Kati
A scan and display device that helps those suffering from eating disorders build healthier relationships with food.
Kati was developed as part of a student project in the MA Design Engineering program at Brown University and Rhode Island. The project was awarded the Hazeltine maker grant to continue developing the project.
Overview of device
Kati, is a touchscreen device, designed to help those with eating disorders build a healthier relationship with food. The device scans food items, identifies them and displays information about the food. The information displayed is designed to highlight how food can nourish our bodies and fulfil us.
The Original Brief
Integrated hardware / software solution for improving diet through improved tracking of consumed calories.
Our Research Process
Methodology
• Reviewing scholarly articles: We reviewed over 20 articles on the subject of calorie counting and nutrition.
• Interviewing specialists: We conducted in-depth interviews with nutrition consultants, eating disorder specialists and healthtech design experts.
• Interviewing users: As a team we conducted 3 In-depth interviews with users and 28 Guerilla interviews with consumers regarding food habits.
• Becoming users: Each member of our team tested out a calorie counting app to better understand our users
Takeaways
Calorie counting is useful for education of the calorific value of different foods, but is hard to sustain, high on effort, time consuming and often detrimental to a healthy relationship with food.
With our insight on the practice, we decided to redefine our brief:
Our Solution; Kati
Our final solution was Kati, a device that scans and recognises food, and then displays information about the item with a heavy focus on nutritional and psychological benefits.
We spent some time iterating different physical forms, and testing them for usability and discretion.
Charting the user journey with the device
We charted the journey of what using the device in daily life might look like. This allowed us to fine tune the final form and test the usability of carrying the devices in pockets or bags.
Designing the digital component
Considerations for the interface:
• Simplicity: Make it an interaction that’s easy to do multiple times a day.
• Positivity: Validating the users choices, and trying to build positive associations with food and with the device.
• Screen size: Creating elements that are easy to navigate with the smaller screen size.
Creating positive language guidelines
The displayed nutritional information avoids certain trigger words, and describes benefits the user will be able to perceive short term.
For example: Instead of 'Sugar' (A triggering term) use 'Fast Digesting Carb'.
Each label is based on one of three premises:
• Perceivable nourishment to the body, such as enhanced focus or increased energy.
• Visible physiological benefits such as improvements to skin and hair.
• Cultural context and the history of food. We discovered the 'must try' mentality is a strong motivator to try new food.
The Scan Interaction
The ‘Gallery’ feature
The device Gallery allows for sentiment logging. At the end of the scan interaction, Kati allows the user to document the item and add tags to it. This data can be found in the Gallery, to help identify food patterns and keep track of liked foods.
User Journey: Allowing control
The device Gallery allows for sentiment logging. At the end of the scan interaction, Kati allows the user to document the item and add tags to it. This data can be found in the Gallery, to help identify food patterns and keep track of liked foods.
Designing for failure
A common pain point in scan display devices is incorrect identification. We tried to solve for this by allowing for manual entry of food items. This could be done through keyboard or voice recognition.
User Journey: First Time Usage
When used for the first time, the device runs the user through a quick tutorial.
Our Goal
“The goal is by the end of treatment they are not tracking. They are listening to their bodies and eating when hungry. There are no food rules.” -Jennifer Warnick, PhD
Kati is not a nutritional advisor, the purpose of the device is to build healthier relationships with food so users can ultimately address their nutritional need independently and participate freely in food centric social situations.
