Cuisino Gamified Food Decision Support by Yi Chen Receives the A' Design Award in Mobile Technologies, Applications and Software Design

Yi Chen recognized for mobile technologies, applications and software design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 23, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Cuisino Gamified Food Decision Support by Yi Chen has been granted the A' Design Award in the Mobile Technologies, Applications and Software Design category. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

About the A' Design Award

The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.

More About Cuisino Gamified Food Decision Support

Cuisino reimagines food decisions as a gamified ritual, turning routine choices into moments of delight. Using behavioral psychology and playful UI, it reduces decision fatigue and empowers users to eat healthier without stress. Inspired by casual games and wellness apps, the interface guides mindful eating through micro-interactions, progress rewards, and a calming visual system. The experience makes nutrition less about discipline and more about joyful habit-building.

About Yi Chen

Yi Chen is a product designer and creative practitioner working at the intersection of technology, design systems, and cultural research. With experience spanning consumer and enterprise products, Chen has led and contributed to large-scale digital platforms, focusing on usability, monetization systems, and design operations. Their work often explores how rituals, interfaces, and narratives shape human behavior and decision-making. In addition to commercial product design, Chen develops independent projects across publishing and interactive media, examining themes of care, identity, and everyday life.

Award Record

Yi Chen is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.

About the A' Mobile Technologies, Applications and Software Design Award

The A' Mobile Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good design in mobile industry by leading designers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to mobile designers, application developers, software engineers and user interface designers from all countries. Entries typically include smartphones, tablets, wearables, mobile applications, mobile games and mobile software. Awarded mobile designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/mobile

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/174948
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/174948
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!174948
Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/305885
Further Information from the Laureate: https://bit.ly/4nqNCrR

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: Cuisino Gamified Food Decision Support
Function: Gamified Food Decision Support
Category: Mobile Technologies, Applications and Software Design
Discipline: Communication Design
Industry: Software and Electronics & Appliances
Colors: Royal Blue, Medium Slate Blue, Gold, Orchid and Saddle Brown
Images: 5

The Recognition

Laureate: Yi Chen
Country: United States of America
Recognition: A' Design Award
Edition: 2025 - 2026
Design ID: #174948

Credits

Image Credits: Designer Yi Chen, Cuisino, 2025.

Design Details

Unique Properties: Cuisino transforms everyday food choices into a delightful, gamified ritual. By combining behavioral psychology with playful UI, it reduces decision fatigue and empowers users to make healthy choices without stress. Each interaction feels like a mini-game, turning anxiety into agency.
Inspiration: Cuisino was inspired by the overwhelming feeling of choice in urban food culture. As a designer living in New York, I saw how indecision and anxiety affected meal planning. By borrowing mechanics from casinos and mobile games, I aimed to create a joyful and structured decision ritual.
Research: This design began as speculative UX research into how decision fatigue affects food habits in urban environments. Methods included desk research, self-tracking experiments, and behavioral mapping of casual food apps. Tools used were Figma, Notion, and visual diarying. Key insights: most food apps overload users with options and assume strong intrinsic motivation. Cuisino rethinks this by embedding habit into gamified rituals, making healthy choices fun, not forced.
Challenge: The main challenge was balancing delight with depth—how to ensure user agency while gently guiding behavior. Visually, it was difficult to simulate randomness without overwhelming users. Conceptually, the hardest part was resisting utilitarian UX patterns and instead designing for emotion, play, and imperfection—qualities often neglected in food or wellness apps.
Realization and Technology: Cuisino was realized using a combination of Figma, XD, Illustrator, and After Effects. The design process emphasized visual storytelling, modular components, and interactive mockups. UI animations were prototyped to simulate a casino-inspired experience, with gradient transitions, randomized elements, and playful micro-interactions. The final assets were exported for responsive screen sizes and optimized for both pitch decks and demo presentations.
Operation and Interaction: Users begin by selecting a goal or mood, then receive dynamic suggestions through playful modules like spin wheels, quick picks, and progress meters. Gamified cards and micro-interactions reduce choice fatigue while reinforcing healthy routines. The experience blends randomness with structure, encouraging consistent use while maintaining delight.
Project Duration and Location: The project was initiated during Covid19 in New York City and completed in June 2025. The design was developed independently as a speculative yet functional UX concept and presented via digital channels.
Specifications: Cuisino is a non-physical digital design project. The prototype consists of 5 main experience flows with modular components and was built in 1920×1080 and 375×812 px formats. It includes mobile-first wireframes, user journey animations, and a set of customizable onboarding and decision-making modules.
Keywords: food decision, playful UX, gamified onboarding, ritual design, digital wellbeing, health habit, casual interface, behavior design, meal planning, emotional interface