EAT WITH SMILE
2022.10-2022.11
Project Type
Individual Project
Timeframe：
2 month
Genre:
Game / UIUX / Product
Role
UX Designer, Product Designer
This project came about as a result of my observation of girls with bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorders sharing their activities on social media. Most of them are extremely embarrassed and upset about their excessive overeating and purging. By combining software and hardware, I want to come up with a new way to help them overcome the urge to overeat and develop a healthy relationship with food. Additionally, the game is intended to serve as a platform for bringing together those with eating disorders.
Background
Eating Disorders
In 2020, hospital admissions for eating disorders increased by 66%. Notably, every 62 minutes, at least one person dies as a direct result from an eating disorder. For bulimia nervosa, studies support a significant increase in incidence during the latter half of the twentieth century, with rates either remaining stable or decreasing during the transition to the twenty-first century. Incidence rates for binge eating disorders have not been examined for changes over time. Eating disorders represent the third most prevalent chronic illness and have a significant financial impact on the affected person, their family, and society.
I used to go to the food cupboard, fridge, or freezer and eat as much as I could, as quickly as possible, to try to make myself feel happier and fill the hole I felt inside. Afterwards, I felt physically and emotionally upset and guilty about all the food I had eaten, so I would make myself sick.
-Bulimia sufferer
GLOBAL STATISTICS
The possible triggers of BN or BED include social stress, restrictive diets, negative feelings towards food, and boredom.
The most well-known therapy is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), but the symptom abstinence rate seems low.
Notably, those living with BN or BED may hide their behaviour due to shame, even from their loved ones.
BULIMIA NERVOSA & BINGE EATING DISORDER
Bulimia nervosa (BN) is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating in combination with inappropriate compensatory behaviours, such as self-induced vomiting or laxative use. People with BM are caught "in a cycle of eating large quantities of food" and then trying to compensate for that overeating by "vomiting, taking laxatives or diuretics, fasting, or exercising excessively." It's a potentially lethal disorder because of the dangerous compensatory behaviours practised.
Binge-eating disorder (BED) is one of the most common eating disorders characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating without the use of any inappropriate compensatory behaviours. People with BED usually consume large quantities of food over a short period of time "without getting rid of the food." BED is highly comorbid with obesity and is associated with several health risks, including Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. The disorder is also associated with marked distress and impairment in functioning.
No one is completely immune to eating disorders; they may afflict people of all ages, genders, and ethnicities. Prevalence estimates indicate that BED affects 4.9% of females and 4% of males over their lifetimes. BN occurs in about 1.9% of females and 0.6% of males over their lifetimes, and 1.5% of females and 0.1% of males currently have BN. The diagram below illustrates some factors relevant to interpreting the epidemiological data.
Design Oppotunity
Can we find a new way to alleviate the desire to overeat?
Research Plan
Why, What, How
I did primary and secondary research based on the following three questions to find a different way for people with BN or BED to stop wanting to eat and purge:
Why does BN/BED occur?
What are the treatments?
How do those living with BN or BED feel?
I studied the cause of binge eating, review the existing therapies for binge eating, and analyze the pain and gain of the users. In the end, I developed a novel treatment for my users.
Research Methods
What are the psychological causes of BN or BED?
Secondary Research
What are the existing solutions for BN/BED?
Case Studies
What do the users want?
Persona
Interview
Empathy map
User Research
Questionnaire
In order to get some insight and data on people's attitudes regarding BN and BED, I created a survey with a set of questions. It started with general questions about people's eating habits, followed by specific questions targeting people with BN or BED experience. I wanted to find common patterns in my targeted group of users.
Insight
The survey shows that the behaviour of BN and BED is woven with the user's emotions. Emotional stress or distress often plays a role and might trigger a binge eating episode. Also, most of the users are not seeking help. Only a small amount get professional treatments. Based on these data, I conducted guided interviews to understand how people with BN or BED feel and think about their eating problems.
User Interview
The guided interview happened both online and in person. People were willing to be interviewed online due to COVID, and they felt more comfortable typing and speaking about this private topic. I interviewed four girls from different colleges who have been struggling with either BN or BED for at least three months. They experienced different situations based on the time they suffered from eating disorders, and I tried to guide them to talk about their needs.
Insight
After the interviews, I found that eating disorders made these girls feel a loss of control in their lives. Besides, the lack of support and help from others makes the situation even worse. Not being able to connect to others makes the users feel ashamed of themselves, and they tend to rely on binge eating as a release when they feel stressed, upset, or bored.
Empathy Map
An empathy map served as a tool for me to document and develop a deeper understanding of my consumers. By placing myself in the user's surroundings, I chose stickers of various colours to represent multiple users and attempted to comprehend their struggles and benefits. Finally, I went into further details on user personas.
Persona
Secondary Research
Ecological momentary assessment (EMA), which relies on the use of experience sampling in the natural environment using ambulatory technology including cell phones, has informed the identification of eating disorder symptom precipitants and maintenance mechanisms. Evolving from EMA, emerging treatments using ecological momentary intervention (EMI) employ interactive technology to deliver “just-in time” treatments in response to “real time” data recorded in the natural environment.
BE behavior seems unequivocally connected with food-related rewards. Indeed, it has been proposed that the ingestion of a large amount of food during the binge episode may have the aim to alleviate the patient’s negative emotions by increasing food-derived feelings of pleasure. In this context, it has been found that people with BE syndromes usually report pre-binge negative emotions with a strong urge to eat, followed by a transient binge-induced reduction of negative emotional states. Therefore, BE may be conceptualized as a reward-dependent phenomenon.
Insight
To better understand the feelings and behaviours of my user, I studied the knowledge of the Epidemiology of Binge Eating. During my research, I found the book Binge Eating A Transdiagnostic Psychopathology very useful in explaining the cause of binge eating and reviewing novel treatments. I think the ecological momentary intervention has the potential to become the new avenue for the treatment of Binge Eating instead of the CBT and IPT treatments, in which only about 30–40% of treatment completers with BN achieve symptom abstinence.
Brainstorm
When I want to start an episode, I can...
Problem Statement
Reluctance to seek professional treatment
Professional treatment effects may not be long lasting.
Lack of understanding
An unhealthy relationship with food
Value Proposition
Design
Moodboard
Game Concept
Backpacker Chef is a game developed for people with bulimia. There are four villages, each with different food habits and recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. Players travel from village to village, completing wishes from residents and chiefs to obtain unique recipes to feed their guardians. Guardians are sprites born when a particular taste sensation arouses emotions and memories in people. The primary guardians are sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and spicy. Players unlock different recipes to feed the primary guardians, who will grow into different senior guardians.
Drawings and Hi-Fi
Introduction
Entering the game
You will answer several questions regarding your eating habits. After that, you will be allocated to one village.
You will receive various ingredients by completing the tasks assigned to you by the village chief. You can also walk around the village to find and fulfil the wishes of the residents.
You will receive various ingredients by completing the tasks assigned to you by the village chief. You can also walk around the village to find and fulfil the wishes of the residents.
All the ingredients you collected will be in your backpack. Each village has its unique food and ingredients.
All the ingredients you collected will be in your backpack. Each village has its unique food and ingredients.
How to make a strawberry sponge?
The straweberry sponge is now ready. Feed it to your little guardian!
Rules for the kitchen
You are not allowed in the kitchen if you binge eat more than three times per week. However, you can use the buddy coins you gathered to purchase chief tickets, which get you in the kitchen. You can also buy various pops.
Players can exchange ingredients and distribute extras to one another.
You can unlock a new recipe and receive free ingredients if you go a week without binge eating.
Stretch Goal
Wearable Concept
This camera-equipped device tracks the user's eating patterns. It monitors masseter movement and analyzes the amount of food consumed. The data is sent to the game, where the user will get rewards for not binge eating.
