Xen

How might we design “something” to inform and make people aware of the impact that food has on their emotional and physical health and vice versa?

2016 / Teamwork (5) / Advisor: Elizabeth Martínez (MX) / Christian Vivanco (SLP) / Luis Eslava (ES)

Challenge:

Generate awareness of the impact that good nutrition has on day-to-day emotions.

This was a one-week challenge. We had the global topic about FOOD, and we have to establish the brief, and the main objective to carry out the project.

Process:

It all started with a question, What if ...? And we create questions about the following topics:

Food as a social connection
The importance of time for food
Food as medicine
Pleasures

Of which we choose to focus on food as medicine (physical or emotional)

We looked in-depth at the relationship that existed between food and emotions and how the food in the environment could affect emotional balance.
A tool that helped us to learn more about the subject was the documentary “Forks over Knives” and documents on mental health in Mexico.

14658202_10207780839825273_858853759_n.j

14657784_10207780855545666_1719986392_n.

Insights / Based on interviews and polls:

We made secondary research on the internet and we found many facts about food habits in Mexico as:

In Mexico, emotional disorders arise before the person reaches the age of 22.
The current diet that is based on fats and sugar, lowers our mood.

According to the diagnosis “Young Emotional Health” made by Injuve in 2015 with a sample of 675 young people between 14 and 29 years old: 90% of CDMX youth suffer from:

Depression (28.23%)
Psychological stress (18.28%)
Anxiety (19.82%)
Stress / tension (20.80%).

Validation:

Validation of the information obtained through a questionnaire carried out on 10 young people between the ages of 20 and 25, about their activities in their daily routine, foods they consume, and their emotions. In order to see the relationship between emotions and food in a person.

Solution:

Xen is an emotion identification system composed of a database containing the properties of various foods. Same that allows to collect the information about the user (likes, dislikes, allergies, etc.) and to determine a pattern of alimentary behavior.

By having an average log of the user’s daily emotions, the platform recommends foods that serve as a tool to counteract an emotional imbalance.

Winner of the “Open Week” prize in CEDIM.
Selected to be part of “Latin American Meeting of Food Design” in Ensenada.
Part of the exhibition of the Franz Mayer Museum in CDMX.
Finalist of the Premio a! Diseño 2017.

Xen

Challenge:

Generate awareness of the impact that good nutrition has on day-to-day emotions.

​

This was a one-week challenge. We had the global topic about FOOD, and we have to establish the brief, and the main objective to carry out the project.

Process:

Insights / Based on interviews and polls:

Validation:

Validation of the information obtained through a questionnaire carried out on 10 young people between the ages of 20 and 25, about their activities in their daily routine, foods they consume, and their emotions. In order to see the relationship between emotions and food in a person.

Solution:

Winner of the “Open Week” prize in CEDIM.

Selected to be part of “Latin American Meeting of Food Design” in Ensenada.

Part of the exhibition of the Franz Mayer Museum in CDMX.

Finalist of the Premio a! Diseño 2017.