Using Auto-Ethnography to Understand the Perception of Sustainable and Healthy Food Consumption
Client: Dutch National Institute of Health and Environment || Internship project at STBY
The Dutch National Institute of Health and Environment approached STBY to explore the Dutch population's perception of sustainable and healthy food consumption. What is regarded as 'sustainable' and/or 'healthy? Where do people get their information from, and what do they do with it? How do people perceive plant-based proteins?
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I was mainly involved in: data analysis and insight generation.
Mobile Auto-Ethnography
Using the 'Experience Fellow' app.
A mobile auto-ethnographic study was conducted where participants shared their thoughts and behaviours through Experience Fellow, for 4 weeks. Each week, participants were prompted to take note of different aspects of their food consumption behaviours. Insights were analysed on a rolling-basis, and used to design materials for 'Foodlabs' (participant workshops to explore people's behaviours and motives) at the end of the auto-ethnographic study.
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Below you can see a few excerpts of the data (source: STBY). Participants could indicate their mood, write down their thoughts and include videos, locations or pictures. Over 700 data entries were collected, from which insights were derived to improve national communication about sustainable and healthy food consumption.
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Results and in-depth details of the project can be read in Experience Fellow's Case Study article:
What did I learn about?
Design research: how to conduct an auto-ethnographic study, qualitative data analysis (coding and synthesising data), participant correspondence.
Workshop facilitation: observed how to conduct participant workshops and assisted in preparations of design materials.
Behaviour change in the food consumption context: perceptions, motives and barriers.