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Title:

Mac-n-Cheese: Learning About Product Design from Comfort Foods

Your vote:
Yes No
Organizer:
Julie Stanford, Sliced Bread Design
Description:
Comfort foods are the epitome of success. Delicious, ubiquitous, and easy. This panel of chefs and designers will explore what food can teach about product design. What makes a new recipe take-off? How do you make your product comfy on first use and then make people want to use it again?
Questions
Answered:
  1. What do food and online experiences have in common?
  2. What makes comfort foods so appealing?
  3. Can the qualities of comfort food translate into successful software/websites?
  4. How do you create a new recipe that a mass audience will like as much as an old standby like mac-n-cheese?
  5. How do you have a successful and cutting edge restaurant?
  6. What makes a product easy and intuitive to use?
  7. What techniques/lessons from recipe creation (for restaurants/cookbooks/magazines) can be applied to the design of new technologies?
  8. How do you create a new product that people will feel comfortable using from the start?
  9. How do you get a following for your food? For your restaurant? For your product?
  10. What mistakes should you avoid when creating a new technology product or service?
Level:
Intermediate
Category:
Design Thinking, Interface Design, Mobile Applications, User Experience, Web Apps / Widgets
Type:
Panel
Event:
Interactive 2010
Julie Stanford
on 17/8/09
I am the organizer of this panel and my plan was to create a forum for dissecting how to make software have the same allure and delight of comfort foods. I plan on inviting a top chef from the Austin area who creates new takes on comfort foods in his restaurant, a food editor from Sunset magazine, and a designer or two to discuss the intersection between succesful food and design. Like software companies, food mags and restaurants have test kitchens and do test runs of their foods...I think it's time that the two disciplines converged and learned from each other.
Ellen Siminoff
on 20/10/09
This panel looks like it will be really fun. I've seen Julie speak and she's very animated and extremely creative with great perspectives to share. I love that this panel uses good food as a comparison for good design - I think lots of great stories are going to come out of this that will be memorable and shareable in my design work going forward.
Justin O'Neill
on 21/10/09
Great topic! I’m excited to explore similarities between food and design - two of my favorite things! You have my vote and I’m looking forward to it.
Eric Dorf
on 21/10/09
Fascinating discussion topic! Especially, when asked "what do food and online experiences have in common?" I'm intrigued to know the thoughts from this panel. As a designer, I've been inspired by architecture and impressionism. However, I would love to understand how I can implement and explore what food can teach about product design.

Eric
Wendy Woo
on 21/10/09
This sounds like a great way to engage listeners in the complexities of product design with a really accessible framework -to show how there are design lessons in everyday things. I doubt anyone will think of mac n cheez (or design!) the same way again.
Elizabeth Douglas
on 21/10/09
Hello. My name is Elizabeth and I am a previous client of Sliced Bread Design. Given both the quality of work, and level of creativity that Sliced Bread Design provides in the workplace, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that this would be both a fun and educational panel. On top of that, Sliced Bread prides itself on being incredibly thorough and well prepared for any task that they take on. So, I'm sure they will give the same level of commitment and dedication to this panel, which will undoubtedly lead to it being one of the most memorable panels at the conference.
Games Online
on 3/11/09
sounds incredibly interesting and relevent!
iphone ringtone maker
on 13/11/09
I'd be super into learning from Kris. Dig it!
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