Solutions from left to right: Allergy Aware Accreditation Certification, Allergy Cards, and Allergy Symbols.
Individual Capstone Project
This capstone project allowed us to explore an area we are interested in pursuing or create a passion project from the eyes of an interaction designer. Because I am interested in Service Design and designing for Restaurants and Hospitality, my capstone project revolved around designing for food allergies in Restaurants.
Role: Research, UX/UI, Product Development, Product Design, Graphic Design, Web Design
Timeline: Spring 2024, 16 weeks
Project Challenge
Problem: The restaurant industry has always had a problem when it comes to catering to people with allergens.
Insight: During the research phase, I discovered that all the digital tools and systems were provided to make a restaurant successful in handling allergens, but there's a lack of education and help needed for owners and staff to implement best practices.
Solution: An Accreditation catered to restaurants that show they employ knowledgeable staff and care for people with allergies. The solution also includes supporting resources such as universal symbols, menu templates, and physical artifacts.
Research
Observation:
During the first stages of research, I started by visiting and observing restaurants. I evaluated the following:
Steps of service: First and foremost, I evaluated whether or not the server asked if we had any allergies before taking an order.
Menu: I also evaluated the menus. Did they include any allergens, and if so - were they annotated? Did the restaurant only care about food restrictions, intolerances, or allergens? Most of them did neither, so navigating a menu and not knowing what everything contained was extremely hard.
In some cases, I conducted tests or experiments when dining with someone who had an intolerance or allergy to see what measures they would take to accommodate. I also evaluated whether or not this was an accessible accommodation or if they seemed to push back on making the accommodations.
I realized that often, the server was not properly trained or had not enough knowledge about the menu or kitchen procedures. I often needed to ask a manager or the kitchen staff how to handle the situation. More often than not, it was an unpleasant experience.
Menu at the Bel Air Hotel Restaurant
Menu at Mozza Newport
Secondary Research:
I also set out to do secondary research, a lot of it.
Here are some of the most intriguing insights that I found were:
- 33+ million Americans have a food allergy
- Every 3 minutes a food allergic reaction sends someone to the ER
- Allergy specified training is not required in California for staff handling food, only a food handlers certificate.
- There are no laws or regulations on how allergens should be displayed on the menus at restaurants serving foods, but all packaged food in the US has to include and highlight allergens on their packaging. - Why shouldn't restaurant menus do the same and show equal transparency and care?
- A food allergy is a disability according to the ADA, but there is no clear on what the procedures has to be in place for restaurants. While restaurants are required to have an allergy policy in place there's no information on the policy requirements and how this is being monitored and enforced.
Experiment with current food workers
I wanted to understand what food workers currently knew about allergens so i created a small and quick experiment where I asked them if they could identify the major 9 allergens and also if they could then identify them in a set of dishes written out just like they were on a menu.
What I found out from this was that no single food worker could identify all nine major allergens, neither FOH or BOH staff. And all of these people also had a hard time identify allergens just by looking at a menu item.
We did two rounds, first round they were asked to identify the allergens and could thereafter use those allergens to identify them on the menu items, on the second round all nine allergens were revealed and they could use all of them to identify allergens in the dishes.
The purpose of this was not only to see if they knew the allergens, but also to see if more information was given to them, would they still be able to identify the allergens in a specific dish. Most of them were not able to identify all the allergens in all of the dishes which shows just how important it is to be transparent
I printed the allergens and if they could identify them int he first round they could use them to identify allergens in the dishes that were written out
Example of results from one of the subjects.
On hands understanding by taking Allergy Courses
I also completed several courses in food handling and allergen training that is currently available for restaurants to myself understand what was out there and the level of training that was available. As someone that is not very knowledgeable or familiar with food allergens I found all of these certifications and trainings to be extremely easy to pass. A pivotal moment that made me realize that the training available doesn't match the severity of the event of an allergic reaction.
Food Handlers Card
Managerial Certification in Food Allergens
Food Allergen Certification
Food Allergen Certification
Storyboard
The following story is about Mary. She is allergic to caffeine, and one day, she accidentally served coffee that contains caffeine. The following events are based on a real story that a friend told me, who, in this story, was the barista serving the coffee. This is not a rare or unusual story for people with allergens and it may happen more often than you think.
Results
My final solution for this project makes up of the following solutions:
Example of Accreditation Certificate
The big idea: Allergy Aware Accreditation
The big idea for this project is to create an accreditation. Something that requires more effort and knowledge than the existing certifications, but is still accessible and cost-effective for restaurants.
The accreditation would require all staff of an establishment to pass an extensive examination around food allergens. This is to ensure that the staff is indeed properly trained and knowledgeable to ensure safety for diners.
Supporting materials:
Allergy Symbols
I created a set of symbols that I think could be universally recognized. From these symbols I created variations of designs that could be used or modified in colors to work with a restaurants personal branding.
Allergy Cards
Using the symbols that I created, I also designed alelrgy cards for each major allergen. I see these cards being used in quick service restaurants or cafe's to ensure that diners are picking up the correct food or drink order that will not include any of the allergens.
Variation of symbols for allergens
Five of nine allergy cards created for the major food allergens, using symbols
Menu Design Examples
Using the symbols I created, I also redesigned some existing restaurant menus to show examples of how their menus could be improved and help diners better identify allergens in dishes. It provided a much better view of what each dish contains and would evidently make it much easier for both the diner and the restaurant to handle any allergy situations. Using the big idea, I see the Accreditation to also be showing Accredited restaurants what is best practice and guide them to ensure best practices are in place.
Mozza Pizzeria menu redesign using best practices showcasing allergens by using one of the symbol sets created.
Hotel Bel Air menu redesign using best practices showcasing allergens by using one of the symbol sets created.
Grad Show
We also had the opportunity to show off our work at the CMD Grad Show. This was a really fun addition to the project that I had worked so long on. It gave me a chance to set up a unique experience and allow guests to interact with some of the designs in a physical format. I set up my booth as a restaurant and printed all of my design ideas.
This was a great opportunity to meet industry people and hear stories from others about their or their family and friends' allergies. It was nice to get this project validated through others.
Me at my Grad Show booth
Reflection
I think that there is so much to be done within the space that I have only been able to scratch the surface these past 16 weeks. Every single establishment does things differently and there needs to be a standard set to at least create some consistency.
Moving forward I would love to do more field research and learn more about what each restaurant needs when it comes to handling allergens. Then, by getting a better understanding on what each establishment needs, or what different kind of establishments need, these designs and the idea can develop further.
