Can we use insights from design psychology? Can we create effective and well-intentioned nudging in the virtual food world? Before we begin to change the interior of the shop or the canteen buffet? And before we being spending money on foods or food shop shelves and equipment?
“Yes we can” says a group of researchers and students from the Integrated Food Studies and Medialogy programs at Aalborg University in Copenhagen. Across research disciplines they have created a Virtual Food Choice Simulator (VFCS) based on 3D virtual reality technology. The advantage of this type of technology is that it is fairly easy to modify the virtual design of e.g. a buffet or a check out aisle and test many different parameters without the need to use real food or building new interiors. "We have here a prototype of an affordable and suitable technology that makes it possible to simulate the design of an entire supermarket or an entire canteen buffet before anyone has started to build or move items" says Karina Dorph Pawlowski, Dennis Godtfredsen and Martin Rene Andersen from the Integrated Food Studies and Medialogy programs, which together with their supervisors have developed the technology and tested it. At first among fellow students, but the Aalborg students and their supervisors hope that the technology could positively contribute to the development of tools that can help to create an environment that easily facilitates the healthy choice in supermarkets and canteens.
The simulator is created through long-term cooperation between LIDL and AAU's food and Medialogy students with the support of their supervisors. On Friday and Saturday, April 24 and 25 it is possible to try out the technique in Shopping Mall Spinderiet in the Valby are of Copenhagen. The AUU exhibition is open Friday 16-18 and Saturday 11-15. You can watch a video about the technique here.