top of page
Problem Space Identification

My team and I began the project by conducting in-person interviews with 13 participants to learn more about the problem space we were planning to solve for. We wanted to learn about and understand the factors that go into meal planning for vegans.  

Wegan-Brainstorming_edited.jpg
Group
Wegan-Brainstorming 2.jpg

We put together an affinity map to help us identify key points and areas of opportunities. The main goal of this exercise was to understand what our user's goals, motivations and pain points were in reference to the meal planning process. 

​

Some of the questions we included in our user interviews were : 

​

  • What their motivation was for being vegan?

​

  • What factors drive people to alter their diet?

​

  • How does meal planning play a role in their life?

​

  • How do they plan their meals currently?

​

  • What are some challenges they are facing during this process?

There were four major problem spaces that we identified through this exercise-

Money

Variety 

Community

Organization

User Definition

To provide a framework for defining, categorizing and organizing all of our customers' needs we used the 'Jobs-to-be-Done' method. Through our initial research, we were able to group all of our users into two major buckets - 'New Vegan' and 'Experienced Vegan'.

We crafted two user personas based on our 'Jobs-to-be-Done' exercise. The personas helped us shape our user segments into individuals with backgrounds, motivations, goals and pain points.

These two personas allowed us to address the challenges faced by each of these user groups. Some of the challenges we documented were :

  • A marketing specialist and a newly turned lactose intolerant vegan found affordability and adaptability  to be a challenge

​

  • An experienced vegan lawyer conscious about his health found it challenging to organize recipes and cook a variety of recipes 

Customer Journey Discovery

To understand different stages our customers' go through to plan their weekly vegan meals, I created two separate journey maps each pertaining to our user segments. This helped us highlight areas of opportunities during the meal planning process.

Competitive Analysis

To identify opportunities, gaps in the market and potential design patterns to adopt or avoid, we conducted a competitive analysis of 10 competitors. We comprehensively analyzed and rated top six competitors across seven dimensions.

Here are some insights we derived from the competitive analysis :

  • Clean UI helps users navigate the app and visualize key information seamlessly 

​

  • Direct access to an online grocery store makes the planning process exponentially easier for users

​

  • A vibrant community helps users connect with fellow members while sharing their thoughts and recipes 

​

  • Nutrition tracking is a popular feature among many competitors

​

  • Extensive search functionality and consistency expedite the user journey

Designing The Solution

To determine the core information architecture and navigation, we came up with an efficient user flow. The user flow incorporated various stages in the meal planning process in detail and later translated to screens for our app.

User Flow.jpg
Initial Sketches 

To bring our ideas to life, I created some initial sketches that emphasized our key screens- 'Meal Plans', 'E-community' and 'Profile'.

Initial Sketches.png
Wireframes 

Based on the initial sketches, we came up with these wireframes that depict main features of the application. The search with filters, direct export to grocery list, community messaging and adding recipe to meal plan were some of the key features we focused on.

Prototype

We created a mobile high-fidelity prototype which incorporated various steps from the meal planning process. Keeping in mind the challenges faced by our user groups, we created a seamless process for meal planning, ordering groceries as well as connecting with the vegan community.

Prototype-1.png

To address the main pain points derived from our initial user research, we designed these features :

Money

Variety 

Community

Organization

Ability to search for recipes under a certain price point

A collection of hundreds of editorial recipes including recipes posted by members of the community

An online community of vegans where they can share thoughts, recipes, feedback and also host events

Ability to save a recipe from any platform directly to the user's own collection of favorite recipes under their profile

User Testing

We performed usability tests on a sample size of twenty five participants after designing the high-fidelity mobile prototype. Since this was a one of a kind app, we wanted to test the key features and understand areas of opportunities and future steps.

We asked our participants to complete a set of 10 tasks. Some of those were :

​​

  • Create a meal plan 

  • Add an italian recipe priced under $20 to your meal plan

  • Favorite a post in the community

  • Order groceries through the app for a recipe in your meal plan

  • Favorite a recipe and find where it is located

Usability Test.png

A haven for vegans! I would love to use the online grocery feature, it makes the process so much easier! 

​

- NEHA

I like the meal planning feature. I would like the app to be more inclusive and accessible for differently abled persons. The online grocery feature is so convenient!

​

- ALICE

The vegan community is such a great idea especially with the meal planning feature. People can cook great meals and share them too.

​

- DAVID

Next Steps

The first iteration of the app was successful and here is what we are planning to do in the near future :

Credit Card Purchase

Payment Methods

Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal integration for online grocery store

Person in Mask Looking At Smartphone

Direct Messaging

Ability to message members and friends directly through the online vegan community

Wheelchair Access Crosswalk

Accessibility  

Introducing features that help differently abled persons access the app seamlessly

bottom of page