Leadership · Mobile App Design · UX Research
As part of the University of Virginia's Forge Academy, I worked with a team of students to create Mealy, a mobile app designed to make meal prepping easier and more efficient for Gen Z. With Mealy, users can easily plan and prepare their meals for the week ahead, making it easier to stick to their dietary goals and save time.
My Role
Product Design Apprentice, User Researcher
Product Type
Mobile Application & Onboarding Process
Time
3 weeks
Tools Used
Maze, Loop 11, Figma, Adobe XD, Illustrator, Canva, Photoshop
What I did
Competitive Analysis, User Research, Accessibility Heuristic Analysis, Usability Study, Interaction Design
Outcome
Through research-backed insights, we uncovered the real challenges Gen Z faces and designed a seamless, enjoyable onboarding experience. Our mobile app was crafted to simplify meal-prepping and address their unique pain points effectively.
How might we…
Design a way for health and fitness enthusiasts to prepare a grocery list for meal-prepping?
The Background
The rising cost of living has made it increasingly challenging for young adults to manage their money, time, and stress. Many juggle college courses, full-time jobs, or other responsibilities, leaving little room for additional tasks. Meal prepping has gained popularity for its time-saving and cost-efficient benefits, which also help reduce stress. This highlights the growing need for a meal-prepping app that is user-friendly, practical, and highly efficient.
Benefits of meal prepping:
Save time by reducing cooking and grocery store trips.
Save money by buying in bulk.
Reduce stress by eliminating last-minute meal decisions during busy weeks.
The Challenge
Gen Z health and fitness enthusiasts need a solution to simplify meal planning and grocery shopping.
Double Diamond Approach
Discover
Meal prepping insights w/ Competitive Analysis
I conducted a competitive analysis of the meal-prepping apps Paprika, Mealime, and Eat This Much.
Using a Notion spreadsheet, I organized my findings to highlight what these apps excel at and identify potential gaps that could present opportunities for Mealy.
Make it easy to customize
Gen Z values personalization, so give them the option to create custom meal plans and grocery lists based on their dietary needs, preferences, and lifestyle.
Offer a variety of healthy and delicious recipes
Gen Z is looking for healthy meals that are also tasty and satisfying and can cater to different dietary restrictions and preferences.
Make it visually appealing and user-friendly
Gen Z is tech-savvy and expects a seamless user experience. Create an app or website that is easy to navigate and visually appealing.
User Research
We conducted user interviews and user surveys with 21 Gen Z users (18-24) to gain a better understanding of user needs and perspectives on meal prepping. This research revealed that convenience, variety, clean interface, and social features are the most important features in meal-prepping apps. With these insights, we are one step closer to creating an app that better meets the needs of Gen Z meal preppers
Meal preppers want convenience, variety, a clean interface, and social features
Convenience
Users want to save time and reduce stress by planning and organizing meals in advance.
Variety
Users want a wide range of meal options, including vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free, with customization options for dietary restrictions.
Social features
Users are interested in social features like sharing meal plans and recipes with friends and accessing others' plans for inspiration.
Define
Problem Statement
Revising the Problem Statement
Original:
I'm a meal-prepping enthusiast and current meal-prepping apps disappoint me. They lack convenience, variety, and social features, failing to meet my everyday needs. I desire a meal-prepping app that is personalized, intuitive and caters to my preferences.
Revision:
As someone passionate about meal prepping, I need an app that helps reduce my daily stress by saving time and money. The app should be personalized to fit my preferences and easy to navigate. It should offer convenience, a wide variety of simple recipes, and a feature to share updates with friends.
User Personas
Andrea, a 22-year-old graduate student at NYU, leads a busy life in New York City while balancing a demanding course load. Despite her packed schedule, she prioritizes managing her finances and maintaining a healthy diet.
Benefits of User Flows
Through this user flow, we can gain a better understanding of Andrea's ideal experience with a meal-prepping app
Take a closer look with User Journeys
Through this user flow, we can gain an overview of Andrea's thoughts and emotions as she navigates a meal-prepping app in addition to potential opportunities to solve!
Honing down Mealy's Site Map
With a clear understanding of users' needs and pain points around meal prepping, we can begin designing the site map and crafting an ideal information architecture tailored to their needs.
Develop
Time to start creating
To meet the needs of both the business and users, I started by creating sketches, wireframes, and a prototype for the onboarding process and mobile app. Can you tell we were a team with distinctive wireframe styles?
Finalizing Prototypes
After the drafts of sketches and wireframes, I was set to create the prototypes for the onboarding process and mobile app. Check out how they turned out
Time for Usability Testing!
We conducted usability testing and A/B testing with 16 Gen-Z users (ages 16-24) and results showed that users loved the app's vibrant food photography and easy-to-use interface.
However, they wanted more personalized and diverse recipes but they did highly valued social features like recipe sharing. Areas for improvement from A/B testing included organization such as recipe results and search functionality with filters.
Deliver
Style Guide
A cohesive and visually appealing design and a modern, clean aesthetic with a bright, fresh color palette that aligns with Mealy's focus on healthy eating and a sense of calm.
Refining the Design
User feedback highlights
User-friendly interface, personalized meal-prepping options, and social features.
The variety of healthy recipes and customization options were appreciated.
Areas for improvement
More social features and a simplified recipe rating system.
A cohesive and visually appealing design.
A cohesive and visually appealing design.
Learning & Challenges
Reflection
Being part of UVA's Forge UX Academy was an incredibly rewarding experience! I had the opportunity to collaborate with talented design students from diverse backgrounds, like Engineering and Sociology. We engaged in meaningful discussions about brainstorming solutions, shaping brand identity, and enhancing interaction design in the onboarding process. It was exciting to see how our unique design styles blended beautifully to bring this project to life!
Further enhancements
With the insights from the Usability Study, our team will begin implementing the recommendations and feedback provided by users. Personally, I’m excited to further develop my skills in interaction design by focusing on micro-interactions and animations. I found the onboarding process especially fascinating, as it plays such a vital role in app creation. Considering the time constraints for this project, I’m proud of what we accomplished and look forward to continuing to grow and refine my design abilities!
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