W A R D B L E U S
product design
Ferm.
kitchen appliance
About
Ferm. aims to bring consumers back into contact with food. For this, a gastronomic approach is used in order to learn to appreciate our food again. This approach comes a life in fermentation, a process that is transformed in this project from a storage method to a way to prepare our food by using digital measuring systems. The exact values are checked so that the fermentation process requires less prior knowledge.
Analyses
Field research
This project started with analysing the profesional sector. By doing this I tried to understand the close connection between a chef and his passion for food. Parallel to the research on the professional sector, I talked to households to understand their workflow in the kitchen. This gave me a broad view on the similarities and differences in the seperate kitchens.
User Tests
In the process I worked together with my users. By including them into my project I got to know what their habits and frustrations were.
Experimenting
While doing research I bumped into fermenthing. The many benefits inspired me to unroll a project for this storage technique. For a better understanding of fermentation, I did a lot of experimenting. This made clear that the handlings are quite easy, but the feedback requires a gut feeling. Knowing the risk from a failed culture, the motivation could be put back.
Concept Development
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Prototyping
To test the concepts, different mockups and prototypes were made. Each of them had its own specific goal. From the usability of the app to the dimensions of the product.
User testing
Every detail was tested with different users in their own kitchen. The goal was to make sure that the fermentation process gave a safe and trusting feeling.
Engineering
In addition to developing a concept and a story, the project was also developed technically.
Result
Ferm. aims to bring consumers back into contact with food. For this, a gastronomic approach is used, in order to reassess our food. This approach is expressed in fermentation, a slow cooking process in which the experiment is central. However, the idea is that a gut feeling must be developed in order to be able to achieve a safe fermentation result. Before Ferm. was developed, both theoretical and practical knowledge had to be acquired. This meant that the user had to rely on an a lot of motivation to go through the long learning process. Ferm. tries to counter this. It is a tool that guides the consumer through the fermentation process from the start to the end, from the preparation to the creation of a new dish.
Ferm. applies the preservation process by using digital measurement systems. For example, the exact values are checked, so that the fermentation process requires less prior knowledge. This makes the step to get started with fermentation more accessible and makes it possible to experiment with fermentation safely and in a structured way.
The App
In order to clarify the actions of the fermentation process, I looked for a possibility to optimize the recipe. This resulted in an application that takes the user along in the steps to a succesful proces. Besides the manual an application makes it possible to start and connect a community. In the start-up of this product, the chefs will become the ambassadors of this application. The professionals can inspire the users through their creations to create new dishes.
The Spice mix
In addition to bringing inspiration, the chefs are involved in creating the spice mixes. This makes it possible to recreate the dish that the chef developed on your plate.
