Project 1 - Project Proposal

Problem That Faced:

Food stands as a fundamental necessity in people's lives, crucial for sustaining energy and nutrition for daily functions. However, the prevalence of busy schedules often leads individuals to opt for dining out, resulting in several challenges:

💹 Inconsistent Price Control in the Catering Industry

Buyers frequently file complaints due to the inability of food establishments to maintain prices within reasonable and predictable ranges. This lack of price control not only damages the reputation of these businesses but also leads to financial losses. 

🍱 Inadequate Transparency in Food Information

 

Diners often consume meals without adequate knowledge of the cooking methods or the ingredients used in the catering industry. This lack of transparency can result in accidental consumption of allergens or food poisoning, posing health risks.

🏋Lack of Dietary Control and Nutritional Information

Diners struggle to regulate their food intake and nutrient consumption when dining out. This leads to health risks such as excessive calorie intake, contributing to potential health complications and nutritional deficiencies.

💡 Proposed Solution:

          In addressing the identified challenges, the e-plate product emerges as a cutting-edge solution, redefining the dining experience through its multifunctional capabilities. E-plate signifies a breakthrough in design, introducing a novel form of human-computer interaction that re-imagines and has the potential to replace the traditional dish plate, enhancing the way we engage with our meals.

        Firstly, the weighing function is a prominent and crucial feature seamlessly integrated into the e-plate product. When food is placed on the e-plate, the responsive screen not only reveals the weight of the dish but also calculates its price. This not only ensures transparency in pricing but also eliminates the potential for sellers to manipulate costs, providing consumers with a trustworthy and fair dining transaction. Additionally, empowering consumers to control their food budget enhances the overall dining experience, fostering a sense of financial awareness and responsibility.

        Besides that, the innovative feature of the e-plate product, displaying a complete list of food ingredients upon detecting food placement, brings significant benefits for consumers with allergies. Beyond convenience, this function serves as a crucial safety measure, potentially preventing life-threatening consequences for those with allergies. For consumers with allergies, the detailed and highly transparent ingredient information helps in making informed decisions, avoiding potential allergens, and ensuring a safe dining experience. The e-plate has a high potential to become the preferred choice for safety-conscious restaurants, aiming to create a dining environment that is safer, more comfortable, and more trustworthy for both allergic and non-allergic consumers.

      Furthermore, the e-plate product's capacity to calculate and display the calorie content of each food item adds a valuable dimension to the dining experience. In an era where body consciousness and nutritional awareness are prevalent, this feature caters to the needs of fitness enthusiasts and individuals focused on body management. By providing instant access to calorie information, e-Plate enables users to make informed dietary choices to control personal nutritional and energy intake. This not only maintains the health of consumers, but also prevents diseases such as obesity.

    In summary, the proposed e-plate product not only addresses the immediate challenges faced by consumers and restaurants but also revolutionises the dining landscape by combining technological innovation with practical solutions for a safer, more transparent, and health-conscious dining experience.

👥 Target User:                    

☝🏻Students

Students frequently rely on their school canteens or cafeterias as primary dining options. These establishments commonly provide mixed rice, offering a variety of dishes for students to select according to their preferences. However, the pricing structure for mixed rice often lacks consistency and is subject to the discretion of the canteen vendor. This inconsistency in pricing can create an inequitable situation for students, wherein those consuming smaller portions end up paying the same amount as those consuming larger portions. This pricing disparity places an undue financial burden on students, affecting their ability to manage meal expenses efficiently within their limited budgets.

✌🏻Fitness enthusiasts

Fitness enthusiasts are consistently vigilant about monitoring their daily calorie intake and making informed dietary choices. However, they encounter considerable difficulties when dining out, especially at restaurants like mamak stalls, which typically do not provide calorie information for their dishes. This poses a significant challenge for them, as they are constantly mindful of the potential to unintentionally consume excessive calories while indulging in their favorite meals at these establishments. This persistent concern about calorie consumption is not without reason, as exceeding their daily calorie limits can significantly compromise their dedicated fitness efforts, potentially leading to a range of health issues, including obesity and noticeable alterations in their body shape that may hinder their fitness goals.

👌🏻 Food allergy sufferers

A food allergy sufferer is an individual who consistently experiences food allergies and must always take precautions to avoid allergic reactions. Living with food allergies presents a multitude of challenges, as food allergy sufferers must be continuously vigilant, constantly aware of the ingredients in the foods they consume, meticulously read food labels, and carefully control their dietary choices. Dining out at restaurants, in particular, poses significant difficulties, with some establishments not providing comprehensive information about the ingredients of their dishes. These situations can lead to a food allergy sufferer unintentionally consuming allergenic substances, potentially resulting in adverse health effects and disruptions to their daily life.