Coeliac disease as social disease: design for safety during social events

Abstract

The coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease caused by the ingestion of gluten affecting people with a genetic disposition. Gluten is a protein that can be found in wheat, rye and barley but it can also be used as protein filler in ice creams and soup. The only treatment for patients is to follow a strict gluten-free diet. Due to the restrictive nature of the diet, coeliac people have to develop new habits and routines to overcome uncomfortable situations at home and social situations. Different studies demonstrated that coeliac people are affected emotionally by social events. Coeliac people have to avoid food contained food, be aware of the gluten cross-contamination and find proper gluten-free options. This might lead to the development of anxiety and stress. This is a master report that gathers the research and the design activities to investigate how to create a safe environment for coeliac people during social events. The project was developed through converging and diverging design approaches involving remote user research, literature review and iterative cycles of ideations, development and testing. The project focused mainly on two areas: the perception of the gluten-free diet and the coping strategies or problem-solving skills used during social events. The research approach includes context research as base knowledge about coeliac disease, the challenges of the gluten-free diet, and coping strategies. The user research involved coeliac people to lead the development of a solution that would embrace their needs and values. At the end of the user research, a Framework was developed to describe the context of the social events for coeliac people. The design goal of the project was identified as the project aims to enhance the feeling of security for coeliac people by increasing empathy and decreasing negative emotions. Different concepts were developed according to iterative conceptualizations and evaluation tests of low fidelity prototypes with participants. The insights gathered helped to generate a final concept. The final concept is an event planner app that gives information about how to create a safe environment for coeliac people and more. The final user tests have been conducted in part in person and part remotely with participants who evaluated the possibility to create a safe environment and create empathy. The results demonstrated that by using the final concept it is possible to generate a safe environment and generate empathy. Participants had the possibility to immerse themselves in the challenges that coeliac people face daily. Coeliac people indeed felt to be secure cause people would have the correct information about the preparation of the environment and gluten-free food.