Feast for All

TYPE
role
year
UX/UI design
Design research / Prototyping/
UX & UI design
2024

I designed a home party planning service to minimize the psychological burden on both hosts and guests when addressing dietary needs

problem statement

What can be done to make potluck parties welcoming and stress-free for people with dietary preferences, while maintaining a smooth experience for all participants?

This project was created in response to a prompt from the Royal College of Art's MA Information Experience Design summer school, which called for a work exploring co-existence with non-human beings using TouchDesigner. I chose pigeons as my subject—creatures we often see but know little about—and began my observations
Final design
When confirming their attendance, guests can simply choose their dietary preferences from a menu, making the process completely stress-free.
When planning the potluck menu, the distribution of dietary preferences can be used as a reference.

When users search their dish, notes on participants' dietary restrictions and alternative recipe suggestions are provided.
When confirming their attendance, guests can simply choose their dietary preferences from a menu, making the process completely stress-free.
my design flow

Find the issue

Discovered the problem when I tried to host a home party.

UNDERSTAND USERS

Validated if others faced the same issue and identified the core problem

ideation

Explored multiple solutions and identified the optimal one

wireframing & testing

Think playful and Created service wireframes and gathered user feedback. ways for people to experience pigeon’s views

mockup & testing

Developed design mockups and gathered additional feedback

design process details

find the issue

I’m unfamiliar with specific dietary preferences - how can I welcome my guests in a respectful and  cost-effective way?

When I planned to host a party at my home, I was initially excited about serving Japanese food to my friends. However, I realized that insisting on serving Japanese food might impose my preferences on my vegetarian and vegan friends, making it an act of self-centeredness rather than hospitality.
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In another instance, when I asked about dietary preferences in a group chat, there was no response. However, later, a friend hesitantly shared their halal dietary needs with me in person, indicating that they felt uncomfortable discussing it openly.
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While individual food preferences should be respected, it seems that some people struggle to express them. This can lead to a cycle of miscommunication, where hosts are unaware of their guests’ needs and later feel regretful upon learning about them. To better understand if this issue exists in a diverse country like the United States, I conducted interviews with people who have dietary preferences and those who have hosted meal-based gatherings with such guests.

Understand users

Do others feel the same pain? - Yes, they do!

USER survey
Design Decision
I narrowed down my design question as follows:
How can we enable people with dietary preferences to communicate their needs to the host without feeling apologetic, while also helping the host organize a more inclusive home party—one that accommodates both those with and without dietary preferences with minimal stress over meal preparation?
defined target user types and challenges

Persona 1: People with Food Preferences

Even after informing the host about their allergies, the host may unintentionally forget.

Hesitant to communicate dietary needs, especially to distant acquaintances or hosts from different cultural backgrounds.

Persona 2: People with less common dietary preferences

Feel uncomfortable sharing their preferences compared to more familiar ones like vegetarianism.

Their needs may not be understood or accommodated even if communicated.

Persona 3: Party hosts who like to cook for guests

Want to accommodate dietary preferences but face challenges:
  • Struggle with how to ask about needs in a friendly way.
  • Some guests hesitate to share, or provide information too close to the event (e.g., the day before).Uncertainty about creating simple meals that satisfy diverse needs while keeping others happy.
  • Lack of knowledge about ingredients or where to buy specific items.
  • Time constraints to address all dietary needs.
  • Insufficient knowledge about what qualifies as vegetarian or vegan (e.g., forgetting that vegans don’t consume milk).

ideation

How can we ensure smooth communication of dietary needs?

Simple and functional but posed challenges:

  • Separate RSVP and dietary preference forms are inconvenient for guests
  • Hosts need to research what to prepare based on broad labels like “vegetarian.”
Integrated RSVP and dietary preference form to streamline communication. Early notification for hosts to plan ingredient sourcing and recipes. Alerts for dietary restrictions linked to planned menu items prevent unintentional errors.

Wireframing & testing

user feedback
  • There is a section to suggest dishes based on dietary needs, but it feels cumbersome to fill out, and the host may struggle to search for menu ideas using those terms
  • This could be useful not just when the host is preparing dishes but also for potluck events
Design Decision
  • Instead of separating guests and hosts, adapt the design to better support a general potluck format
  • Include a statement about dietary restriction friendliness to clearly communicate the host's intent to accommodate dietary needs
  • Collect information for recommended menus not on the attendance page but by referencing recipes from websites focused on dietary needs
  • Enable dietary restriction warnings to appear when guests or hosts register menu items

mockup & testing

user feedback
  • It’s helpful to know whether the dish I plan to make can be eaten by people with dietary restrictions. In the past, I made a meat-free dish but accidentally used chicken stock, so vegetarians couldn’t eat it. It’s great to have something that points out these blind spots
  • I didn’t know about terms like ‘pescatarian,’ so I learned something new. It might be useful to include educational columns where people can learn about these concepts
  • This service is great, but often I don’t have time and end up bringing store-bought items to potlucks. It would be helpful to include recommended stores and menu options for such situations

I will keep working on the following

  • It’s helpful to know whether the dish I plan to make can be eaten by people with dietary restrictions. In the past, I made a meat-free dish but accidentally used chicken stock, so vegetarians couldn’t eat it. It’s great to have something that points out these blind spots
  • I didn’t know about terms like ‘pescatarian,’ so I learned something new. It might be useful to include educational columns where people can learn about these concepts
  • This service is great, but often I don’t have time and end up bringing store-bought items to potlucks. It would be helpful to include recommended stores and menu options for such situations