User Research
WEEK 01
WEEK 02
WEEK 03
WEEK 04
Strategy (Research Goals and Challenges)
Research (Problem Statement, User Research, Competitor Analysis)
UX (Information Architecture, User Flows, Paper Sketches, Wireframes, Prototyping)
UI (Visual Design)
EMPATHISE
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Pantry Check
Out Of Milk
Paprika Recipe
Meal Time
UX
UI
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
Simple, easy to navigate, moderate onboarding process
Intuitive, quick onboarding, easy navigation
Clean design, highly functional, steeper learning curve
Good user flow, quick setup
Basic, functional, clean
User-friendly, simple design
Clean, organized, professional
Modern, intuitive, colorful
Easy to use, barcode scanning, expiration date tracking
Barcode scanning, integrates to-do list, offline functionality
Extensive feature set, works offline
Simple to use, personalised meal recommendations
Lacks advanced features, basic design
Ads in the free version
No free version, initial complexity
Limited offline functionality, basic free features
Pantry Check
Out Of Milk
Paprika Recipe
Meal Time
Pantry Inventory
Meal Planning
Grocery List Creation
Expiry Date Tracking
Recipe Suggestions
Budget Tracking
Integrations
Offline Functionality
Alexa
Alexa & Siri
Limited
Limited
PROJECT TIMELINE
CONCEPT
FINAL PRODUCT
User Research
SURVEY
“How often do you have to throw away expired food items?”
Rarely (35%)
Sometimes(35%)
Often (10%)
“Current Pantry Tracking Method”
Paper List (20%)
No tracking (60%)
App (20%)
“How many times a week do you meal plan?”
Once (40%)
Twice(40%)
Never (20%)
“Do you struggle with pantry management?”
Yes (65%)
No (35%)
“How many times do you grocery shop per week?”
Once (35%)
Twice(35%)
Everyday (10%)
Every other day (20%)
“How many times do you forget grocery items?”
Rarely (20%)
Sometimes(20%)
Often (30%)
SWOT ANALYSIS
SMART PANTRY
STRENGTHS
Comprehensive Feature Set: Combines pantry inventory, meal planning, grocery list creation, expiration date tracking, and budget tracking in one app.
User-Centric Design: Focused on solving real user problems such as reducing stress and saving time.
Customisation: Personalised recipe suggestions and meal plans based on pantry items.
WEAKNESSES
NEW ENTRANT: As a new app, it lacks brand recognition compared to established competitors.
DEvelopment and maintenance costs: High costs associated with developing and maintaining a comprehensive feature set.
initial learning curve: Users may need time to familiarise themselves with full functionality.
OPPORTUNITIES
integration capabilities: Potential to integrate with smart home devices, ehancing user convenience.
market demand: High demand for similar app type.
integration with grocery stores: Partnering with grocery stores for direct online shopping from the app.
expanding features: Adding features like community recipes and diet-specific plans.
THREATS
Competitive market: Numerous existing apps with similar features.
user retention: Challenge in retaining users if they don't see immediate value or face a steep learning curve.
technological changes: Rapid changes in technology requiring constant updates and feature enhancements.
data privacy concerns: User's concerns about data privacy and security.
S
W
O
T
Organise Pantry Inventory
Implement a digital pantry inventory system that allows users to log and categorise their pantry items, set expiration dates, and receive notifications for items that are about to expire.
Efficient Meal Planning
Provide a meal planning feature that suggests recipes based on current pantry items, allowing users to plan their meals for the week ahead. This reduces the daily stress of deciding what to cook.
Organised Grocery Lists
Enable users to generate grocery lists directly from their meal plans and pantry needs, ensuring they buy exactly what they need without forgetting items.
Budget-Friendly Shopping
Include a budget tracker that helps users manage their grocery spending by comparing planned purchases against a set budget, helping families stick to their financial plans.
Reduced Food Waste
Offer recipe suggestions that prioritise using up soon-to-expire items and low-stock ingredients, reducing the amount of food that gets thrown away.
PROBLEM SOLUTIONS
Case Study Overview
Background:
Smart Pantry is a mobile application designed to streamline the organisation of pantry inventory, meal preparation, and grocery list management within households. In today's fast-paced world, managing food inventory, planning meals, and creating grocery lists can be a stressful and time-consuming task for busy individuals and families.
This app aims to alleviate these daily challenges by offering an intuitive and comprehensive solution that simplifies the entire process. With Smart Pantry, users can effortlessly track their pantry items, plan meals based on what they have, and generate grocery lists to ensure they never run out of essentials.
PROBLEM:
Many busy individuals and families struggle with the cumbersome task of managing their pantry inventory, meal planning, and grocery shopping. This problem is particularly pronounced in households where meal planning is not done at the start of the week, leading to daily stress about what to cook, especially after long work hours.
USER PAIN POINTS:
a.
Unorganised Pantry Inventory
Users struggle to keep track of what items they have in their pantry, leading to expired products and duplicate purchases.
b.
Last-Minute Meal Planning
Without a planned menu, users often find themselves deciding what to cook at the last minute, adding stress to their day, especially after work.
c.
Unplanned Grocery Shopping
Users frequently go grocery shopping without a list, resulting in forgotten items and multiple trips to the store.
d.
Budget Constraints
Families with tight budgets, like John’s, often end up spending more on unplanned food purchases, affecting their financial planning.
e.
Food Waste
The lack of a structured system to use up pantry items leads to increased food waste.
Smart pantry
Virtual Kitchen Assistant Mobile Application
Introducing ‘Smart Pantry’: a revolutionary mobile application designed to transform how you plan meals, shop for groceries, cook, and manage your food. By seamlessly integrating these activities into one intuitive platform, Smart Pantry empowers you to embrace sustainable practices, minimise food waste, and enjoy a more organised kitchen experience. Join us in making every meal smarter, every grocery trip greener, and every bite count.
ROLE: UX/UI Designer (User Research, Wire-Framing and Prototyping)
TIMELINE: 3 Weeks
TOOLKIT: Figma, FigJam, Miro, Photoshop, Notion
“What is the most stressful part of meal planning?”
Time management (35%)
Deciding what to cook (35%)
Inventory tracking (10%)
Creating a grocery list by checking what is in the pantry and comparing to recipe (20%)
DEFINE
USER PERSONAS
Name: John Smith
Age: 35
Occupation: Construction Worker
Family: Married with 3 kids
Technology Proficiency: Moderate; uses a smartphone regularly.
Motivation: Save money, reduce stress, provide healthy meals for his family.
"I never know what's for dinner until the last minute."
"It's hard to keep track of what we have in the pantry."
Finishes work and stops by the grocery store on the way home.
Buys lunch at work if there are no leftovers.
"I often have to buy lunch at work because we don't have leftovers."
Occasionally tries to plan meals but often falls short.
"Meal planning feels like an extra chore after a long day."
Overwhelmed by trying to manage pantry inventory and meal planning.
"I wish we could save money by planning better."
"It would be great to avoid last-minute grocery runs."
Frustrated by the lack of meal planning.
Stressed about the added expense of buying lunch.
GOALS
Simplify meal planning to save time.
Reduce food waste and manage pantry inventory better.
Stick to a budget by planning meals and lunches.
CHALLENGES
Limited time to plan meals due to long work hours.
Frequent last-minute grocery shopping trips.
Difficulty keeping track of pantry items.
SAYS
THINKS
DOES
FEELS
"I often waste food because I forget what I have."
"Grocery shopping feels like a guessing game."
Makes grocery lists but often forgets items.
Cooks sporadically and often ends up eating out.
"I wish I could plan meals that use up what I already have."
Tries to plan meals but finds it hard to stick to a routine.
"I need a better system for managing my groceries."
Annoyed with the lack of organisation in her meal prep.
"It would be nice to try new recipes without wasting ingredients."
"I want to be more organised with my meal prep."
Guilty about wasting food.
Eager to find a solution that simplifies her grocery shopping and meal planning.
SAYS
THINKS
DOES
FEELS
Name: Sarah Johnson
Age: 28
Occupation: Primary School Teacher
Family: Lives alone
Technology Proficiency: High, comfortable using various apps.
Motivation: Be more organised, eat healthier and try new recipes.
GOALS
Reduce food waste by managing pantry inventory.
Discover new recipes that use ingredients she already has.
Stay organised with grocery shopping and meal planning.
CHALLENGES
Forgetting what ingredients she has at home.
Difficulty in meal planning and sticking to a routine.
Often ends up eating out due to lack of planning.
Information Architecture
User Flow
Login User Flow:
Pantry Inventory User Flow:
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
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Design System
COLOUR PALETTE
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TYPOGRAPHY
Poppins
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
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Heading 2 (Bold)
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Heading 1 (Regular)
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Body Text (Body)
12px
Body Text (Regular)
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COMPONENTS
Iterations Based on User Testing
Add Recipe to your Meal Plan directly from recipe creation screen
Recipe ‘Search’ and ‘Add’
The updated design includes a few additional features.
These include the add button for each recipe to allow users to add to their meal plan directly from this screen.
The second is the ability to filter recipes. This filter can be used to find meal time specific recipes as well as recipes with specific ingredients or dietary preferences.
1
2
After conducting some user testing on the meal planning screens, I quickly realised that there was a lack of ability to see all recipes a user had created and input into the system.
They were blindly searching for a recipe to edit without knowing what recipes they had saved in their account.
Hence, I removed the search function for editing recipes and created a button that took the user to a new screen with all of their recipes and allowed them to edit from there.
To make it more intuitive I added two buttons at the top of the screen to allow user to easily select whether they wanted to add a recipe or edit existing recipes.
The ‘Add Recipe’ button creates a pop up screen that allows them to add a new recipe from the ‘Meal Planning’ screens.
The ‘Edit Recipe’ button takes the user to a new screen where they can view all existing recipes and make any edits they wish all from the one location.
Having the ‘add recipe’ button at the base of the screen also meant users had to pass all of the other information to reach it.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
The first iteration of the Recipe Screen only allowed users to add a new recipe and then edit or delete existing ones.
In order to add recipes to their meal plans they had to add the recipe here and then go back to the Meal Plan screen to add that recipe to the day of the week they required it.
Users also mentioned that it would be better if they could filter recipes by meal types (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack) in order to more easily view all of their recipes.
Reflections
Working on the Smart Pantry app has been an enriching experience, allowing me to immerse myself in every aspect of the design process, from user research to high-fidelity prototyping.
One of the most significant challenges I encountered was translating the complex and multifaceted task of pantry management into a simple, user-friendly interface. By conducting thorough user research, I was able to identify the pain points and needs of our target users, which guided my design decisions and ensured that the app genuinely addressed their problems.
Despite the progress made, it's important to note that I worked on this app for a limited time, and there is still much to be done. Since this was a project started from scratch rather than a feature redesign, it involved laying the
foundational groundwork for the app. This means that there are still many aspects that can be further refined and plenty of opportunities for future development. Continuous improvement based on ongoing user feedback will be crucial to evolving the app into a more polished and comprehensive solution.
This project reinforced the importance of empathy in design and adaptability to user needs. It has strengthened my confidence in tackling complex design challenges and delivering functional, aesthetically pleasing solutions, underscoring my commitment to user-centred design and continuous improvement.
Next Steps
Suggested Future Improvements and Features:
1
Nutritional Information and Health Tracking
Incorporate features that provide detailed nutritional information for pantry items and recipes. Users could track their dietary intake, set health goals, and receive insights on their nutrition, helping them make healthier food choices and stay on track with their wellness goals.
2
Voice Command Functionality
Integrate voice command capabilities to allow users to manage their pantry, create meal plans, and add items to their grocery list hands-free. This can significantly improve the app’s usability, especially for busy users who need to multitask.
3
Shopping List Optimisation
Introduce features that optimise shopping lists based on store layouts and user preferences. For example, grouping items by aisle and suggesting the best shopping route within specific stores can save users time and make grocery shopping more efficient.
Designed & built with
figma & framer
HI-Fidelity Wireframes