PREPARIO Service Design for a Connected and Automated Food Preparation Platform

Existing solutions for meal preparation are insufficient for many aged people who struggle to reheat their delivered meals. It often happens that the meals get over or under heated which can ruin the meal itself as well as destroy the food experience. In some cases, this leads to malnutrition and severe illness and in other cases caregivers are needed to assist with food preparation on an everyday basis, which is time that could be spent better with the client and poses a great financial burden on society.We developed a holistic solution for the preparation of delivered meals. The goal is to enable aged people to prepare their meals safely and independently at home for longer. The solution consists of a novel microwave oven with wireless temperature control that enables fully automated heating of delivered meals to optimal serving temperature. The solution is supported by a digital voice assistance platform and a datadriven support system for external monitoring to allow for efficient care provision. This paper illustrates the applied design process and its accompanying activities and results. The focus is on developing and evaluating a whole service for a diverse user group with an enduser and customercentred design process. Cocreation workshops and field trials have been carried out. This lead to detailed insights in the needs and wants of the targeted groups. These activities lead to guide the further technical development of the components as well as to establish a new B2B2C business model with the aim to reduce the burden on the primary endusers.