Dietary choices and their impact on the Environment : Building a Concept of an Interactive Virtual Reality Experience to Initiate Reflection

Abstract: This thesis describes a Research through Design process of building a concept of an interactive Virtual Reality experience. It oscillates around the topic of sustainability and mindful food choices. The initial background research led to constructing the main research question: How should a concept of an interactive virtual reality experience be designed, so that it initiates reflection on the user’s consumption of food products? The subject of reflection and the elements needed to induce it are explored and studied throughout the whole design process starting with choosing suitable theories and methods for the development of the concept. Various narratives are developed and built through co-designing with future users and result in creating video prototypes. The final evaluation of the resultant artefact provides a basis for using VR technology in order to initiate reflection on people’s dietary choices and their impact on the environment. The assessment shows that VR can be described as one of the potential media, which can extend the outreach of information and help mitigate the negative consequences of our actions towards the environment.