PrepPal
Role
Tools
Team
Duration
Project Inspiration
I observed many of my friends during Tsome, an Ethiopian religious fasting tradition where they committed to a 30-day vegan diet. During this time, they experienced weight loss, stopped working out, and struggled with focus in their studies. To manage, they often relied on frozen vegan meals and late-night Taco Bell runs, modifying their orders to be meat-free.
Problem
To better support users who seek a forum to manage their health by offering a wide range of healthy meals and also caters to their religious and/or dietary guidelines.
Solution
A meal planning system designed to accommodate the diverse dietary needs of users who follow religious or dietary restrictions. The app combines personalized meal planning, community engagement, and educational resources to create an inclusive and supportive environment.
Problem Statement
Existing meal planning apps assists user to discover meal inspiration, but often times the recipe selections lack culturally diverse meals or forget to consider the unique diets of those who follow religious or specific dietary rules, leaving several users excluded.
Research
How Might We
❇️ How might we expand the range of recipe selections in meal-planning apps to include a diverse array of cultural cuisines?
❇️ How might we ensure that meal planning apps consider and accommodate the specific dietary requirements of users following religious or specialized diets to ensure inclusion?
❇️ How might we support users in reaching a healthy diet despite their socioeconomic background?
Secondary Research
To fully understand the issue, I conducted secondary research on why meal prepping apps mainly promote Western cuisine. From various scholarly sources, it's clear that nutrition experts often fail to consider ethnic foods when offering advice on healthy eating.
Growing up in the West, we're conditioned to assume that certain foods are healthier than others, and certain foods – especially ethnic foods – tend to be unhealthy.
Competitive Analysis
I performed a competitive analysis on a variety of meal prepping apps, dissecting their features and functionalities to gain a deeper understanding of the competition.
Key Insights from Interviews
Conducting user interviews provided valuable insights into the challenges users encounter, the data I gathered supported each of my design choices as I progressed through my process. Here are some of the main takeaways from the interviews:
Affinity Map
I gathered insights from user interviews, which I then organized into an affinity map to identify patterns and common themes. The key findings were as follows:
Target Audience
Based on my secondary research and primary findings I created a set of target users. They served as a valuable reminder of the people I'm designing for and the problems I aim to solve.
Target User 1: Users who follow religious dietary guidelines or restrictions such as fasting
Target User 2: Users who support or care for individuals with religious dietary guidelines and restrictions such as fasting
Ideation
Design Requirements
Sketches
I harnessed the power of sketches within the HCD process to ideate and refine design ideas swiftly. These sketches allowed me to visualize various solutions and iterate rapidly.
Design System
Proposal
Key Features
Culturally competent
Personalized experience
Meal prep with ease
Reflection
Looking back on the final project, I am proud that I prioritized the inclusion of a diverse range of dietary requirements, fostering inclusivity for often overlooked users in the meal prepping industry.
During the project, I confronted the challenge of cognitive overload, where the potential for decision fatigue from multiple options was a concern. To address this, I opted for a two-step approach. The first option presented to the user was a tailored meal suggestion based on their dietary needs and preferences. This simplifies the initial decision-making process, reducing cognitive load. However, I made sure to include an easy-to-access secondary option that provides alternative meal suggestions. Users have the freedom to explore other choices if the first option doesn't resonate with them.
I found myself deeply satisfied, knowing I had created something with the potential to authentically resonate with users like myself, often marginalized.
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