SWAN: Designing a companion spoon for mindful eating

Abstract

In this pictorial, we unfold and reflect on the design process behind the creation of a research product-SWAN. SWAN is an augmented spoon that encourages people to pay more attention to their food and urges them to eat mindfully. With SWAN, our aim is to address the increasing tensions between the lucrative appeal of screen-based media and ideologies of mindful eating. We present a descriptive account on how we brought SWAN into being. In attending to key design decisions across our design process, we unveil ideas and challenges in creating a domestic research product to support everyday mindful eating.