BALANCE PLATE KEN CHEN
PROJECT BRIEF A set of plates that encourage the users to be more conscious about the portion and balance of their diet.
PERSONAL
LOCAL
GLOBAL
To develop eating utensils for this project, I started from identifying personal issue regarding diet, I discovered the certain unhealthy issues of irregular overeating and fasting in my diet. As well as the issue of overestimating the amount of food I was able to consume, then ending up wasting the food constantly.
To start the process of sketching and ideation, I decided to use the word “Balance� for the theme of the object. Balance in the dietary balance, and the balance of food sources in different regions of the world.
Developing from my personal issue, I researched regarding the issue in a larger scale. I discovered the issue of obesity, anorexia, world hunger, and food waste. Healthy diet is essential to maintain a healthy body, but numerous amount of people fail to do so.
Imbalanced diet Irregular fasting
Obesity Anorexia
Global hunger Food waste
RESEARCH After established the personal, local as well as the wicked problem of the project, I decided to approach this wicked problem with the local solution as the end-scope of this project. And then I started to do more research to assist the development of this project.
10
%
of people who have eating disorder received treatment.
16 in
people in the US face hunger
Slower eating = Eating less Smaller Plate = Eating less
24
million
people are diagnosed with eating disorder
31 of food is waster every year
%
IDEATION I began to develop ideas in a fairly dramatic and offensive manner, using morbid photos of obese or emaciated people to inform users the danger of unbalanced diet. Or using arteries as the form of utensil to remind users the hidden risk of overeating. But I later decided that instead of informing the users in such a dramatic manner, it would be more educational and more friendly to make the message subtler.
EXPERIENCE From previous research, and personal experience. I found out slower eating and smaller plates can help one to be more conscious about the amount of food they are eating. Then I made a connection with the experience they offer at high-end restaurant, multiple courses of dishes with huge plates and small amount of food. I have decided this is the experience I want to recreate through this utensil.
PROTOTYPE For the final model, I created a set of plates that can only contain certain amount of food. If the user overfill the food, the food will slide down to the edge of the plate due to the slope, but the rim prevents the food from falling out of the plate entirely. I envisioned the set of utensils will be used in university dinning hall, with respective plates in different areas, for instance, the plates that can hold more food will be found near salad bars, and the ones that can only contain small amount of food will be found near dessert area.
Different volume for different type of food
Food would flow to the edge if overfilled