparent

Age: 65

  • Role: Retired grandparent actively involved in childcare.

  • Family: Lives with adult children and two grandchildren (ages 8 and 10).

  • Occupation: Retired

  • Income Level: Pension-based

Empathy Mapping

Categorising findings into Needs, Pain Points, and Opportunities

Secondary Research: Effects of hospital environment on Patients

Conclusion:

Conclusion:

The directed storytelling interviews offered a deep, human-centred understanding of diverse users—their motivations, barriers, decision-making roles, and emotional journeys related to food. However, while these stories revealed what challenges users face, they didn’t yet provide how to solve them.

Next Steps:

Next Steps:

To move from insights to actionable ideas, I conducted a Crazy Eights ideation session. This rapid sketching method helped transform user needs, pain points, and emotional drivers into a range of creative solution concepts. By anchoring ideation in real personas and empathy maps, each idea addressed a specific user scenario or struggle uncovered during storytelling.

Ideation

Crazy Eights

Crazy Eights

Impact vs. Effort Matrix

Impact vs. Effort Matrix

Reflection

This project was both rewarding and eye-opening. I’m proud of the depth of research and the empathy-driven approach I took, though I’ll admit there were points where connecting each research stage could’ve been more seamless. I learned that food choices are deeply emotional and tied to culture, time, and identity—not just health. Contextual inquiries gave me behavioral insight, while storytelling interviews brought out the heart of users’ challenges. This experience helped me grow more comfortable with ambiguity and taught me to move from insight to ideation with greater clarity. If I had more time, I’d prototype sooner and bring users into the co-creation process. One moment that stayed with me was when a participant said, “Healthy food feels like a privilege, not a choice.” It reminded me why we design—not just to solve problems, but to understand the people behind them.

Index

Secondary Research

Secondary Research

Contextual Inquiry

Contextual Inquiry

Directed Storytelling

Directed Storytelling

Ideation & Recommendations

Ideation & Recommendations