Mealify

Mealify

Revolutionising Meal-Planning with User-Centric AI Enhancement

Revolutionising Meal-Planning with User-Centric AI Enhancement

Process: User Research Research, Ideation, Design

Process: User Research Research, Ideation, Design

Tools: Figma

Tools: Figma

The Problem

Users struggle with maintaining engagement & effective meal planning.

Despite the rapid growth of fitness and meal planning apps 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 targets. Poor integration between meal planning apps and grocery platforms, leads users to stray away from shopping lists. Additionally, the current interface of most apps do not allow users to make changes with their AI— whether altering recipes, shopping lists, or prices—this force restarts that disrupt the user experience, increasing drop-off rates and reducing consistent app usage.

The Solution

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

Mealify incorporates a user-centric design combined with advanced AI technology, significantly enhancing the meal planning and grocery shopping experience. This app is adept at accommodating diverse user needs with a personalised interface that tailors to individual dietary preferences and lifestyle requirements. The automated creation of shopping lists based on user-selected recipes, and integration with leading grocery delivery services streamlines the process from meal planning to purchasing. This integration is not just about convenience; it also capitalises on real-time offers and discounts, enhancing cost-efficiency and streamlining the shopping process, thereby creating a seamless and rewarding user experience.

Mealify incorporates a user-centric design combined with advanced AI technology, significantly enhancing the meal planning and grocery shopping experience. This app is adept at accommodating diverse user needs with a personalised interface that tailors to individual dietary preferences and lifestyle requirements. The automated creation of shopping lists based on user-selected recipes, and integration with leading grocery delivery services streamlines the process from meal planning to purchasing. This integration is not just about convenience; it also capitalises on real-time offers and discounts, enhancing cost-efficiency and streamlining the shopping process, thereby creating a seamless and rewarding user experience.

Mealify incorporates a user-centric design combined with advanced AI technology, significantly enhancing the meal planning and grocery shopping experience. This app is adept at accommodating diverse user needs with a personalised interface that tailors to individual dietary preferences and lifestyle requirements. The automated creation of shopping lists based on user-selected recipes, and integration with leading grocery delivery services streamlines the process from meal planning to purchasing. This integration is not just about convenience; it also capitalises on real-time offers and discounts, enhancing cost-efficiency and streamlining the shopping process, thereby creating a seamless and rewarding user experience.

User Research: Identifying Pain Points

Although there is a boom in AI meal-planning apps, users still face challenges.

1

Impulse Buying

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

No Optimisation

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

No On-The-Fly Adjustments

It's 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.

4

Having to Restart User Journey

Having to restart every time a change is needed disrupts the user experience, increasing drop-off rates and reducing consistent usage.

1

Impulse Buying

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

No Optimisation

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

No On-The-Fly Adjustments

It's 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.

4

Having to Restart User Journey

Having to restart every time a change is needed disrupts the user experience, increasing drop-off rates and reducing consistent usage.

1

Impulse Buying

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

No Optimisation

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

No On-The-Fly Adjustments

It's 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.

4

Having to Restart User Journey

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?

Design

1

Understanding How to Create a Familiar yet, Unique Experience for the User

1

Understanding How to Create a Familiar yet, Unique Experience for the User

1

Understanding How to Create a Familiar yet, Unique Experience for the User

I knew I wanted to provide users with a familiar experience, particularly for beginners and older users. I 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. I made a strategic design 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.

I knew I wanted to provide users with a familiar experience, particularly for beginners and older users. I 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. I made a strategic design 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.

I knew I wanted to provide users with a familiar experience, particularly for beginners and older users. I 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. I made a strategic design 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.

I 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 users who may need to make quick adjustments based on ingredient details.

2

How to Create an Interface to Incorporate the Advanced AI Integration

2

How to Create an Interface to Incorporate the Advanced AI Integration

2

How to Create an Interface to Incorporate the Advanced AI Integration

Creating an interface to flag ingredients, and suggests safe swaps, ensuring a personalised and secure meal planning experience.

To improve the usability of the platform, we ensure that no unnecessary items are automatically added to your cart.

3

What Most Apps Missed

3

What Most Apps Missed

3

What Most Apps Missed

Mealify addresses potential disruptions in meal planning with solutions that enhance user interactivity and satisfaction. When an item in your cart is out of stock on a connected app, Mealify not only alerts you but also proactively suggests alternative replacements. This feature mitigates the inconvenience of unavailable ingredients and maintains the flow of meal preparation.

Further enhancing flexibility, if a critical ingredient is missing, Mealify's AI chatbot is readily available, allowing users to quickly modify the existing recipe or even create a new one from scratch. This responsive mechanism ensures that meal planning remains uninterrupted and adaptable to users' immediate needs.

Notably, this level of user-responsiveness and adaptability is a feature that many AI-powered apps currently lack, decreasing usability.

Mealify addresses potential disruptions in meal planning with solutions that enhance user interactivity and satisfaction. When an item in your cart is out of stock on a connected app, Mealify not only alerts you but also proactively suggests alternative replacements. This feature mitigates the inconvenience of unavailable ingredients and maintains the flow of meal preparation.

Further enhancing flexibility, if a critical ingredient is missing, Mealify's AI chatbot is readily available, allowing users to quickly modify the existing recipe or even create a new one from scratch. This responsive mechanism ensures that meal planning remains uninterrupted and adaptable to users' immediate needs.

Notably, this level of user-responsiveness and adaptability is a feature that many AI-powered apps currently lack, decreasing usability.

Mealify addresses potential disruptions in meal planning with solutions that enhance user interactivity and satisfaction. When an item in your cart is out of stock on a connected app, Mealify not only alerts you but also proactively suggests alternative replacements. This feature mitigates the inconvenience of unavailable ingredients and maintains the flow of meal preparation.

Further enhancing flexibility, if a critical ingredient is missing, Mealify's AI chatbot is readily available, allowing users to quickly modify the existing recipe or even create a new one from scratch. This responsive mechanism ensures that meal planning remains uninterrupted and adaptable to users' immediate needs.

Notably, this level of user-responsiveness and adaptability is a feature that many AI-powered apps currently lack, decreasing usability.

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.

Through user research, I was able to incorporate a feature that is vital in the Indian market, where competitive pricing significantly influences household shopping decisions. Allowing the app to optimise and getting the best deals. This simplifies the user journey and aligns with the target audience, enhancing overall user 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.

Through user research, I was able to incorporate a feature that is vital in the Indian market, where competitive pricing significantly influences household shopping decisions. Allowing the app to optimise and getting the best deals. This simplifies the user journey and aligns with the target audience, enhancing overall user 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.

Through user research, I was able to incorporate a feature that is vital in the Indian market, where competitive pricing significantly influences household shopping decisions. Allowing the app to optimise and getting the best deals. This simplifies the user journey and aligns with the target audience, enhancing overall user satisfaction.

Final Design

Take Aways

Take Aways

Take Aways

Hover to reveal!

Impact

Our target users shared that the design was intuitive to navigate through, more engaging with the images, and demonstrated a clear visual hierarchy.

Impact

Our target users shared that the design was intuitive to navigate through, more engaging with the images, and demonstrated a clear visual hierarchy.

Impact

What I Learned

What I Learned

I learned that even a small design change can have a huge impact on the user experience. The most important takeaway for me is to always focus on the real needs of the user when coming up with design ideas and solutions.

What I Learned

I learned that even a small design change can have a huge impact on the user experience. The most important takeaway for me is to always focus on the real needs of the user when coming up with design ideas and solutions.

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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