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Can Tableware Design Change Eating Habits and

Encourage Weight Reduction?

Nauris Cinovics

To cite this article: Nauris Cinovics (2020) Can Tableware Design Change Eating
Habits and Encourage Weight Reduction?, The Design Journal, 23:3, 439-448, DOI:
10.1080/14606925.2020.1745567

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2020.1745567

Published online: 06 Apr 2020.

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PHD STUDY REPORT

Can Tableware
Design Change Eating

DOI: 10.1080/14606925.2020.1745567
Habits and Encourage
Weight Reduction?
Nauris Cinovics
Art Academy of Latvia, Riga, Latvia

OVERVIEW Overweight and obesity are serious

public health issues worldwide. Among the possible
solutions for reducing overweight, design offers an
The Design Journal

opportunity to change eating and food environments.

Tableware design in particular could be used to
tackle the overweight problem. As part of my
research on the effects of tableware design on eating
habits, I have developed a crinkly plate prototype
with the aim of changing eating habits by visually
increasing the amount of food on the plate. The
prototype has been tested in two experiments with
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 N. Cinovics

200 volunteers. The experiments were designed to measure

how the form of the plate affects the amount of food being
placed on it. Results show that the crinkly plate can create a
visual illusion of actual amount of food; however, further
research is necessary, for example, testing the crinkly plate
with participants in a home-based setting.

Keywords: design, tableware, tableware design, plate design, eating

habits, overweight, obesity

Introduction
In this PhD study report, I describe and discuss the investi-
+ gation of a crinkly plate design and empirically tested the
amount of food (i.e. oats) placed on the plate compared
with a standard plate design, that could help reduce weight and con-
sequently be used to tackle the overweight problem.
To develop successful interventions for reducing overweight, it is
necessary to know the factors that lead to weight gain (Swinburn
et al. 2004). One of the key factors leading to weight gain is an
excessive serving size and consumption volume. Increased appetite
also leads to increased food consumption and, consequently, may
also result in weight gain. Both factors are connected to the eating
and food environment. The eating environment includes surrounding
factors (e.g. eating atmosphere, the process of food intake, social
interactions). In contrast, the food environment includes factors dir-
ectly related to food presentation (e.g. appearance, structure, pack-
aging, serving size, presentation). (Wansink 2004)

Overweight and tableware

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), someone with a
body mass index (BMI) 25 is defined as being overweight and with
a BMI  30 is defined as being obese. Data from the WHO has
shown that the number of overweight people has tripled since 1975.
In 2016, more than 1.9 billion (39%) adults worldwide were over-
weight and 13% were obese. (‘Obesity and Overweight’) The number
of overweight people is predicted to increase globally according to
projections from demographic models (Hamann 2017).
The history of art reveals some interesting facts about eating hab-
its, the eating environment and tableware design in different historical
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periods. A study analysing 52 paintings of The Last Supper found

that the ratio among portion, bread and plate size has increased by
69.2%, 23.1% and 65.5% respectively in the last 1000 years. The
most notable increase in plate size was observed in paintings from
1500 onwards. (Wansink and Wansink 2010)
Another study used eBay to investigate historical trends in eating
habits by measuring plates. The diameter of 75 plates from the time
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period 1900-2010 was measured and found to be positively

 PhD Study Report

correlated with their production dates (r ¼ 0.59, p < 0.01). It was also
found that plate size has increased by 23% in the USA in the last
30 years. (Van Ittersum and Wansink 2012)

Tableware and eating habits

‘We eat with our eyes first’ (Delwiche 2012). This well-known proverb
can be directly attributed to eating habits. People mainly use their
visual perception (1) to predict how much food they need to reach
satiety and according to this filling up their plates, (2) to estimate the
amount of calories they will take and (3) to decide when their meal is
over, for example, ‘clean plate’. This is revealed in the study, which
included 54 participants, by sitting them by four at the same table,
with two of the bowls being secretly refilled from a tube under the
bowl, while two were not (used standard bowls). The results showed
73% increase in food consumption using bowls, which were auto-
matically refilled without informing participants. People who ate more
food from the refilled bowl did not feel a higher satiety than people
who ate less. This study also showed that 61% of people ate until
they emptied their plates. (Wansink, Painter, and North 2005)
In another study, participants were encouraged to eat as much as
they liked and were given the option of choosing a larger or a smaller
plate for serving food. The results showed that research subjects
who chose to eat from a larger plate served themselves 52% more
food and ate 45% more than those who chose to eat from a smaller
plate. (Wansink and van Ittersum 2013)
However, some studies showed that the use of smaller plates could
not significantly reduce energy intake. The study, which included 48 stu-
dents, analysed portions of 400 g of pasta on 24 and 9 cm large plates.
There was a significant difference (p ¼ 0.018) in classifying portion as
large (47.9%) on the 24 cm plate, compared with 9 cm plate (22.9%).
The portion size of a 24 cm dish was evaluated as an average of 150 g
(range of results from 40-500 g), while a 9 cm small dish was 115 g (50-
500 g). This indicates that the eye cannot visually help to determine the
real portion size. (Penaforte et al. 2014)

Tableware design to change eating habits

Everything is not clearly defined by the size of a plate, and diameter
is not the only element which can be changed in the design of table-
ware. Based on the above review of theoretical and empirical
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research on how tableware design may help to change eating habits,

I have developed a new plate design to change eating habits and
thus to help with weight reduction (Figure 1).
To design the plate, several evidence-based criteria, proven to
affect people’s eating habits, were employed:

1. Size. The diameter of the plate should be optimal. If it is too

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large, people serve themselves too much food, but if it is too

 N. Cinovics

Figure 1.
Visualization of the plate in a prototype stage.

small, people will serve themselves repeatedly. Recommended

plate size is 9-10 inches (22-25 cm). (Wansink 2016, 237)
The chosen prototype plate size is 21.5 cm.
2. Colour. Based on the food and plate contrast principle, the
plate has been made transparent. For example, white-sauce
pasta on a white plate will be perceived as a larger amount of
food compared to white-sauce pasta on a red plate (Van
Ittersum and Wansink 2012). Equivalently, transparency allows
a visual colour contrast between the food and the surface
(such as table, tablecloth, table mat, etc.) thereby affecting vis-
ual differences of portion size.
3. Form. The plate is crinkly to help visually increase the per-
ceived serving size and to prevent food from slipping off. The
form also helps to concentrate visual attention. Moreover, there
is an interaction between cutlery and the crinkly surface of the
plate, which might slow down eating speed during the meal.
The form of the plate helps to create a playful effect and to
achieve gastronomic pleasure from the eating process (Bertran
and Wilde 2018).
4. Material. The plate is relatively light so that people will serve
themselves smaller amounts of food. People put more food on
heavier plates because they do not feel a difference between
plate weight and the amount of food served (Tal and Wansink
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2016). The prototype is made of organic glass.

Methods
The aim of the study was to test if using the crinkly plate prototype
reduces the amount of food served on it. The hypothesis was that
study participants will serve smaller amounts of food on the crinkly
4

plate compared with the same sized plate without the crinkles.
 PhD Study Report

The research participants (n ¼ 200) were recruited during ‘Riga

Food’ exhibition in Latvia, by using a poster. Each potential partici-
pant was informed about voluntary and the aim of the study. Each
participant was randomized to participate in only one of the two
experiments conducted during the exhibition.
In the first experiment there was only one plate on a table (stand-
ard plate or crinkly plate, chosen at random). The participants had to
take the pitcher full of food (dry oats) and serve the same amount of
food as was in a transparent bag on the table. If the participant
thought that too much food has been poured onto the plate, then
they could take away the excess amount with a spoon. Participants
were not allowed to hold the plate or the bag in their hands. When
each participant finished serving the food, they were given the
second plate. The difference between the first and second experi-
ment was that both plates were accessible to the participants at the
same time in the second experiment.
For each participant in both experiments, the amount of the
served food was weighed (the amount of food removed was not
included in the results). Each participant was also given a survey
(BMI was calculated based on the participant’s self-reported weight
and height data). The data were analysed in GraphPad Prism 5 and
R statistical programs.

Results
Outcomes from the first experiment
In the first experiment, 97/100 participants were included in the ana-
lysis – two participants were younger than sixteen and one did not
fully answer the questionnaire (Table 1).
51 participants (52.6%) served a smaller amount of food, while 43
participants (44.3%) served a larger amount of food on the crinkly
plate. Three participants (3.1%) served identical amount on both
plates. (Figure 2) 18 out of 37 with overweight (BMI  25) served
less amount of food on the crinkly plate, but one served identical
amount of food on both plates.
When the total amount of food served on the crinkly plate and the
standard plate was compared, the consequences after pooling all
participants (n ¼ 97) were very akin: 9466 g on the crinkly plate and
9507 g on the standard plate were served, respectively (two-tailed
Wilcoxon test, p ¼ 0.7918).
However, there was a statistically significant difference in serving
The Design Journal

size depending on which plate was given to the research participants

first (Figure 3). 31 participants (63.3%) out of 49 who, served food on

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of the Part 1 participants.

Gender Participants BMI < 25 BMI  25

Male 49 23 26
Female 48 37 11
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 N. Cinovics

Figure 2.
The amount of food served on the crinkly and standard plates in the first experi-
ment (n ¼ 97 participants).

Figure 3.
The difference in the amount of food served when the crinkly or standard plate
was used first (n ¼ 97 participants).

the crinkly plate first, served a smaller amount of food, while 17

(34.7%) served a larger amount of food. One served identical amount
The Design Journal

of food. 20 participants (41.7%) out of 48 who, served food on the

standard plate first, 20 (41.7%) served more food on it, while 26
(54.2%) served a smaller amount of food. Two served identical
amount of food. The correlation between which plate was given first
and the amount of food served was statistically meaningful (analysed
in R using GTest, p ¼ 0.03933). However, there was no significant
difference comparing the amount of food served on the crinkly plate,
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given it as first or second.

 PhD Study Report

Table 2. Demographic characteristics of the Part 2 participants.

Gender Participants BMI < 25 BMI  25

Male 45 20 25
Female 48 27 21

Figure 4.
The amount of food served on the crinkly and standard plates in the second
experiment (n ¼ 93 participants).

Outcomes from the second experiment

In the second experiment, 93/100 participants were included in the
analysis – seven participants were younger than sixteen (Table 2).
57 participants (61.3%) served a smaller amount of food on the
crinkly plate, while 33 participants (35.5%) served a larger amount.
Three participants served identical amounts of food on both plates.
(Figure 4)
When the total amount of food served on the crinkly plate and
standard plates were compared, they showed very similar results:
5621 g on the crinkly plate and 5685 g on the standard plate were
served, respectively (two-tailed Wilcoxon test, p ¼ 0.0691).
Participants in the second experiment served on averagely less
food (both plates pooled): 60 g per portion was estimated, when it
was compared with the first experiment in which participants served
97 g per portion.
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Discussion
When all results were considered after pooling outcomes (in regard
to the participants who served more or less on the crinkly plate),
58.2% of the participants served a smaller amount of food on the
crinkly plate, while 41.8% served a larger amount of food on the crin-
kly plate in both experiments. This statistic emphasizes that the
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design can have effect on the amount of food perception.

 N. Cinovics

This study can be improved by changing experimental design

and/or combining additional parameters by considering what the
other effects can be on consumer understanding. The changes on
eating place (e.g. home, restaurant), on eating atmosphere (e.g.
ambient noise) – the research had been conducted during a food
exhibition and ambient noise might have extra impacts on partic-
ipants attention – on posture or angle of vision (e.g. standing, sitting),
on the choice of dish (dry oats can be changed to a real meal), on
the way how food is served (e.g. buffet service) should also be con-
sidered to increase the accuracy of this research.
Additional improvement in the study design would be to ask par-
ticipants to put as much food as they would normally eat on the
plate, rather than try to estimate a previously set amount, as was
done in this study.
In the first experiment, the main differences in serving size were
determined by which plate was presented first. This result might be
originated from the intuition of participants who saw the crinkly plate
second and then made decision of having an elevated surface com-
pared with the standard plate, which caused the fact that more oat
had been taken on plates. Further studies are needed to be able to
get more promising statistics and to make firm conclusions about
the effect of plate design on eating habits. Nevertheless, it is inevit-
able to note that even if small differences exist between the plates,
the long-term benefits could be significant.

Conclusion
This study did not find convincing evidence that the crinkly plate
could significantly reduce the amount of food put on the plate com-
pared to the same sized standard plate. However, considering all the
aspects discussed above, further study is needed to rule out the
possibility that plate design can contribute to weight reduction. A
larger study including different-designed plates is needed to test
whether plate design can affect food consumption. Nevertheless,
considering all the research done on the topic, plate design appears
to have the potential to change eating habits.
Regarding the design of crinkly plate, the experiment revealed the
most important shortcoming of the first prototype – its edges. The
plate was too sloped and as a result it was hard to serve oats on it
The Design Journal

as they often fell off. Considering this observation, the form and size
of the plate ware modified. Additional testing of the new-design is
needed to conclude if it is the optimal design.
As there is conflicting evidence whether plate form can reduce
food intake, all of the existing studies so far have not made definite
conclusions on the possible effects of long-term use. Further studies
are needed including participants representing different eating habits,
8

age, sex and body size.

 PhD Study Report

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my supervisor Associate Professor Signe
Mezinska from the University of Latvia for input and support in this
research. I also thank Aivars Cirulis from Lund University for helping
with the data analysis. I sincerely thank ‘Rigas Dzirnavnieks’ for pro-
viding the food products for the study.

Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

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Biography
Nauris Cinovics is currently studying for a PhD at the Art Academy
of Latvia researching into tableware design opportunities for chang-
ing people's eating habits, to tack the problem of obesity.
Throughout the study period, he has been working as an art director
in the field of graphic design.

ORCID
Nauris Cinovics http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9623-8368

Address for correspondence

Nauris Cinovics, Kalpaka boulevard 13, Riga, Latvia, LV-1050.
Email: info@nauriscinovics.com, nauriscinovics@gmail.com
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