Title: The investigation of development on rice cooking in Taiwan

Authors: Ming-Tang Wang

Addresses: Department of Industrial Design, National Kaohsiung Normal University, No. 62, Shenjhong Rd., Yanchao District, Kaohsiung City 82446, Taiwan

Abstract: This study uses Taiwan as an example to discuss the evolution of rice cooking. Because newspapers can record major social changes, we selected three major newspapers advertisements as sources to research, examined printed newspaper records from January 1960 to January 2011 and other relevant network data for supplementary material. We focused on the modern electric age by examining shape and function. Model styles from three perspectives were observed, the top, the front, and the side view of main body. The functions of rice cookers were examined using the Kawakita Jiro method, to collate ideas, grasp their essence, and solve problems. The functional evolution of rice cookers is primarily influenced by external factors (macro evolution), such as creation and technology, the internal factor (micro evolution), such as by culture, trends, and habits. These environmental factors affect design trends and generate the continued development of rice cookers.

Keywords: function; newspapers; product evolution; rice cookers; style; Taiwan; rice cooking; cooker functional evolution; cooker design; culture; trends; habits; environmental factors.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2013.056580

Journal of Design Research, 2013 Vol.11 No.3, pp.203 - 224

Received: 28 Jul 2012
Accepted: 15 Mar 2013
Published online: 28 Jun 2014 *

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