immersiTea 2.0

Exhibition | 2024 | Tools: Unity, Rhinoceros, Blender
immersiTea is an exploration into creating a moreenjoyable and healthy tea-drinking experience through a multisensory approach. By utilizing Virtual Reality (VR) and the theory of crossmodal correspondences, immersiTea aims to enhance or alter the perception of flavors, through immersive, visually driven environments.
This project was my final work for Goldsmiths Final Exhibition. The finalized project paper was accepted by CHI 2025 Late-breaking work.
Experience
Exhibition
Design
The design and testing phases of immersiTea were executed using Unity 2022.3.15, with VR interactions managed through the XR Interaction Toolkit. The project was primarily developed in Unity, and testing wasconducted using the Meta Quest 3 headset. The physical immersiTea cup wascreated using 3D printing, with the model designed in Rhinoceros. The branding elements, including visuals and logos, were crafted in Photoshop. 

The main interaction involves holding the controller in the left hand to control movement and trigger actions, while the right hand holds the immersiTea cup, which accommodates boththe bubble tea cup and the right-hand controller.
VR Scenes
Menu
Sour Boost
Sweet Sensation
Strawberry Realm
immersiTea Cup
Logo & Flyer
Bibliography
Addo-Preko, E., Amissah, J. G. N., &Adjei, M. Y. B. (2023). The relevance of the number of categories in the hedonic scale to the Ghanaian consumer in acceptance testing. Frontiers inFood Science and Technology, 3.https://doi.org/10.3389/frfst.2023.1071216

Bangcuyo, R. G., Smith, K. J., Zumach, J.L., Pierce, A. M., Guttman, G. A., and Simons, C. T. (2015). The use of immersive technologies to improve consumer testing: The role of ecological validity, context and engagement in evaluating coffee. Food Quality and Preference, 41, 84–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2014.11.017 

Chen, Y., Huang, A. X., Faber, I.,Makransky, G., and Perez-Cueto, F. J. A. (2020). Assessing the Influence ofVisual-Taste Congruency on Perceived Sweetness and Product Liking in ImmersiveVR. Foods, 9(4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9040465 

Cytowic, R. E., and Wood, F. B. (1982).Synesthesia: II. Psychophysical relations in the synesthesia of geometricallyshaped taste and colored hearing. Brain and Cognition, 1(1),36–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/0278-2626(82)90005-7

Dietary Guidelines for Americans |health.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved 27 April 2024, from https://health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/dietary-guidelines

Haverkamp, M. (2012). Synesthetic Design:Handbook for a Multi-Sensory Approach. In Synesthetic Design. Birkhäuser. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783034611688

Huisman, G.,Bruijnes, M., & Heylen, D. (2016). A MovingFeast: Effects of Color, Shape and Animation on Taste Associations and TastePerceptions. 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1145/3001773.3001776

Ketelsen, S. M., Keay, C. L. and Wiet, S. G. (1993). Time-IntensityParameters of Selected Carbohydrate and High Potency Sweeteners, Journalof Food Science. 58, 1418–1421. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1993.tb06196.x

Min, J. E., Green, D. B., & Kim, L.(2016). Calories and sugars in boba milk tea: Implications for obesity risk inAsian Pacific Islanders. Food Science & Nutrition, 5(1),38–45. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.362

Obrist, M., Comber, R., Subramanian, S.,Piqueras-Fiszman, B., Velasco, C., & Spence, C. (2014). Temporal,affective, and embodied characteristics of taste experiences: A framework fordesign. https://doi.org/10.1145/2556288.2557007

Popkin, B. M., & Hawkes, C. (2016).Sweetening of the global diet, particularly beverages: Patterns, trends, andpolicy responses. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 4(2),174–186. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(15)00419-2

Rosen, D. 2015. Boba: fun tea bubblesup in popularity [Online]. Available at: http://www.teamuse.com/article_021001.html:Teamuse. (accessed April 2024).

Spence, C. (2023). Explaining VisualShape–Taste Crossmodal Correspondences. Multisensory Research, 36(4),313–345. https://doi.org/10.1163/22134808-bja10096

Spence, C. (2015). Multisensory FlavorPerception. Cell, 161(1), 24–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2015.03.007

Spence, C., Wan, X., Woods, A., Velasco,C., Deng, J., Youssef, J., and Deroy, O. (2015). On tasty colours and colourfultastes? Assessing, explaining, and utilizing crossmodal correspondences betweencolours and basic tastes. Flavour, 4(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13411-015-0033-1

Wager, T. D., & Atlas, L. Y. (2015). Theneuroscience of placebo effects: Connecting context, learning and health. NatureReviews. Neuroscience, 16(7), 403–418.https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3976
For more information about this project, please email me!