Delicious. A product service system design that helps foreigners to eat in Shanghai

Because of the decisive role it has acquired in the World Economy, China is gaining an ever-greater importance. Every year more and more people come to China from all over the world, for tourism, business or studies. Cultural differences are an every-day experience for people in a foreign country and, as constructive as they can be, they must be managed in order to avoid misunderstandings and frustration. Buying and consuming food is one of the most common and natural interactions that one has to experience when travelling to a different country. Nonetheless, it is not always easy to purchase and consume food in a foreign country. Food tells a lot about our culture, and it is a very enjoyable way to get to know better the country one is visiting: when it comes to China, this is particularly true. Not only Chinese food is so various, but it is also particularly rich in history and culture. Helping foreign visitors in experience Chinese food at its best would help in enhancing a more open-minded and relaxed approach to it; it would help to improve visitors’ travelling or living experiences in China, and that of Chinese people having to sell or serve food to non Mandarin speakers; it would allow people with particular food necessities to travel to China. The research focused on one hand on desk research and on the other on field research. The desk research served as a way to understand the role played by food in our culture, the current trends in inbound tourism in China, food tourism and the Shanghai restaurant panorama. The field research was designed to understand which are the main problems that foreigners have to face in all food related activities when coming to China and to establish their level of knowledge about Chinese cuisine. The aim of this research is to understand how to improve the accessibility of food and food-related services for non-Mandarin speakers in China and which kind of tools foreigners need to enjoy their dining experience while being able to communicate with food vendors.