Discussion Plates is a Chinese food meal prep kit for Chinese adoptive families (children age 10-12). It cultivates a comfortable, healthy space for Chinese transracial adoptees to process their identities in a healthy manner by allowing parents and children to cook new food together introducing the adoptee’s birth culture.
Situation
200,000 children were adopted internationally to the U.S. from 2009 - 2011. 80% - 85% of international adoptions are transracial, the majority arriving from Asian countries.
How can I improve transracial adoption support systems so they will better support Transracial adoptees through their discovery of cultural identity?
A photo of me and my mother (1999)
What is Transracial Adoption?
Transracial adoption (TRA) refers to the process of placing a child who is on one race or ethnicity with adoptive parents of another race or ethnic group.
I validated my experiences and beliefs as a transracial adoptee with other adoptees and assessed the current state of adoption support.
I conducted literary research on transracial adoption testimonies.
I created a SWOT analysis based on current online adoption groups prior to comparing/analyzing my own observations.
I conducted interviews with fellow Chinese TRA’s with questionscreated from the secondary research and my own experiences with transracial adoption support.
I compiled the data into a dialogue with key themes from the interviews.
“I think for me it was a lot more race related things would come up and it's been more recent cause I think growing up I didn't really like questions that much or it made me feel weird, but I didn't understand why it made me felt weird.”
- May, 20
“...They need to be able to talk about race... they need to understand how it affects people and that this idea of colorblindness is not helpful… Actually, really hurtful… If you don't feel like that's your culture… to me, it doesn't get as far as being a white parent saying, I don't understand how you experience things differently, but, I want to learn. I'm not going to dismiss it.”
- Katy, 33
“There was always sort of a discomfort to a certain extent [with race].”
- Erin, 21
Recipe card example
AR on delivery box
How It Works
A traditional Chinese food subscription box designed for families of Chinese Adoptees (children age 10 - 12). The subscription provides a weekly delivery of set traditional Chinese appetizers, entrees, and snacks in each box. This service comes with a mobile companion app that includes cooking instructions with step by step videos and other videos explaining the cultural significance of each dish. The goal is to create talking points and a space for discussions about culture which will lead to identity.
What’s in the box?
Delivery box
App
Produce Box
Plastic Lining
Gel Packs
Resealable Bags
Partnership Branded Ingredients
Reinforcement Cardboard Layer
Seasoning Packets
Augmented Reality Component
Cooking Instructions
Nutritional Facts
Premixed Marinades and Sauces
The box is delivered. You can view AR graphics on the outside of the package.
Cook the meal together with the ingredients provided. This includes step by step video instructions through the app.
Watch a short informational video about the dish prepared together before eating.
Post an image of the dish to social media and share your experiences with other Discussion Plates subscribers
Lastly, eat and share a conversation with one anothter.
Logo
The spoon and chopsticks represent Chinese and American culture.
The circle in the middle represents a plate with the name of our company in the center.
The intersecting discussion bubbles represent another convergence between people in conversation over food forming the placemat holding the plate, spoon and chopsticks.
Spoon
Chopsticks
Discussion Bubbles
Circle
Wordmark
The App
This app provides educational videos about each dish, an appendix defining specialty ingredients and the basic elements involved with a meal prep kit — billing, tracking, and step by step cooking instructions.
The goal of the design was to include conventions from other meal prep kit apps such as Hello Fresh or Blue Apron while incorporating tools for learning like the educational videos.
Mind Map
Wireframes
Logo Ideation
Final UI Layout
Site Map