The Ask
Dive deep into a fandom and pitch an immersive experience that addresses their unique wants and needs.
From this, I researched immigrant foodies who are:
International students of the University of Texas Austin
Non-native Texans who have moved to Texas for their occupation
Once the most pertinent audience profiles were discovered this how might we statement emerged
How might we explore the relationship between food and culture in non-native Texan communities? Furthermore, how are people engaging with food in Austin as a means of connecting to their home cultures? What role does food play in this process?
My role
With no budget and on a team of 4 students within the Texas Immersive UT Austin Cohort, I was personally responsible for…
the interview, transcription, and coding for 2 Texas immigrants
the mockup for the physical experience space
the cover page for the experience report
the social media mockups
The Research
1:1 Interviews
I conducted 30-minute interviews with International students of the University of Texas Austin, and non-native Texans who have moved to Texas for their occupation to understand our user’s pain points, inspirations, and goals. A user interview guide informed this process. I transcribed interviews and coded them for themes like discovery, experiment, aspiration, fear, disgust, etc.
Interviews from 4 International students
Interviews from 4 non-native Texans
Ethnography
I observed a culturally-specific food event in Austin to get insights into our user’s behaviors.
Field Observation at a UT Austin’s org’s potluck
Netnography
I observed online databases, Meetup groups, Reddit groups, TikTok, FaceBook, etc through the hashtags #foodintexas #foodculture and #immigrant to get insights into our user’s behaviors. I coded observations for motivations: to be entertained, to represent, to participate, and to identify.
Fly-on-the-wall observation from r/UT Austin
Fly-on-the-wall observation from a Taiwanese food FaceBook group
Fly-on-the-wall observation from Puerto Rican, Italian, and, Mexican Tik-Tokers living in Texas
Fly-on-the-wall observation from various other reddit threads
The Findings
two user profiles emerged: The Hungry and the Homesick (newer, anxious immigrants to Texas) and The Hostess with the Mostest (more established, welcoming Texas immigrants)
The Hungry & Homesick expressed a desire for human connection through their authentic cultural foods, while The Hostess with the Mostest expressed interest in sharing their established cultural wisdom through their cultural food.
“sharing food is part of the essential human experience.”
The Solution / The Experience
The Secret Ingredient is an immersive and humanity-illuminating experience that examines the power of food as a tool for cultivating cultural appreciation between international immigrants who have made a home in Texas. The major themes and takeaways that will resonate across this experience are building bridges of human connection, and embracing and celebrating the diversity of our Texas community.
Trailer by group member Kristen Osborne.
Experience Flow
Virtual host “Pepper” mock-up by group member Hingis Chang
After responding to a survey, participants are sorted into the two audience profiles: The Hungry and Homesick and The Hostess with the Mostest they are paired. (storyboard by Hingis Chang)
Here is the order of events:
The participants find the Secret Ingredient
The participants receive their instructions and RSVP for the experience
The participants arrive and are guided by Pepper, the virtual host, through their experience, learning about each other in the process
The participants exchange their sweet treats and say goodbye
The conversation is edited for The Secret Ingredient Podcast and is shared globally!
Assets
The Secret Ingredient’s physical space
The Secret Ingredient’s Instagram page