Advisors

Lona Vincent - DSI, Thesis Advisor

Mari Nakano - DSI, Faculty & Advisor

Miya Osaki - DSI, Program Chair

Hats Worn

Visual Designer

Design Researcher

Design Strategist

Facilitator

Deep Dive Resources:

Want a detailed journey through this project?
Click on either of the images below to access a PDF
of the complete research and design process.

Want to watch a 10-minute
overview of this project?

Watch me present at my thesis show – skip to 1:36:30.

Context:

While food plays a central role in Chinese culture and identity, many Chinese diaspora members struggle to maintain connections to their cultural food heritage due to assimilation pressures and Western-centric health narratives. The lack of cultural humility in mainstream nutrition advice often ignores the healthy cultural food traditions that diaspora communities rely on, contributing to the erosure of generational wisdom and severed ties between identity and wellbeing.

The Challenge: To increase the acceptance and integration of traditional Chinese food as a means to health and wellbeing.

There is an urgent need to ignite pride and strengthen connections to heritage. Spaces and initiatives that empower Chinese diaspora communities are needed to guide their own wellbeing, preserve their cultural identity, and counter dominant Western narratives.

Project Goals:

Phase 1: Discovery & Context Building

In this initial phase, I conducted desk research to explore the landscape of Asian American experiences, cultural food practices, and health disparities to establish a strong foundation for the project moving forward.

Key Findings:

Phase 2: Empathize & Define

In this phase, I engaged deeply with multiple stakeholders to understand diverse perspectives on cultural food heritage and nutrition care. By connecting with both nutrition professionals and Chinese diaspora community members, I gained a comprehensive view of the challenges, opportunities, and lived experiences across the ecosystem.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT:
Nutrition Experts

To better understand the nutrition care landscape, I interviewed registered dietitians (RDNs) and nutrition experts of color across the US, including from Hispanic, African American, Chinese, Japanese, and Caribbean backgrounds, and learned:

1. Visual tools are powerful but culturally limited RDNs emphasized that pictures, plates, and food models, are essential for engaging clients, especially those with limited literacy or language barriers. However, available models are often American-centric and lack cultural inclusivity.

1. Cultural food information is poorly archived The absence of cultural foods in existing databases has forced many to create their own libraries to better serve patients.

2. Preventative care is underprioritized
   There is insufficient focus on education and patient empowerment, leading to overreliance on medication rather than lifestyle changes.

3. Food-related trauma requires
   therapeutic approaches
   Practitioners emphasized the need to address trauma tied to food and incorporate therapeutic approaches in nutrition counseling.

STAKEHOLDER RESEARCH:
Community Survey

Shifting from healthcare practitioners to community perspectives, I conducted both broad surveys and in-depth interviews with members of the US Chinese diaspora to understand their relationship with cultural foods and nutrition.

Survey Development
I created an online SurveyMonkey questionnaire exploring community members' relationship with cultural foods, experiences with nutrition advice, and desires for culturally-relevant resources.

Survey Insights

1. Desire for culturally relevant nutrition
   81% of respondents found it helpful or very helpful for nutrition guidance to feature more Chinese ingredients and cooking methods.

2. Influence of cultural healing practices
   64% of respondents reported that cultural factors or traditional healing practices somewhat or very much influence their self-care methods. 88% believed that integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and holistic wellness concepts would resonate with them.

3. Potential for culturally adapted resources
   81% of respondents believed that recipes adapting traditional Chinese dishes with lean proteins and whole grains would motivate them to adopt healthier changes.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT:
Community Survey

To gain deeper insights, I conducted 14 in-depth interviews with diverse members of the US Chinese diaspora community, including international students, amateur cooks, a Cantonese BBQ restaurant manager, mental health counselor, pharmaceutical scientist, social worker, and food justice nonprofit strategist.

Unique Takeaways:

1. Assimilation pressures create early distance from traditions before purposeful identity exploration and validation stages.

2. Barriers to preserving traditional dishes center on lacking generational knowledge transfer opportunities and communication challenges between generations.

3. Motivations for connecting with heritage are rooted in preserving intergenerational stories and challenging assumptions to cultivate external pride.

4. Lasting change requires spotlighting and celebrating the richness of Chinese food philosophy through accessible mediums.

5. Strong desire for relatable resources such as nutrition guides, meal plans, and food glossaries to support healthy adaptations of traditional dishes.

ANALOGOUS RESEARCH:
Exploring Healing Beyond Healthcare

To gain fresh perspectives, I conducted analogous research on the concept of healing outside the healthcare context. Working collaboratively with Miya Osaki, my program Chair, I explored broader dimensions of healing by mapping its ecosystem and investigating synonyms like "revival" and "renewing" through related concepts such as conservation, heritage, cultural practices, and resilience.

This exploration yielded key principles for cultural revival: "making visible," "preserving," "bridging," "combining," and "layers." These insights provided a valuable framework for approaching cultural food heritage, contextualizing the loss of traditional lifeways, and developing interventions that could promote healing through cultural reconnection.

Phase 3: Synthesis &
Opportunity Framing

After gathering diverse perspectives , I synthesized these insights to identify patterns and opportunities. This synthesis process allowed me to refine my challenge statement and identify specific opportunity areas for intervention, ensuring my solution would address the core needs of the community.

SYNTHESIS APPROACH 1:
Ecosystem Mapping

Throughout this process I also synthesized my continuous understanding of the explored themes, which helped me visualize the interconnected factors influencing cultural competence in nutrition care. The following map (below) helped identify key leverage points and opportunities for intervention.

Refined Design Challenge:

Through comprehensive research, stakeholder engagement, and insights synthesis across multiple perspectives, I was able to refine my challenge into a focused design statement that would guide the remainder of my thesis work.

Phase 4: Ideation & Concept Development

Drawing on insights from my research and stakeholder engagement, I began exploring potential solutions that would address the core needs of the Chinese diaspora community: preserving cultural food knowledge, building pride in food heritage, and strengthening connections across generations.

Cultural Potluck Prototype

To test community engagement methods and storytelling approaches, I collaborated with a classmate to facilitate a cultural potluck for our DSI community:

• Participants brought dishes with personal significance

• Our guest speaker, Mari Nakano, led a meaningful ritual of offering food to ancestors

• Recipe cards captured stories behind each dish, testing documentation methods

• Conversations around food traditions validated the power of communal food experiences

Key insights from this initial prototype revealed food's effectiveness as a catalyst for community building, cultural exchange, and personal reflection. The recipe cards created a tangible archive that demonstrated how we might document and celebrate diverse food heritage.

Phase 5: Co-Design & Prototyping

With initial concepts defined, I moved into a collaborative co-design process with community members to refine and develop the three core elements of the Nourishing Roots platform.

Co-design Workshop

To ensure that my proposed prototypes resonated with the community and effectively addressed their needs, I facilitated a co-design workshop with Chinese diaspora members. The workshop aimed to gather insights, foster collaboration, and engage participants in shaping the three core elements of the envisioned community platform: a visual food guide for healing, a spotlighting series for celebrating, and a card game for preserving Chinese food heritage.

The workshop was structured around the three pillars of the intervention: healing through heritage, celebrating heritage, and preserving heritage.

These pillars have emerged as guiding principles throughout my research and served as the foundation for the workshop activities

Phase 6: Platform Development

Bringing together all components, I developed Nourishing Roots as a comprehensive digital platform with physical components that address the needs identified throughout my research.

Phase 7: Impact Assessment
& Reflections

As Nourishing Roots transitioned from concept to reality, I developed frameworks to measure its effectiveness, assess its environmental impact, and chart its future growth. This phase focused on creating sustainable evaluation methods to ensure the platform continuously meets community needs while expanding its reach and impact. By establishing clear metrics and articulating a compelling vision for the future, I aimed to create a foundation for the long-term success and evolution of this community-centered initiative.

MEASURING IMPACT:
Theory of Change

Nourishing Roots measures success through increased acceptance and integration of traditional Chinese food as a pathway to health, empowering the Chinese diaspora to guide their wellbeing while preserving cultural identity.

The platform addresses the erasure of generational knowledge caused by Western-centric nutrition advice through three interconnected interventions operating across individual, interpersonal, and community levels:

1. Co-created Chinese-centered visual food guides build understanding of traditional foods' benefits while equipping health practitioners with culturally-responsive tools.

2. The dish spotlight series destigmatizes stereotypes by showcasing healing traditional foods, helping the community recognize strength in their culinary heritage while facilitating knowledge exchange.

3. The intergenerational card game stimulates family conversations about food rituals, improving communication between generations and strengthening relationships.

These pathways assume families desire to learn together when appropriately engaged and that highlighting community excellence can shift media and policy perspectives. By rebuilding generational bonds, the platform aims to revitalize protective practices embedded in traditional Chinese foodways.

Success will manifest as increased access to culturally-responsive nutrition tools, greater representation in mainstream spaces, and community members empowered to reconnect with their roots, advocate for their wellbeing, and challenge Western narratives.

Monitoring & Evaluation Plan

To assess Nourishing Roots' effectiveness in increasing acceptance and integration of traditional Chinese food, I developed a comprehensive monitoring framework combining quantitative metrics and qualitative insights. This evaluation approach will track progress toward project goals, inform data-driven improvements, and demonstrate how the platform empowers the Chinese diaspora to reclaim their food heritage, improve wellbeing, and challenge dominant narratives that overlook traditional wisdom.

Final Reflections

This thesis journey has transformed my understanding of social design and my own cultural identity. The heart of this project has been the conversations with Chinese diaspora members—each interaction revealing stories of resilience, courage, and dreams that deserve celebration and amplification.

Coming from a traditional design background, I navigated the shift to social design research, learning to prioritize community building and ensuring the work is truly community-driven. I developed greater sensitivity in discussing food and cultural identity, creating safe spaces for sharing personal stories.

On a personal level, this journey has strengthened my connection to my food heritage. Conversations with community members led me to explore new cooking techniques and traditions, bringing me closer to my 婆婆 (grandmother) who passed away in 2020, through culinary knowledge passed down to my mother. I now feel more confident sharing our cultural cuisine without reservation.

While there is still much work to be done, I hope that these research insights, prototypes, and learnings will inspire further community building, care, and resilience. The connections I've made and the stories I've heard will continue to fuel my commitment as a social designer creating meaningful change.