On-the-go Meals Experience Case Study
Analyzing the process of making a meal for on-the-go
For my task analysis, I had the opportunity to observe my classmate CeCe go through the steps required for her to prepare a meal to be eaten for lunch later that day. In comparison to myself, we share a lot in common in terms of how we approached this task last semester, both meal prepping at the start of the week and usually dividing that food up into Tupperware on that day so that all that would be needed is to grab the box and go that morning. The specific steps that CeCe walked me through were if she had wanted to assemble a meal without having prepared one beforehand:
The Basic Steps
After observing CeCe and documenting her basic steps, I tried to map the process as a series of actions at a level that is detailed enough to capture the actions without getting bogged down by detail:
There are four basic steps identified in making a meal for on-the-go: gathering supplies, preparing ingredients, assembling the meal, and packing for transport. The steps of gathering supplies are quite similar to one another and are therefore divided by area and then repeated for each ingredient. Preparing the ingredients is done in a sort of cyclical manner, repeating the steps of opening, taking, using, and closing over and over for each of the components of the meal. Assembling the meal and preparing it for transport are largely reliant on the containers used, this time a plastic box with snaps on the sides and a soft container with a zipper to contain the entire meal set.
Preliminary Interview
To begin my research, I identified my desired problem space towards families sharing a meal together. This process led me to interview my mom about what she remembers from when my brother and I were younger and the experiences she had in bringing the whole family out for lunch on the go. Our discussion centered around when I was around 2 or 3 years old and my brother was around 4 or 5, during which our family would go out for trips to the nearby playground and would bring lunch to eat whenever we started to get hungry. Meals typically included foods like mac and cheese, sandwiches, apple slices, grapes, carrots, yogurt, and juice boxes — all foods that are chosen for their simplicity in preparation and transport, not falling apart, leaking, or spoiling. These foods would typically be quite similar for each person, not just for my brother and I but for my parents as well, since we all essentially had the same view of food as a distraction from the real reason that we are at the playground which is to play.
Whatever the food, the contents were usually wrapped inside of a plastic bag and placed inside a soft insulated lunch bag alongside an ice pack and a paper napkin. Most everything was disposable after one use except for the bag and the ice pack in order to minimize the amount of cleaning that would have to be done after. Since the eating experience would usually take place on picnic tables, the lunch bag itself would serve as the plate or dish that all other food would be eaten off of. We also had a hard shell cooler at the time that was used on occasion, but the softer bags were preferred because they took up less space in the car and could fit inside larger bags to have less to carry. However, this did mean that occasionally the food inside would not be protected, resulting in a bruised apple or a squished sandwich from the transit. Overall, there was only about an hour or two from the time of packing the food to the time it is eaten.
One of the most surprising takeaways from the conversation for me was how much of an afterthought the food experience was for this family outing. The primary value of the meal seemed to be speed and efficiency, seen in the types of food prepared as well as the way in which it is packed. The meal experience seems to be more of a habit or out of necessity during the outing, mentioning several times that the food mainly served as a break from the play once we were hungry enough. My parents felt this too due to them being active participants in our play, emphasizing the ease of use when using their meal packaging. After this conversation, I wondered whether it would be better to find a way to simplify and expedite the experience based on the feedback given or whether it was worth trying to make the outing and the meal into a more enjoyable, playful, and social experience.
Second Interview and Audience Shift
After speaking with my mom, I decided to reach out to my dad’s friend to get a first-hand account of the family meal experience with young kids, now that my brother and I are older. This conversation was very insightful, as I was able to reach a greater level of depth into the interaction, what tasks are involved, and what preferences the family has for their food experience. I was also very interested in that their family frequently takes their boat out onto the lake for family trips on the weekends, and felt that this would be an interesting and unique problem space to design for a meal on the go.
Initial Concepts
After gathering enough research and sketching out a few concepts, I had settled on three main approaches to the problem space with three different forms, feels, and interactions. These concepts begin with meeting the direct needs of the client and then branch out into the greater experience, lastly attempting to change the paradigm of what it means to eat in this context.
Concept Refinement and Models
Model 1: Client Needs
This model was created to solve the two main pain points that the client had: the use of single-use containers and the complexity of eating in the lap without creating a mess. These vessels resemble bowls when the lids are opened and are easy to distribute to each family member so that each has their own container, with the snack container able to be passed around as needed. These fit compactly in the cooler and are easy to use when on the boat, but transport from the home to the cooler may be an issue as they currently each move independently, especially with the bottom layer being two separate sections.
Model 2: Improved Experience
Expanding on the initial pain points, I felt that a way to greater enhance the experience would be to create more of a shared meal experience with one container that each family member can take from. A previous complaint from my interview was that the boat has plenty of cup holders and seats but lacks any table space with the giant engine in the center. By laying the food container on the engine, it becomes that table space and the boat becomes more of an eating space than before. The method of removing the lid still needs to be explored further and have possible inserts for each component, as this system currently lacks a way for the family to prevent mess and crumbs when eating.
Model 3: Changing Paradigms
My final model attempts to alter the paradigm of eating on the boat to emphasize the affordances that eating at this location can bring. This container is packed at home and brought into the cooler, but it is modeled to fit and remain in the cooler for the entire meal experience. Being situated in the ice, each component stays cold, and the various layers can be exchanged and reorganized as the stages of the meal progress from drinks to mains to sides and snacks. The top lid can fit to any layer and can be opened to display shared foods, integrating the cooler and the eating experience. However, this model may result in mess in the transition from cooler to person, and the cooler being stored in the floor may be inconveniently positioned to access.
Direction Refinement
I met with my client again to gather some additional information on what sort of existing products he and his family gravitate towards, as well as further clarification on what the context of use looks like. The words that he used to describe his style are modern, compact, organized, multi-functional, and sustainable. These words align well with the context of being on the boat where space is limited and function of use is the main priority. From an aesthetic standpoint, I would like the container itself to reflect or play off its context in some way, possibly taking inspiration for the form and materials from the boat itself or the nature of the lake.
With the overall direction more clear, I wanted to expand on my “enhanced experience” concept to incorporate aspects that I felt it had lacked in the previous model, the most important being an individual component for each family member to be able to have when they are eating and a method of keeping the food from spilling out when being opened. The first concept solves this by adding internal wall structures to separate components and a hinged flap to eliminate bulk from the top lid, but it still fails to provide individual containers for each family member. My second concept called back to my initial sketch by having the food completely closed to completely open with individualized components for each food, a concept which I decided to pursue to see if it was possible to make the individual components removable. Lastly, my third concept takes my last model and simply adds individual components to the inside, and I thought that each individual container could open into two halves, one for the food that it holds and the other half as a shareable plate or cup to take the shared foods. However, I felt that this model was quite bulky in having individual components as well as an overall container, and gravitated towards my second idea as a way to integrate both components for a more compact design.
Initial Concept
Exploratory Concept
Final Functional Model
Styling
