From “liquid kitchen” to “shared kitchen”: Human-centred design for innovative services of social inclusion in food consumption

Abstract

The world population is progressively ageing with some clear social implications. People will live longer and also the family structure will change. The emerging socio-cultural trends are opening up great opportunities for innovation in the sphere of contemporary living. The need for a greater mobility and the nomadism now demanded by work, influence people’s lifestyles and consumption models. As regards to the home, flexibility, adaptability and versatility are the emerging characteristics, and these factors also affect the kitchen environment. In parallel to this, urban space experiences of participation and sharing are multiplying, and new social practices are spreading. These aspects are also connected to the way people prepare and consume food. The Kitchen 4.0 research project can be placed within this macro-context. It aims to define a design-orienting scenario which affects the way of preparing and consuming food through the definition of a kitchen-sharing service.