Address childhood obesity through technology.

We designed the Grocery Hunter to directly address the nutritional aspect of the obesity epidemic. It is a touch-screen mobile game that, like a traditional scavenger hunt, encourages children to search for items using the clues provided. Children play the game while they are at a supermarket with their parents. They read descriptions of healthy food options and are then asked to search for those food within the store. Our design solution entertains kids, provides parents with a reprieve during their trip, and teaches shopping skills to children. Most importantly, it empowers children with the knowledge to make the right nutritional decisions.

View the Flash Demo:

Part I: Understanding the Problem

Prior to developing a solution, it is crucial to understand the problem context and to be familiar with existing products and services that serve similar needs. To do so, we discussed the issue of childhood obesity with domain experts, read academic journals, searched the web and personally observed a child making food choices. From these methods, we were able to form a clear picture of the environmental, social and technical contexts along with the common user characteristics. We also prepared an analysis of existing systems that included a cell phone food diary, a social pedometer also utilizing cell phone technology, and the popular physical interactive games including Dance Dance Revolution and Nintendo Wii.

Finally, we isolated the key usability metrics that would be used to measure the final usability of our prototype. We used the principles of Learnability, Flexibility and Robustness.

Part II: Ideation

Having understood the problem context, we ran several consecutive brainstorming sessions that yielded over twenty concepts ranging from table top applications to virtual gyms to evil robotic dogs. The final three were presented in a poster session at the GVU 15th Anniversary Research Showcase as well as to a small panel of advisors at the Cartoon Network who gave input as to the habit of our target audience (children 7 to 11).

View the poster representing the final three concepts:

Part III: Prototype

In order to test our chosen idea, The Grocery Hunter, we developed an Adobe Flash prototype for a Dell Pocket PC. The design was playful with simple language and a familiar Cartoon Network children’s character, Bloo. It contained a large touch-screen, that eliminated the need for a stylus creating a natural tangible interaction for kids.

Take a look at the prototype for yourself!

Part IV: Evaluation

In order to evaluate the usability of our design, we recruited 6 children between the ages of 7 and 11. Each one of them used the device to locate items amongst a table of miscellaneous foods. Following the test, participants and their parents answered questions regarding their experience and their opinions of the game. Overall, everyone was very happy with the concept. Parents liked the nutritional education, while the kids indicated that they had fun with it. However, the learning value was significantly lower than we expected and would require further reiteration before final development.

Below is an image of a child using the prototype during the evaluation: