On-the-Go
Meal Experience
6 weeks
Fall 2022
User research
Hand prototyping
Soft fabrication
CAD
Keyshot
A ceremonial container set that turns a meal into a ritual.
This lunch box was created to fulfill a desire for ritual and respite during lunch time. Made for a fellow design student, this container set elevates the meal experience through its elegant form and careful interaction.
The form:
Influenced by Japanese design principles, the lunch box’s form evokes simplicity and dignity. A combination of soft curves and sturdy edges creates a balanced form, inviting peace into the meal experience.
The blocky feet, inspired by traditional geta (Japanese wooden sandals,) provide a sense of reverence as they raise the meal off the table.
The function:
The user’s typical meal is curry or stew with rice. She likes to transport the two parts separately, but mix them together when eating.
To support this, there are two containers that stack during transport but can be used together to create a bowl-like form during meal time. The shape of the containers form a dipped center wall to allow easy mixing of the two sides, as one might do in at home.
The set comes with a cloth carrier that houses utensils and holds the containers in a stacked formation. The handle makes it easy to retrieve the container set from within a backpack, as one of the user’s pain points was that she had to fish around in her backpack to find her containers.
Additionally, the “unboxing” process serves to enhance the ceremonial nature of the meal. The user stated that she enjoyed a lunch experience with multiple intentional steps, as it made the process more ritualistic and special.
1. Remove set from backpack
4. Open and heat meal
5. Enjoy
2. Open carrier and remove containers
As part of this project, I picked a brand to envision my lunch box within. I chose Kinto, a Japanese kitchenware brand with a modest, elegant form language. The main thing I noticed as visual branding was the distinct integration of curved and angular elements, creating confident yet inviting forms. My lunch box employs this styling along with my own aesthetic tastes.
Kinto’s designs
2. Remove utensils
Branding:
The carrier design was derived from this tumbler carrier offered by Kinto.
My design
Process:
Early ideas for a geometric rim and utensil compartment
Exploring stack shape for comfortable storage in backpack
Exploring “feet” elements
This model explored a rustic “stone pot” aesthetic. The soft and smooth feeling of stone/ceramic is something that fit well with the lunch box’s story, so I tried to keep it.
This model marks the point where I decided to have the containers come together at a flat side to make a “bowl.” In this model, there is a compartment that stacks on top to house utensils. This model also has a “foot.”
The foot
My process began with a persona based my chosen user, a design peer I will call “Cameron.” The driving concept behind my design, based on my persona’s desires, was ceremony.
Practical needs that I wanted to incorporate:
two containers that are easily stackable
curved inner corners to make cleaning easier
built-in utensil storage
I began sketching with simple geometries to map out how I wanted to incorporate the two compartments. In some explorations I focused more on the practical elements I wanted to include, while in others I worked on developing a form conducive to the ritualistic experience the user wanted.
Early models included feet elements that also aligned the stack. The form is still rectangular but is beginning to take on softness where appropriate.
At this point, I was simply finalizing the form. The previous concept of a stone pot influenced the shape of the containers. The chunkiness of the feet was inspired by geta, Japanese wooden sandals.