A Co-Design Approach for a Smart Cooking Appliance. The Application of a Domain Specific Language

Our environment, whether at work, in public spaces, or at home, is becoming more connected, adaptive and increasingly responsive. This is due in part to the significant number of sensors that detect information and data around us. Connected technologies are also emerging as a support to address daily challenges for people with disabilities and for ageing people, bringing care from hospitals into the community and increased provision of health services into homes. Meal preparation, even when it involves simply heating ready-made food, can be perceived as a complex process for people with disabilities. This research aimed to prototype, using a co-Design approach, a Community Supported Appliance (CSA) by developing a Domain Specific Language (DSL), precisely created for a semi/automated cooking process. The DSL was shaped and expressed in the users’ idiom and allowed the CSA to support independence for users while performing daily cooking activities.