Magic Box
Project Type
Group
Year
2023
Magic Box is an Insulated lunchbox designed around the concept of ingredient categorization. Linked seamlessly to aapp, it helps users control their daily dietary habits by analyzing ingredients and food types, then suggests personalized recipes. Users can conveniently portion meals into individual containers, promoting healthier eating patterns and balanced nutrition.
Obesity is one of America’s most pressing health challenges, reaching epidemic proportions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 42.4% of U.S. adults are classified as obese, with severe obesity affecting 9.2%. Alarmingly, obesity also impacts 19.3% of children aged 2 to 19, underscoring the urgent need for accessible solutions promoting healthier lifestyles.
Obesity Problem
Persona
James Franck
“Tracking nutritional intake through online apps is inconvenient, so I quickly lose motivation.”
>35 years old
>Software engineer
>Care about health
>Live in San Jose
>Has 2 kids
About
>Track their nutrition intake easily.
>Track leftover ingredients efficiently.
>Suitable recipes to cook healthy meals.
>Keep them on a healthy diet.
>Nutrition advice tailored to daily activity.
Needs/Goals
>Tracking nutrition through apps is inconvenient, causing a loss of motivation.
>Cook meals for themselves or their family almost every day.
>Sometimes, they lose motivation to keep a healthy lifestyle.
>Struggles to manage ingredients for online recipes when cooking meals.
>Don't know how to use the leftover ingredients.
>Often feel hungry but sometimes don't, even at mealtime.
Behaviors/Activities
Inspired by guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health, Magic Box categorizes food into five distinct groups, simplifying the tracking of nutritional intake. Taking cues from the flexibility of a tangram puzzle, our design allows users to intuitively organize meal portions, encouraging creative combinations tailored to their personal dietary goals.
Design Concept
Bright and vibrant colors naturally enhance the visual appeal of food. Warm and lively tones stimulate appetite and reinforce associations of freshness and health, making nutritious meals appear enticing and approachable.
Moodboard
The cube-shaped design aligns closely with the typical habits of storing lunchboxes in bags. The Magic Box features gently rounded contours that are compatible with Camelbak’s Vacuum Stainless Steel (VSS) technology, optimizing manufacturing processes and ensuring utensils easily reach all corners.
Sketches
The companion app tracks users’ dietary patterns and nutritional history, cross-referencing shopping receipts to offer fresh and personalized recipes. Additionally, it helps users efficiently manage food inventory in the refrigerators and develop a community through recipe sharing, inspiring healthier cooking habits.
App Design
Concept by Kai Chen
Made of premium brushed Vacuum Stainless Steel (VSS) with a durable 2mm thickness, the lunchbox ensures superior heat insulation. Its streamlined top lid integrates storage space for utensils, merging functionality seamlessly with soft aesthetics.
Final Design
Each individual container features a translucent silicone lid, effectively preventing flavor cross-contamination. Curved stainless-steel protrusions on the interior base stabilize the containers during transport and enhance heat insulation. Internal measurement scales help users precisely portion meals according to personalized recipes.
The small containers incorporate thumb-sized grips, ensuring effortless handling. Each grip is embossed with intuitive food category symbols representing the five essential nutritional groups, allowing quick identification of contents even with lids securely in place.
