Pooja Sambare

User Experience Design

Illustrations

Fashion Design

About

Contact

Pooja Sambare

User Experience Design

Illustrations

Fashion Design

About

Contact

Pooja Sambare

User Experience Design

Illustrations

Fashion Design

About

Contact

Mealify

Revolutionising Meal-Planning with User-Centric AI Enhancement

Process

Process

User Experience Research,

Ideation, Design

User Experience Research,

Ideation, Design

User

Experience

Research,

Ideation, Design

Type

Type

Meal Planning App

Meal

Planning App

My Role

My Role

User Experience Design

User

Experience

Design

Tools

Tools

Figma

Figma

The Problem

Users struggle with maintaining engagement & effective meal planning.

Despite the proliferation of fitness and meal planning apps aimed at helping individuals track their health and adhere to fitness goals, there remains a considerable gap in user engagement and effectiveness. Many users start with enthusiasm but often struggle to maintain consistent interaction with these apps, leading to unmet fitness and dietary targets. Furthermore, while the concept of meal planning is appealing to many seeking a structured dietary regimen, the reality of busy schedules makes consistent and effective meal planning challenging. People often lack the time or creativity needed to devise varied and nutritious meals, which can lead to repetitive or unbalanced diets.

These intertwined issues of maintaining engagement with health apps, effective meal planning, and smart grocery purchasing underscore a broader problem in managing health and nutrition in a practical and sustained manner.

The Solution

Mealify: an AI-Powered, Customizable Companion for Simplified Meal Planning and Optimized Grocery

Mealify is a comprehensive AI-powered app designed to simplify meal planning, enhance user engagement, and optimize grocery shopping. By integrating personalized data such as allergens, personal likes, dislikes, and even family preferences, Mealify tailors meal suggestions to cater uniquely to each user. The app goes beyond merely suggesting recipes; it automatically populates a shopping list with necessary ingredients, which can then be directly added to shopping carts via integration with grocery delivery platforms like Swiggy, Blinkit, and Zepto. Mealify ensures users receive the best deals by optimizing the cart and scouting for discounts.

The user interface of Mealify is intentionally simple, making it accessible for users of all ages, including the elderly who may find grocery shopping challenging. This approach ensures that whether a user has strict health and fitness goals, limited time for meal prep, or specific dietary needs, they can efficiently plan meals and shop for ingredients without added stress. What sets Mealify apart is its deep customization and AI-driven tools that allow users to input any request and modify it at any stage, enhancing flexibility and user satisfaction. This level of customization and responsive AI interaction ensures a seamless, user-centric experience, making Mealify not just a tool for meal management, but a versatile companion in achieving dietary and wellness goals.

SmartPocket is a product that helps users manage their finances and learn to scale their financial intelligence empowering them to control their money for a better lifestyle

Traditional money management is labor-intensive and error-prone, with many apps proving too complex for beginners. SmartPocket tackles this by offering streamlined transaction categorization and tagging, which provides insightful spending analysis.

SmartPocket makes money-managing fun and easy!

SmartPocket is a product that helps users manage their finances and learn to scale their financial intelligence empowering them to control their money for a better lifestyle

Traditional money management is labor-intensive and error-prone, with many apps proving too complex for beginners. SmartPocket tackles this by offering streamlined transaction categorization and tagging, which provides insightful spending analysis.

SmartPocket makes money-managing fun and easy!

SmartPocket is a product that helps users manage their finances and learn to scale their financial intelligence empowering them to control their money for a better lifestyle

Traditional money management is labor-intensive and error-prone, with many apps proving too complex for beginners. SmartPocket tackles this by offering streamlined transaction categorization and tagging, which provides insightful spending analysis.

SmartPocket makes money-managing fun and easy!

1

Research

2

Ideation

3

Going Forward
Research

The Need for Meal Planning

Meal-planning apps are invaluable tools for anyone looking to improve their eating habits, streamline their grocery shopping, and achieve specific health goals more effectively. Here's why:

1. Eliminates Decision Fatigue: By removing the need to make constant food choices, meal-planning apps free up mental energy, allowing you to focus on making healthier decisions throughout the day.

2. Keeps Portions in Check: Automated meal plans help manage portion sizes, which is crucial for weight management and preventing overeating.

3. Saves Time and Money: These apps generate grocery lists based on your meal plans, reducing unnecessary purchases and the temptation of takeout, thus saving you both time and money.

4. Builds Consistency: Following a structured meal plan can help establish steady eating patterns, making it easier for beginners to develop and stick to healthy eating habits.

Studies support the efficacy of meal planning, showing that individuals who use this approach are significantly more likely to meet their weight loss targets. Thus, integrating a meal-planning app into your daily routine can be a game-changer, especially one enhanced by AI, which tailors the experience to your specific needs and goals.

Meal-planning apps are invaluable tools for anyone looking to improve their eating habits, streamline their grocery shopping, and achieve specific health goals more effectively. Here's why:

1. Eliminates Decision Fatigue: By removing the need to make constant food choices, meal-planning apps free up mental energy, allowing you to focus on making healthier decisions throughout the day.

2. Keeps Portions in Check: Automated meal plans help manage portion sizes, which is crucial for weight management and preventing overeating.

3. Saves Time and Money: These apps generate grocery lists based on your meal plans, reducing unnecessary purchases and the temptation of takeout, thus saving you both time and money.

4. Builds Consistency: Following a structured meal plan can help establish steady eating patterns, making it easier for beginners to develop and stick to healthy eating habits.

Studies support the efficacy of meal planning, showing that individuals who use this approach are significantly more likely to meet their weight loss targets. Thus, integrating a meal-planning app into your daily routine can be a game-changer, especially one enhanced by AI, which tailors the experience to your specific needs and goals.

Meal-planning apps are invaluable tools for anyone looking to improve their eating habits, streamline their grocery shopping, and achieve specific health goals more effectively. Here's why:

1. Eliminates Decision Fatigue: By removing the need to make constant food choices, meal-planning apps free up mental energy, allowing you to focus on making healthier decisions throughout the day.

2. Keeps Portions in Check: Automated meal plans help manage portion sizes, which is crucial for weight management and preventing overeating.

3. Saves Time and Money: These apps generate grocery lists based on your meal plans, reducing unnecessary purchases and the temptation of takeout, thus saving you both time and money.

4. Builds Consistency: Following a structured meal plan can help establish steady eating patterns, making it easier for beginners to develop and stick to healthy eating habits.

Studies support the efficacy of meal planning, showing that individuals who use this approach are significantly more likely to meet their weight loss targets. Thus, integrating a meal-planning app into your daily routine can be a game-changer, especially one enhanced by AI, which tailors the experience to your specific needs and goals.

Meal-planning apps are invaluable tools for anyone looking to improve their eating habits, streamline their grocery shopping, and achieve specific health goals more effectively. Here's why:

1. Eliminates Decision Fatigue: By removing the need to make constant food choices, meal-planning apps free up mental energy, allowing you to focus on making healthier decisions throughout the day.

2. Keeps Portions in Check: Automated meal plans help manage portion sizes, which is crucial for weight management and preventing overeating.

3. Saves Time and Money: These apps generate grocery lists based on your meal plans, reducing unnecessary purchases and the temptation of takeout, thus saving you both time and money.

4. Builds Consistency: Following a structured meal plan can help establish steady eating patterns, making it easier for beginners to develop and stick to healthy eating habits.

Studies support the efficacy of meal planning, showing that individuals who use this approach are significantly more likely to meet their weight loss targets. Thus, integrating a meal-planning app into your daily routine can be a game-changer, especially one enhanced by AI, which tailors the experience to your specific needs and goals.

How AI Enhances Meal Planning

AI-driven meal-planning apps bring a new dimension to personal nutrition and grocery shopping by offering a highly customised and adaptive experience:

1. Personalisation at Scale: Leveraging details such as your age, weight, activity level, and dietary restrictions, AI crafts personalised meal plans that fit your individual health objectives and lifestyle, steering away from the ineffective one-size-fits-all approach.

2. Taste Profiling: AI goes beyond mere nutritional content by learning your flavour preferences. Whether you favour Mediterranean flavours over Mexican, the app continuously evolves to suggest recipes that not only meet your health goals but also delight your palate.

3. Dynamic Grocery Lists: The app intelligently adjusts your shopping list not only based on your meal plan needs but also taking into account what’s already in your pantry or what’s currently on sale, helping prevent waste and save money.

These features collectively ensure that meal-planning apps not only cater to your nutritional needs but also resonate with your personal tastes and daily life changes, making healthy eating both enjoyable and hassle-free.

AI-driven meal-planning apps bring a new dimension to personal nutrition and grocery shopping by offering a highly customised and adaptive experience:

1. Personalisation at Scale: Leveraging details such as your age, weight, activity level, and dietary restrictions, AI crafts personalised meal plans that fit your individual health objectives and lifestyle, steering away from the ineffective one-size-fits-all approach.

2. Taste Profiling: AI goes beyond mere nutritional content by learning your flavour preferences. Whether you favour Mediterranean flavours over Mexican, the app continuously evolves to suggest recipes that not only meet your health goals but also delight your palate.

3. Dynamic Grocery Lists: The app intelligently adjusts your shopping list not only based on your meal plan needs but also taking into account what’s already in your pantry or what’s currently on sale, helping prevent waste and save money.

These features collectively ensure that meal-planning apps not only cater to your nutritional needs but also resonate with your personal tastes and daily life changes, making healthy eating both enjoyable and hassle-free.

AI-driven meal-planning apps bring a new dimension to personal nutrition and grocery shopping by offering a highly customised and adaptive experience:

1. Personalisation at Scale: Leveraging details such as your age, weight, activity level, and dietary restrictions, AI crafts personalised meal plans that fit your individual health objectives and lifestyle, steering away from the ineffective one-size-fits-all approach.

2. Taste Profiling: AI goes beyond mere nutritional content by learning your flavour preferences. Whether you favour Mediterranean flavours over Mexican, the app continuously evolves to suggest recipes that not only meet your health goals but also delight your palate.

3. Dynamic Grocery Lists: The app intelligently adjusts your shopping list not only based on your meal plan needs but also taking into account what’s already in your pantry or what’s currently on sale, helping prevent waste and save money.

These features collectively ensure that meal-planning apps not only cater to your nutritional needs but also resonate with your personal tastes and daily life changes, making healthy eating both enjoyable and hassle-free.

AI-driven meal-planning apps bring a new dimension to personal nutrition and grocery shopping by offering a highly customised and adaptive experience:

1. Personalisation at Scale: Leveraging details such as your age, weight, activity level, and dietary restrictions, AI crafts personalised meal plans that fit your individual health objectives and lifestyle, steering away from the ineffective one-size-fits-all approach.

2. Taste Profiling: AI goes beyond mere nutritional content by learning your flavour preferences. Whether you favour Mediterranean flavours over Mexican, the app continuously evolves to suggest recipes that not only meet your health goals but also delight your palate.

3. Dynamic Grocery Lists: The app intelligently adjusts your shopping list not only based on your meal plan needs but also taking into account what’s already in your pantry or what’s currently on sale, helping prevent waste and save money.

These features collectively ensure that meal-planning apps not only cater to your nutritional needs but also resonate with your personal tastes and daily life changes, making healthy eating both enjoyable and hassle-free.

User Research

However, even with these AI meal tracking apps, users still face challenges with impulse buying due to poor integration between meal planning apps and grocery platforms, leading to deviance from shopping lists and missed savings. Additionally, the inability to make on-the-fly adjustments in current apps by directly communicating with AI—whether altering recipes, shopping lists, or prices—forces restarts that disrupt the user experience, increasing drop-off rates and reducing consistent app usage.

However, even with these AI meal tracking apps, users still face challenges with impulse buying due to poor integration between meal planning apps and grocery platforms, leading to deviance from shopping lists and missed savings. Additionally, the inability to make on-the-fly adjustments in current apps by directly communicating with AI—whether altering recipes, shopping lists, or prices—forces restarts that disrupt the user experience, increasing drop-off rates and reducing consistent app usage.

1

Pain Point

Users often struggle with impulse buying at grocery stores due to lack of integration between meal planning apps and direct grocery platform syncing, leading to unplanned purchases and stray from shopping lists.

Users often struggle with impulse buying at grocery stores due to lack of integration between meal planning apps and direct grocery platform syncing, leading to unplanned purchases and stray from shopping lists.

2

Pain Point

Users find it frustrating that there's no AI app available which can automatically distribute shopping list items across different grocery platforms to ensure they always get the best deals and discounts.

Users find it frustrating that there's no AI app available which can automatically distribute shopping list items across different grocery platforms to ensure they always get the best deals and discounts.

3

Pain Point

User find it frustrating that current apps don't allow for on-the-fly adjustments by typing changes to the AI at any stage—modifying recipes, updating shopping lists, or adjusting prices. Having to restart every time a change is needed disrupts the user experience, increasing drop-off rates and reducing consistent usage.

User find it frustrating that current apps don't allow for on-the-fly adjustments by typing changes to the AI at any stage—modifying recipes, updating shopping lists, or adjusting prices. Having to restart every time a change is needed disrupts the user experience, increasing drop-off rates and reducing consistent usage.

This research led me to wonder how might we

enhance meal planning apps to integrate seamlessly with grocery platforms and enable real-time, AI-driven adjustments to reduce impulse buying, minimise user disruption, and promote consistent app usage?

enhance meal planning apps to integrate seamlessly with grocery platforms and enable real-time, AI-driven adjustments to reduce impulse buying, minimise user disruption, and promote consistent app usage?

Ideation

Understanding how to create a familiar yet, unique experience for the user

We knew we wanted to provide users with a familiar experience, particularly for beginners and older users. We integrated a familiar AI search feature in the form of a simple chat box. This allows users to easily type in any food-related request, catering to their specific needs and preferences effortlessly.

We knew we wanted to provide users with a familiar experience, particularly for beginners and older users. We integrated a familiar AI search feature in the form of a simple chat box. This allows users to easily type in any food-related request, catering to their specific needs and preferences effortlessly.

We made a strategic decision to keep the chatbox feature accessible throughout the entire user journey. This persistent availability is crucial for those who need to make on-the-fly adjustments at any stage, ensuring a seamless and adaptable experience from start to finish.

We made a strategic decision to keep the chatbox feature accessible throughout the entire user journey. This persistent availability is crucial for those who need to make on-the-fly adjustments at any stage, ensuring a seamless and adaptable experience from start to finish.

We designed Mealify with an interface similar to traditional grocery apps to enhance familiarity and ease of use, allowing users to instantly access product photos, nutritional facts, and ingredients directly within the app. This setup is crucial for health-conscious users who may need to make quick adjustments based on ingredient details.

Additionally, our always-available AI chatbox facilitates on-the-fly changes like ingredient swaps or new recipe suggestions, streamlining the meal planning process and ensuring a seamless user experience without the need to restart or navigate between apps.

What Sets Mealify Apart: Advanced Integration and Personalized Meal Planning

Mealify tracks your allergens, flags unsafe ingredients, and suggests safe swaps, ensuring a personalized and secure meal planning experience.

Mealify's AI technology syncs with your smart fridge to craft recipes based on the ingredients you already have, clearly listing them and distinguishing between recently ordered items and common household staples for intuitive meal planning.

App Integrations

Upon onboarding with Mealify, seamlessly connect your grocery platforms to automatically add items to your cart based on the generated meal plan, streamlining your grocery shopping process effortlessly.

After adding items to your cart, if any item is out of stock in one of the connected apps, Mealify will alert you and suggest alternative replacements. Additionally, if the unavailable item is critical to your meal, Mealify's AI chatbox is always accessible for you to quickly adjust the recipe or create an entirely new one for any meal in your plan, ensuring flexibility and satisfaction.

Mealify enhances user control by allowing them to choose a store after presenting a comparative view of prices across different platforms. This enables users to make informed decisions based on the total cost. Additionally, our AI optimizes shopping by scouting for the best deals and discounts, strategically adding items from platforms offering the lowest prices. This feature is especially vital in the Indian market, where competitive pricing significantly influences household shopping decisions.

How Mealify's Features Enhance your Meal-Planning unlike any other App

1. Smart Fridge Connectivity: Synchronizes with your smart fridge to inventory ingredients and suggests recipes to minimize waste.

2. Nutrition Tracking: Offers robust tools for accurate nutrition monitoring to maintain dietary goals.

3. Mood and Meal Feedback: Logs emotional and physical responses after meals to refine recipe recommendations and detect food sensitivities.

4. Family Preferences Integration: Tailors meal plans to accommodate the dietary preferences of both individuals and families.

5. Recipe and Meal Plan Sharing: Facilitates sharing of meal ideas and plans with a 'recipe partner,' enhancing collaborative cooking.

6. Impulse Purchase Reduction: Automates adding ingredients to the shopping cart to avoid unnecessary purchases.

7. Browser Extension: Allows quick saving of online recipes directly into Mealify for future use.

8. Fitness App Integration: Links with fitness applications to ensure meal plans support overall health and fitness objectives.

9. Recipe Scaling: Automatically adjusts the amount of ingredients in recipes according to the desired number of servings.

10. Ingredient Substitutions: Identifies alternatives for specified ingredients and adjusts recipes accordingly.

11. Recipe Saving: Provides facility to easily save favorite recipes, simplifying future access.

12. Community and Collections: Accesses recipes from a variety of sources including professional chefs, nutritionists, community members, and friends, fostering a rich, communal exchange.

13. Calendar Integration and Meal Reminders: Integrates meal planning with your calendar, complete with reminders for grocery ordering to keep your preparations on track.

These structured features make Mealify a versatile and indispensable kitchen partner, aligning meal planning and preparation with your lifestyle and dietary needs.

1. Smart Fridge Connectivity: Synchronizes with your smart fridge to inventory ingredients and suggests recipes to minimize waste.

2. Nutrition Tracking: Offers robust tools for accurate nutrition monitoring to maintain dietary goals.

3. Mood and Meal Feedback: Logs emotional and physical responses after meals to refine recipe recommendations and detect food sensitivities.

4. Family Preferences Integration: Tailors meal plans to accommodate the dietary preferences of both individuals and families.

5. Recipe and Meal Plan Sharing: Facilitates sharing of meal ideas and plans with a 'recipe partner,' enhancing collaborative cooking.

6. Impulse Purchase Reduction: Automates adding ingredients to the shopping cart to avoid unnecessary purchases.

7. Browser Extension: Allows quick saving of online recipes directly into Mealify for future use.

8. Fitness App Integration: Links with fitness applications to ensure meal plans support overall health and fitness objectives.

9. Recipe Scaling: Automatically adjusts the amount of ingredients in recipes according to the desired number of servings.

10. Ingredient Substitutions: Identifies alternatives for specified ingredients and adjusts recipes accordingly.

11. Recipe Saving: Provides facility to easily save favorite recipes, simplifying future access.

12. Community and Collections: Accesses recipes from a variety of sources including professional chefs, nutritionists, community members, and friends, fostering a rich, communal exchange.

13. Calendar Integration and Meal Reminders: Integrates meal planning with your calendar, complete with reminders for grocery ordering to keep your preparations on track.

These structured features make Mealify a versatile and indispensable kitchen partner, aligning meal planning and preparation with your lifestyle and dietary needs.

1. Smart Fridge Connectivity: Synchronizes with your smart fridge to inventory ingredients and suggests recipes to minimize waste.

2. Nutrition Tracking: Offers robust tools for accurate nutrition monitoring to maintain dietary goals.

3. Mood and Meal Feedback: Logs emotional and physical responses after meals to refine recipe recommendations and detect food sensitivities.

4. Family Preferences Integration: Tailors meal plans to accommodate the dietary preferences of both individuals and families.

5. Recipe and Meal Plan Sharing: Facilitates sharing of meal ideas and plans with a 'recipe partner,' enhancing collaborative cooking.

6. Impulse Purchase Reduction: Automates adding ingredients to the shopping cart to avoid unnecessary purchases.

7. Browser Extension: Allows quick saving of online recipes directly into Mealify for future use.

8. Fitness App Integration: Links with fitness applications to ensure meal plans support overall health and fitness objectives.

9. Recipe Scaling: Automatically adjusts the amount of ingredients in recipes according to the desired number of servings.

10. Ingredient Substitutions: Identifies alternatives for specified ingredients and adjusts recipes accordingly.

11. Recipe Saving: Provides facility to easily save favorite recipes, simplifying future access.

12. Community and Collections: Accesses recipes from a variety of sources including professional chefs, nutritionists, community members, and friends, fostering a rich, communal exchange.

13. Calendar Integration and Meal Reminders: Integrates meal planning with your calendar, complete with reminders for grocery ordering to keep your preparations on track.

These structured features make Mealify a versatile and indispensable kitchen partner, aligning meal planning and preparation with your lifestyle and dietary needs.

1. Smart Fridge Connectivity: Synchronizes with your smart fridge to inventory ingredients and suggests recipes to minimize waste.

2. Nutrition Tracking: Offers robust tools for accurate nutrition monitoring to maintain dietary goals.

3. Mood and Meal Feedback: Logs emotional and physical responses after meals to refine recipe recommendations and detect food sensitivities.

4. Family Preferences Integration: Tailors meal plans to accommodate the dietary preferences of both individuals and families.

5. Recipe and Meal Plan Sharing: Facilitates sharing of meal ideas and plans with a 'recipe partner,' enhancing collaborative cooking.

6. Impulse Purchase Reduction: Automates adding ingredients to the shopping cart to avoid unnecessary purchases.

7. Browser Extension: Allows quick saving of online recipes directly into Mealify for future use.

8. Fitness App Integration: Links with fitness applications to ensure meal plans support overall health and fitness objectives.

9. Recipe Scaling: Automatically adjusts the amount of ingredients in recipes according to the desired number of servings.

10. Ingredient Substitutions: Identifies alternatives for specified ingredients and adjusts recipes accordingly.

11. Recipe Saving: Provides facility to easily save favorite recipes, simplifying future access.

12. Community and Collections: Accesses recipes from a variety of sources including professional chefs, nutritionists, community members, and friends, fostering a rich, communal exchange.

13. Calendar Integration and Meal Reminders: Integrates meal planning with your calendar, complete with reminders for grocery ordering to keep your preparations on track.

These structured features make Mealify a versatile and indispensable kitchen partner, aligning meal planning and preparation with your lifestyle and dietary needs.

Accesibility Considerations

1

Enhanced Button Usability

To accommodate easier navigation for users on mobile devices, we increased the size of clickable buttons, making them readily accessible and minimizing input errors during use.

2

Hands-Free Cooking Mode

Recognizing the multitasking nature of cooking, we implemented a hands-free cooking mode that not only keeps the screen active but also provides auditory step-by-step instructions. This feature alerts users to upcoming steps, helping to prevent kitchen mishaps like overcooked or burnt food.

3

Improved Legibility and Visual Hierarchy

We focused on clear legibility and a structured visual hierarchy within the app’s design. Strategic placement of visual elements to guide users towards next steps and important considerations that would require their attention.

Interactive Prototype

Interactive Prototype

Shortcut: Click on the chat box to get started.

Shortcut: Click on the chat box to get started.

Going Forward

Take Aways

Impact

Impact

Impact

Designed to significantly simplify meal preparation, reduce kitchen errors, and improve usability, ensuring a seamless and enjoyable cooking experience for users of all abilities.

What I learned

What I learned

What I learned

Understanding the varied needs of users, from novices to experienced cooks.

Next Steps

Moving forward with Mealify, the next steps involve several strategic initiatives to enhance the app's functionality and user engagement. Foster a strong community within the app by enhancing social sharing features, introducing community challenges, and regularly updating the content library with recipes from well-known chefs and nutritionists. Explore strategic partnerships with food brands, grocery stores, and health platforms to offer users more value and convenience.

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© 2025 Pooja Sambare

© 2025 Pooja Sambare

© 2025 Pooja Sambare

© 2025 Pooja Sambare