City Research Online

Abstract

Recommendation systems (RS) play a crucial role in influencing our daily decision-making practices and choices, such as healthy diets. However, arguments in support of a diet recommendation, which are embedded in the algorithmic design of the RS, tend to be redundant, and predominantly based on the past choices of the users or their peers, thus hindering rather than encouraging innovation and creativity. Such arguments are, thus, not effective when changes in users' habits are the goal, as in digital food coaching. To better inform the design of RS, we propose to conceive of human-computer interaction with RS as a strategic maneuvering, that is an argumentative exchange aimed at improving users' critical decision-making process while persuading them to keep up a healthy diet. Strategic maneuvering is accomplished at three levels: Selection from the topical potential, adaptation to audience demand and display of presentational devices. Based on the results of a study including a quantitative questionnaire to and a focus groups with Italian mothers living in the UK (35-45 years old), we show how audience demand (perceived food qualities) and presentational devices (naming of recipe categories) can be exploited when selecting what recipes (topical potential) to recommend in order to trigger creativity and help users achieve a healthier diet.

Publication Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Additional Information:	© 2021 Copyright for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
Publisher Keywords:	Recommendation systems, strategic maneuvering, digital food coaching, creative triggers
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GF Human ecology. Anthropogeography H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HM Sociology H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare T Technology > TX Home economics
Departments:	Bayes Business School > Management

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