Design Contribution to Consumers Knowledge Regarding Healthier and More Sustainable Nutritional Choices at The Grocery Store

Abstract

In Norwegian grocery stores, consumers encounter many accreditation labels. However, these rarely contribute to healthier or more environmentally friendly nutritional choices. This master’s study analyses how product design may contribute to consumers knowledge regarding healthier and more sustainable nutritional choices at the grocery store. This paper contributes with a Norwegian perspective. The study also discusses the role of food and nutrition literacy as well as potential improvements in the educational system. Qualitative research methods such as empirical data collection, literature review and semi-structured interviews with an expert have been used to explore the field and gain insights. The raw data was collected using the empirical data collection method. The literature review laid the theoretical foundation for the paper, and three case studies were chosen. By analysing these cases, three possible product design concepts for the research question were identified: dynamic food labels, traffic light labels and visual clues. Finally, the concept mapping tool was used to visualise this new framework so that it can be used to strengthen cross-disciplinary communication between product designers and nutritionists. Findings from this study show a lack of cross-disciplinary collaboration between nutritionists and designers. This study has focused on understanding the problem area and revealing product design opportunities in the field. Future research may want to further explore the interdisciplinary problem area and consider involving a cross-disciplinary team.