How can the design thinking process improve an innovative insect-based food experience?

Abstract

This work set out to show that the novel problem-solving process called design thinking (DT) can advance the acceptance and consumption of insects as food. The DT approach involving a multidisciplinary team comprised three stages: (1) an exploratory evaluation through questionnaires to raise consumer empathy, (2) an ideation stage to enable visualization and rapid prototyping, which resulted in the creation of twelve food products using mealworm larva and cricket flour and (3) an experimentation stage, where the five most promising ideas (packaging and products) were selected and tested on consumers. Four consumption trends were identified: vegetarianism (intellectual), challenge (social relationship), luxury (emotional) and sport (health). Prototypes corresponding to consumer needs were developed. After identifying the positive and negative effects elicited by the prototypes, the most promising ones were tested. Exposing consumers to small manageable steps during a food experience with insects dispelled false beliefs and overcame revulsion. The outcomes of this study are encouraging for the development of innovation in the food industry, favouring the acceptance of new foods and supporting the provision of healthier food choices for the general western population. These findings can also help companies adapt to the growing scarcity of resources and improve the value of innovations they offer the market.