USER RESEARCH
I. SELECTING INTERVIEWEES
We interview college students and working young adults as they tend to neglect healthy eating habits when their schedules get busier, thus making it more difficult to maintain consistency and routine when preparing meals. We kept our interviewees within the 18-25 age range to understand how young adults specifically are affected by their eating choices.
Describe a struggle you face when eating healthy, balanced meals.
Can you describe the typical meals you eat in a day?
Describe a time when you ate an unhealthy meal, such as buying fast food, binging on snacks, etc.
How often do you go grocery shopping?
Do you prefer to cook at home or order food from a restaurant?
Have you considered meal prepping or looking at recipes before grocery shopping?
Do you keep track of your nutrition intake, such as counting calories?
Interviews were conducted both virtually and in-person.
II. INTERVIEW PROTOCOL
We categorized each quote into related pain-points in a FigJam Board.
From the responses of the interviewees, we were able to condense the interview data into three main insights that could assist us in the design of our application:
LACK OF TIME
Young adults often have busy and chaotic schedules, making it harder to have enough time to cook or shop for groceries. This lack of time can often result in them completely skipping meals or having improper portion sizes, making it difficult to maintain a balanced diet. This can also lead to less motivation to cook as fast food is such a more convenient and accessible option available.
“I usually skip breakfast and lunch and have a large dinner.”
“I don’t always have the energy or motivation to cook, so I end up skipping meals or eating random snacks instead of something nutritious.”
“Because of time constraints and my living situation, I don’t always get to make healthier choices…I wish I could.”
“Time is another big one, when I have the energy, I enjoy cooking, but when I’m exhausted, ordering food feels like the best option.”
“Additionally, grocery shopping takes time, and I don’t always have the energy to go frequently, which leads to days where I don’t have fresh ingredients.”
COST BARRIER
Young adults have very limited budgets which means they often make food choices based on affordability. This can cause them to rely on cheap fast food, frozen meals, or even skip meals due to lack of money. This perception that healthy eating is more expensive discourages them from exploring more cost-effective, nutritious options like meal prepping.
“I skipped an entire day of eating.” “I wish I had eaten, but I didn’t have money to spend or time/ingredients to cook.”
“I keep going back to Taco Bell because it’s cheap, it hits the spot, and I always finish it!”
“My income is not large enough to buy healthy foods all the time so I usually just buy junk food since it’s cheap and quick.”
“I like cooking at home because it’s more cost-effective, and I feel better knowing exactly what’s in my food.”
PROPER PLANNING
Many young adults struggle with grocery shopping as they often make decisions on the spot without a clear idea of what they need. This can lead to impulsive or unnecessary purchases, where essential ingredients are often overlooked. The lack of planning can also extend to planning their meals ahead of time. Most don’t plan their meals hours before which results in last-minute decisions that favor convenience over nutrition.
“I go in not knowing what I need for the future and buy what I need in the moment”
“I don’t know what to buy because I don’t know what to cook”
“I try to stop myself from overbuying things I don’t need, like snacks…”
“I also struggle with meal prepping because I either don’t have time to cook in bulk or I get bored of eating the same meal multiple times.”
We created personas and storyboards to visualize potential user needs and requirements for the application. We gained a better understanding of the user’s perspective and how to assist them in the process of meal prepping and managing food related expenses.
II. PERSONAS & StORYBOARDS
We to create mid-fidelity (mid-fi) wireframes to visualize how the user will interact with our application and the features we wanted to add:
Meal Planner Page to help the user plan and prepare their daily meals
Browse Recipes Page to help the user find meals that suits their dietary needs
Recipe Information Page to help the user to see the full how-to-cook instructions, dietary restrictions, servings, time constraint, cooking skill level and list of ingredients
Budget Tracker Page to help users make food choices based on affordability
I. Ideate & Wireframe
Initial Mid-Fidelity Wireframe Designs
Sketch
Our mid-fidelity designs were too focused on functionality and lacked visual appeal. To enhance the overall aesthetic, we created a mood board and developed a brand identity, which led to a detailed style guide ensuring design consistency throughout the app.
For JYELISHOUS, we wanted to establish a voice and tone that felt warm, friendly, and trustworthy to the users while also maintaining an earthy and natural aesthetic. The colors we decided on reflects on these voice and tone. The typography further enhances the message we wanted to get across to the user. Our main font, Lilita One, has bold and rounded features that conveys playfulness and easy-to-read words, making our app feel welcoming. On the other hand, Inter, is clean and modern that ensures professionalism which adds to our app’s sense of trustworthiness. Overall, these elements from colors to fonts create an identity for JYELISHOUS that is reliable, inviting, and naturally engaging that aims to build a strong connection with the users to plan and prepare their daily meals.
II.Design System
Initial Brand Style Guide
We were able to determine whether the designs and features we have implemented aligned with out users’ needs and identified any areas of confusion that needed to be clarified.
III. Usability Feedback & Iteration
Meal Planner Page
Feedback: The "Add Meal" button was useful, but it was difficult for users to locate.
Iteration: To improve visibility, we placed the "Add Meal" button within each meal time slot and ensured clarity by adding the "Add Meal" text next to the "+" icon, making its function more intuitive.
Budget Tracker Page
Feedback: "A weekly calendar showing spending is not as helpful for students as a monthly calendar. A monthly view provides a broader perspective on expenses, and most students only grocery shop at most once a week."
Iteration: To enhance usability, we implemented a monthly view using a pie chart that visually represents students' set monthly expenses on groceries, takeout, and overall spending, providing clearer insights into their budgeting habits.
The Final Product
Prototyping
We identified key strengths and weaknesses in features like recipe recommendations, grocery list generation, and nutrition tracking. A common gap across these tools is the lack of a comprehensive, all-in-one solution that combines meal planning, grocery list generation, and nutritional tracking. By addressing these gaps, we aim to deliver a streamlined experience that simplifies meal preparation and supports young adults in achieving consistent, balanced diets.
III. Competitive
Analysis