Uncovering weight loss practices - to design a service concept for female students
Authors
Nielsen, Maria ; Saabye, Natalie Lanawan
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-05-29
Pages
115
Abstract
This interdisciplinary thesis explores how to design a service concept to improve weight-loss practices among female students aged 25–30 at Aalborg University Copenhagen. The research asks what practices this group engages in and how a design intervention, drawing on Service Systems Design and Learning and Innovative Change, can support them. Methods include desk research, an online survey, and qualitative, semi-structured interviews with specialists (two nutrition therapists, a dietitian, a habit coach, and a personal trainer) and four students from the target group, complemented by observations of weight-related practices in social media groups. Grounded in practice theory (Schatzki) and a user-centered service design approach, the study focuses on “doings” and “sayings.” Findings indicate that changing one weight-loss practice is difficult without adjusting others, and that practices across the target group are broadly similar. Key insights were that social media shapes body perceptions; participants track food and exercise using lists or smartphone tools to review weekly results; and they primarily seek evidence-based health information online. Based on these insights, the team developed an informative weight-loss app concept featuring information, chat, profile, forum, logbook, fact-checking, and a reflective element, which was concept-tested with informants. The concept aims to better understand and support future weight-loss practices in this population.
Dette interdisciplinære speciale undersøger, hvordan et servicekoncept kan designes til at forbedre vægttabspraksisser blandt kvindelige studerende på 25–30 år ved Aalborg Universitet København. Problemformuleringen kombinerer Service Systems Design og Læring og Forandringsprocesser og afklarer dels, hvilke vægttabspraksisser målgruppen har, dels hvordan et design kan støtte dem. Metodisk anvendes desk research, en survey og kvalitative, semistrukturerede interviews med fagpersoner (to ernæringsterapeuter, en diætist, en vanecoach og en personlig træner) samt fire studerende fra målgruppen; derudover indgår observationer af vægtrelaterede praksisser i sociale mediegrupper. Analysen er forankret i praksisteori (Schatzki) med fokus på “doings” og “sayings” og kombineres med brugercentreret servicedesign. Fundene peger på, at det er svært at ændre én vægttabspraksis uden samtidig at ændre andre, og at målgruppens praksisser overordnet ligner hinanden. Centrale indsigter var: sociale medier påvirker kropsopfattelsen; deltagerne monitorerer mad og træning via lister eller smartphoneapps; og de søger primært evidensbaseret viden online. På baggrund heraf blev et informativt app-koncept udviklet med funktioner som viden om vægttab, chat, profil, forum, logbog, fakta-tjek og et refleksivt element, og det blev konceptvalideret med informanter. Konceptet sigter mod at understøtte og nuancere fremtidige vægttabspraksisser hos målgruppen.
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