Opinions for an app to teach children healthy food choices

[MartaDe]

Hi all,
I'm a digital designer and I've created a concept of an app to teach children healthy food choices and the idea of 5 basic food groups in a fun and engaging way!

I would appreciate your opinions and feedback about the concept.

The idea is that kids can use smartphones cameras to scan barcodes on food products to 'feed' those products to cute monsters. They have to feed them each of the basic food groups to make the monster grow to the next level.

You can see the prototype of the app here:
projects.invisionapp.com/share/7HBW8ZNZY#/screens/235822547

You can click through it to see how it works.

I would love your feedback on the following aspects:

1. do you see any benefits of using this app by kids?
2. do you see any disadvantages of using this app by kids?
3. in what context would it work? (e.g. at home, in a grocery store, while cooking etc)

Thanks you so much!

Marta

I'm not sure the age group you are thinking of would have access to a phone or smartphone app. My DCs wouldn't. But I am old fashioned.

I can't see any kid that would be bothered doing this. The kids food choices ultimately come from the parents. They buy the food, they cook the food, they put the food into the trolley, they say when and where the food can be eaten. Children do not and should not have to take responsibility for deciding what's healthy, this should be led by the adults who care for them.

1. do you see any benefits of using this app by kids? No. Kids only care if a product is 'cool', has a good taste or looks good.
2. do you see any disadvantages of using this app by kids? Pre-teens and kids with eating disorder could be triggered by this. Kids might get hung up on what's healthy and what's not...when they shouldn't have to take on that kind of responsibility.
3. in what context would it work? (e.g. at home, in a grocery store, while cooking etc) The only concept where I could see it working would be as Educational program in schools.

For Adults yes, it'd be very handy to get nutritional content but isn't it already on the packaging?

Hi,

Thank you both for your messages!

Did you check out the prototype? :)

@Heratnumber7, would you be happy to let your child user your phone to play this game? What do you think is the age group that could be suitable for this kind of game?

@Sadie9, thank you for your input, that gave me a lot to think about. When do you think kids should start learning about healthy food choices? Do you think that is important at all?

Thanks,
Marta

I would say the game is suitable for 5-8 year olds.
And no, I wouldn't give a 5 or 8 year old my very expensive iPhone to play what is essentially a game. I would prefer to discuss with them whatvfoid is healthy and what is not, involve them in the food prep and encourage them to learn from a book.

I could see that with some redesign students or young adults looking after themselves for the first time could conceivably find such an app useful though.

Thank you so much for your input!