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“Many people struggle to plan meals due to busy schedules, limited time, and lack of cooking inspiration leading to stress, last-minute takeout, and food waste from unused ingredients. They need a smarter way to discover recipes that match their pantry items, dietary preferences, and available cooking time, helping them cook efficiently while minimizing wasted food. The goal is to simplify meal planning with personalized recipes that save time, reduce decision fatigue, and make home cooking more frequent and sustainable.”
Client:
Personal Project
My Role:
Lead Designer
Year:
2020
Service Provided:
UX/UI Design, Mobile Design
When we set out to design a meal-planning app, we knew the real challenge wasn't just recipes - it was solving the hidden frustrations of home cooks. Through surveys with 50+ users, we uncovered three key pain points: wasted ingredients, decision fatigue, and disconnected tools. Our solution? A human-centered design process that transformed these insights into intuitive features.
We started with competitive analysis, identifying gaps in existing apps, then mapped user journeys to pinpoint where frustration peaked. Affinity mapping revealed a clear need for integration - users wanted their pantry, recipes, and grocery list to work together seamlessly. Our iterative design process led to key innovations: a smart pantry tracker (using barcode scanning), AI-powered meal suggestions based on available ingredients, and a visual meal planner with drag-and-drop simplicity.
Usability testing proved our approach worked - participants reduced meal-planning time by 30% and reported significantly less food waste. The true success? Creating not just another recipe app, but a holistic cooking companion that solves real problems through thoughtful UX.
