S.S
Plan Smart. Shop Wise. Waste Less
About Project
Meal Minder is a meal planning app designed to make weekly menu planning and grocery shopping more efficient and less wasteful. With a focus on simplicity, the app enables users to plan their meals for the week, create a corresponding shopping list, and easily reuse any previously saved meals. By offering these key features, Meal Minder empowers users to stay organized, reduce kitchen waste, and make smarter decisions when it comes to meal prep and grocery shopping.
The problem
In today's fast-paced world, many people find it challenging to consistently plan meals, leading to last-minute decisions that often result in unhealthy choices, food waste, and overspending. The complexity of managing meal planning, grocery shopping, and tracking pantry items overwhelms individuals, especially those balancing work and family responsibilities. As a result, they often resort to takeout or impulsive grocery purchases, which contribute to kitchen inefficiencies and increased waste.
The possible solution
Meal Minder simplifies the meal planning process by allowing users to plan their meals on a weekly basis, generate a shopping list based on their menu, and effortlessly reuse any previously saved meals. This approach helps users save time, stay organized, and reduce waste by ensuring they only buy what they need. Meal Minder's user-friendly design makes it easy to integrate into daily life, helping individuals and families alike maintain healthier eating habits with minimal effort.
User Research
"I hate wasting food, but I always end up buying too much or not using what I have. I need a way to plan better and reduce waste."
"If I could quickly pick meals I've used before just by choosing a date, it would save me so much time."
"I just don’t have the time to plan out meals every day. I need something that can help me plan a week’s worth of meals in one go."
"I want to go to the store knowing exactly what I need for the week without worrying about missing anything."
Findings
Users expressed frustration with food waste due to overbuying or forgetting to use ingredients. They highlighted a need for better planning tools to help reduce waste by efficiently managing meals and groceries.
The need for a streamlined approach to meal planning was a recurring theme. Users wanted a solution that allowed them to plan an entire week’s worth of meals at once, reducing the daily stress of deciding what to cook.
Many users emphasized the importance of saving time in meal planning. They appreciated the idea of quickly reusing previous meals by selecting them directly from the calendar, making the process more efficient.
Users sought a reliable method to ensure they had everything they needed for the week’s meals. They wanted a tool that could generate a complete shopping list, minimizing the risk of missing essential items.
Competitive Analysis
Bio
Mealime is a popular meal planning app that offers personalized meal plans based on dietary preferences. It automatically generates a shopping list and allows users to cook meals with step-by-step instructions.
Strength
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Customizable meal plans tailored to specific dietary needs.
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Integrated shopping list with check-off functionality.
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Simple, intuitive interface that appeals to a broad audience.
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In-app recipe instructions make meal preparation easy.
Weekness
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Limited ability to reuse meals directly from a calendar.
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Primarily focuses on dinner recipes, potentially lacking variety.
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No direct emphasis on reducing food waste.
AnyList
Bio
AnyList is primarily a grocery list app with meal planning features. It allows users to add recipes, plan meals, and create grocery lists.
Strength
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Focused on making grocery shopping easier with shareable lists.
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Simple and clean interface, easy for users to navigate.
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Meal planning features allow for calendar-based meal organization.
Weekness
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Meal planning features are not as comprehensive as dedicated apps.
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No direct emphasis on reducing food waste.
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Limited recipe discovery and customization options.
User Persona
Emily Fisher
Age: 35
Location: Canberra
Project Manager
About Emily Fisher
Emily is a project manager at a tech company, balancing a demanding career with family life. With two kids and a busy schedule, she finds it challenging to manage daily tasks, including meal planning. Emily values organization and efficiency, but her limited time often leads to last-minute meal decisions, which can be stressful and lead to unhealthy choices.
Motivation
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Emily is motivated by the desire to keep her family healthy and well-fed without sacrificing her limited free time.
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She values efficiency and organization in all aspects of her life, including meal planning.
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She wants to avoid the frustration of last-minute cooking and ensure meals are planned ahead.
Goals
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To streamline her meal planning process by organizing a week’s worth of meals in advance.
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To reduce the stress of daily meal decisions.
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To ensure her family eats balanced, home-cooked meals regularly.
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To have a simple, reliable tool that fits into her busy lifestyle.
Frustrations
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Struggles with finding time to plan meals daily, leading to rushed decisions.
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Often ends up resorting to takeout due to lack of planning.
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Feels overwhelmed by the complexity of some meal planning apps.
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Wants to avoid the daily stress of deciding what to cook.
Tech Usage
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Uses a smartphone daily for work and personal tasks.
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Comfortable with basic apps that simplify her day-to-day activities.
Style Guide
Final Design
Wireframes
Onboarding
Today's meal
The first screen shows today's meal plan. To return to the home screen, users simply click the back button
Home screen
The home screen offers quick access to key features: creating a new meal, viewing the last saved meal plan, and creating a shopping list.
Creating a new
meal plan
To create a new meal, simply select a day, enter the meal details, and save. Return to the previous page and repeat for the next day and can view the meals for the week under "Saved Meal".
Re using previously
saved meal
Change the date on the calendar to view meals saved for that specific day. Click 'Reuse' to add a meal to this week's plan, or edit it as needed before saving.
Dark mode
turned on
