Cymatics seasoning: Creating different sound waves and dynamic patterns to enhance the flavor of beverage.

💡 Cymatics is the study of visible sound and vibration, which creates geometric patterns and shapes in matter. These patterns can be seen in different mediums such as water, sand, or powder and are produced by the interaction of sound waves.

Duration | 2 months: Users Research, Information Architecture, User Flow, Features

Location | Tokyo, Japan

💡 Background: Human-Food Interaction (FoodHCI) Research

Human-Food Interaction (HFI) is a subfield of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), It explores the various ways in which technology and design can influence people's experiences, behaviors, and relationships with food.

Initial Goal

I address the issue of unhealthy beverage consumption by researching Human-Food Interaction and discovering ways to enhance taste without adding extra seasoning. Through this research, I found that Cymatics can influence taste perception by using different sound waves to affect the perception of sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami flavors. With this knowledge, my next step was to transform this concept into a tangible product. 

Experiment before Design

⦁ Cymatics Stimuli: Independent Variable
In the Cymatics-matching task, a set of 10 sound waves ranging from 27.5 Hz to 659.2551 Hz was used, with each consecutive key being 5 whole steps apart. The range covers the frequencies from the beginning of the piano (27.5 Hz) to the top of the violin string (659.2551 Hz). As part of the adjustment to fit the violin's string configuration, piano key No.43 and No.55 will be modified to No.42 and No.56, respectively.

⦁ Taste Stimuli: Dependent Variable
Approximately 400 ml samples of sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami solutions were prepared.

⦁ Experiment Procedure
Step ❶: Begin by having participants taste a neutral liquid as a baseline reference and assign it a rating.
Step ❷: Proceed to provide participants with a new liquid and randomly play sound waves ranging from 27.5 Hz to 659.2551 Hz.

*Participants should rinse their mouths with water between each trial.

⦁ Research Result
The following are the Cymatics that I have researched and found correspond to different tastes, which can enhance humans' taste:
➪ Sweet: 293.6648 Hz, 659.2551 Hz
➪ Sour: 155.5635 Hz, 220.0000 Hz
➪ Bitter: 27.50000 Hz, 38.89087 Hz, 110.0000 Hz
➪ Salty: 55.00000Hz, 659.2551 Hz
➪ Umami: 155.5635 Hz

Based on the Previous Study, the IoT Design Emerge:
Enhance Drinking Experience & Reduce Unhealthy Seasonings

❶ Cymatics Cup
For more information about Cymatics Cup, please click ↓
Human-Food Interaction Research: Tasymatic

❷ App for Controlling the Cymatics Cup

➪ Product Definition
Users | Individuals aged 25~34 who seek a health-conscious and ritualistic drinking experience 



Functionality | Cymatics seasoning control




Key Features | Wide array of seasoning options

➪ User Needs


Users | Casual users, Self-discipline users
Usage Scenarios | At home or while dining out, at bars, and live music venues




User Goal | To reduce unhealthy beverage ingredients and enhance drinking experiences

Product Research

⦁ USERS
❶ Primary User: Casual Users
➪ #SimpleDiet | #Relax | #Ritual
Beverage consumption occasions are typically relaxed, including home meals, dining out, or enjoying live music at a bar. These users seek to maintain a healthy diet without strict dietary restrictions.

❷ Second User: Self-discipline Users
➪ #StrictDiet | #WellOrganization | #Convenient
Some users aim to achieve a healthier lifestyle through the use of this product. These users are highly self-disciplined in their daily food intake and have a stronger desire for more comprehensive control over their dietary experience. However, due to the smaller user group and the high requirements for product control, they are classified as secondary users.

⦁ RESEARCH METHOD
❶ Interview
➪ Participants | People aged 25~34, 3 Females & 2 Males
➪ Demographic | Office workers, Living in the center of Taipei, Annual income 16000~27000 USD
➪ Key Insights | #RitualConcern #HealthConcern
The participants care about the container of their beverages, the performance of the product, and the atmosphere when drinking. They are also focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and prefer sugar-free beverages.

❷ App Competitor Analysis
➪ MyFitnessPal | #Professional #SelfDiscipline
This App targets senior users who are trying to lose weight, tone up, lower their BMI, or invest in their overall health. It offers rich features such as a food diary to track and improve the user's health.
➪ Groovepad | #EasyToUse #SmoothSounding
This App targets junior users who hope to create their own music without needing any technical skills. These users are passionate about music, but not as deeply invested in it as a professional. The App is designed to be easy-to-use with smooth-sounding music-making features, allowing users to bring their musical dreams to life.

⦁ REFRAMING PROBLEM & DEFINE SCOPE
✘ Why My Solution Cannot Address
➪ Reduce Unhealthy Seasonings ↔ Enhance Drinking Experience
After conducting a competitor analysis, it was determined that most health apps prioritize strict diet control. However, previous research has shown that the effect of Cymatics seasoning cannot match the precision of real seasoning. As a result, the product positioning has been revised with a primary focus on enhancing the drinking experience and a secondary focus on reducing the intake of unhealthy seasonings.

✔ Why My Solution Can Address
➪ Primary Target: Casual Users
Casual users will be the primary target audience as the research insights reveal that they prioritize the sense of ritual and healthy ingredients in their beverages. Furthermore, the product's primary focus has been repositioned to "enhancing the drinking experience," in addition to reducing the intake of unhealthy seasonings.

Define App: Key Insight → User Goal

❶ DRINKING RITUAL → Enhance the socializing and drinking experience
According to our interviews, the target group places a high value on the sense of drinking ritual. Therefore, it is important for our product to create an appropriate sense of occasion when users drink. Additionally, as many users drink to socialize, a large portion of their attention is focused on conversations with others, rather than the beverage itself. Enhancing the social experience through the drinking process presents a challenge for our product.

❷ HEALTH AWARENESS → Preserving Taste While Reducing Seasoning Intake
Our target group prefer low-sugar or sugar-free options not due to a dislike of sweet drinks, but rather as a result of health considerations, selecting beverages with more nutritious ingredients. This is the original focus of our product. By using Cymatics technology, we can increase the sweetness and concentration of other flavors while reducing the amount of unhealthy seasonings. This allows users to enjoy the taste of normal sweetness while consuming less sugar and unhealthy seasonings.

Information Architecture

User Flow

Solution & Design Decision: User Goal → Feature

❶ DRINKING RITUAL
➪ Create Unique Drinking Experience
#SeasoningMusic | #MusicEditor | #Customized
Users can become a DJ-like bartender and create their own seasoning music for their beverage. According to the iOS Human Interface Guidelines, icons work best when they use familiar visual metaphors that are directly related to the actions they initiate or the content they represent. The design of the "Bar Counter" resembles a music pad controller, making it easy for users to understand based on real-world experiences. Additionally, based on the "Self-Prioritization Effect," users' beverages that are customized with their own music will taste better than the original ones.

💡 "Gastrophysics" from The University of Oxford Research
➪ Color Rationale: Pink represents sweetness, green represents sourness, etc.
➪ Icon Rationale: Round shapes represent sweetness, sharp shapes represent sourness, etc.

➪ Socializing Experience
#ShareSeasoning | #Connection | #Friends
Sharing users' Cymatics seasoning with their friends' Cymatics Cup directly is an effective way to enhance the socializing experience. This feature creates a shared experience and connection between users and their friends, while also generating new conversation topics on the dining table or bar counter. To simplify the sharing process, a "Call to Action" button has been included, allowing users to share their Cymatics seasoning with their friends in just one tap.

❷ HEALTH AWARENESS
➪ Organization Schemes for Different Health Awarenesses
#AmbiguousOrganizationScheme | #ExactOrganizationScheme
Our primary target users are casual users, for whom an ambiguous organization scheme strategy is suitable. The design for their information needs resembles "lobster trapping", providing the exploration of different Cymatics seasoning music to casual users to match their initial needs. For more self-disciplined users, a diet seasoning option is provided above the exploration area to match their "perfect catch" information needs, using an exact organization scheme rationale.

➪ Enhance Flavor and Reduce Real Seasoning of Beverages
#SeasoningMusic | #CymaticsCup
Research data has been collected and incorporated into the "Bar Counter" feature, allowing users to create their own Cymatics seasoning to enhance the flavor of their beverages while simultaneously reducing the intake of unhealthy ingredients. For further information about "Cymatics Seasoning", please refer to "Human-Food Interaction Research: Tasymatic".

❸ OTHER DESIGNS
➪ Labels within Navigation Systems
#MentalModels | #RealWorldSpace
To establish concrete mental models for users, using real-world space names for tab labels is essential. "Dining Table" indicates that users can enjoy their beverages by selecting any Cymatics seasoning they desire. "Bar Counter" signifies that users can create their own Cymatics seasoning like a bartender. "My Recipe" refers to the collection of users' seasoning creations.

➪ Classification Schemes: Microtags
#PerfectMatch | #Assistance
In addition to classifying Cymatics seasoning by beverage types (tea, coffee, juice, soda, alcohol, etc.), microtags (citrusy, fruity, nutty, mellow, etc.) can assist users in finding the perfect match for their needs.

Retrospect

In the Tasymatic App, one of the most challenging aspects is crafting effective interview questions. Asking the right questions requires skill and the ability to identify key insights from participants' answers. For instance, many participants indicated a preference for beverages with less sugar due to health concerns. However, the critical insight in this response is that they still enjoy sweet flavors, but they limit their sugar intake for health reasons. Therefore, asking follow-up questions to uncover this key insight is essential. I am pleased to have applied UX theory and principles to the design process successfully. The knowledge gained from UX books is not only theoretical but also practical in creating a product that enhances people's lives.