Interaction modalities with food: proposal of a new design method. Analysis on chocolate products

Food is becoming a design material: is no longer of interest only to cooks and pastry chef but also to designers. The design of the new "material-food" creates new sensory worlds: as a result, the taste is analysed as a new and unexpected experience. Moreover food handling is a key aspect that is acquiring more and more importance because it is very important in the design process of a food product to know which are the ways and the places of interaction and consume between food and consumer. Interactions modes with food are changing according to its “usage context” and its presentation form (extruded, expanded, sandwich, mesh, granules, etc.). These presentation forms are directly linked to food ingredients and are often mediated by the presence of a packaging, which determines the user's first interaction with the food.