Plateful
Plateful is an organization that provides resources to parents and children to help them learn more about nutrition and cooking.
Choosing a Product
For this project, I designed two products — a mobile app and a responsive website. While both products share features, there are functions unique to the app and the website, to ensure that the user experience is optimised.
The Goal
Help parents and children learn more about building a balanced diet through simple recipe guides and activities.
Understanding the User
There are two primary user bases for Plateful’s app and website — parents and children. Designing for both these groups required user research to understand what needs they had, where these needs overlapped, and where they differed.
Children need engaging activities that encourage them to learn more about nutrition and meal planning. Parents need resources about nutrition and food that are focused on intuitive eating instead of a restrictive diet culture.
Early Designs
Lo-Fi App Prototype
Usability Study Findings
App Testing
Most users wanted to be able to choose multiple food options
Users wanted to filter their recommended recipes
Some users wanted to return to the main menu after activities
Website Testing
Most users had trouble finding the ‘Discover New Recipes’ button
Most users wanted to be able to choose their preferred cuisine
Some users wanted a faster way to save recipes
Refining the Designs
After making changes based on findings from the usability study, I created high-fidelity mockups to represent the app's and website's final appearance.
Takeaways
While designing the Plateful app and website, I learned that it was best to make navigation as simple as possible. Having clear calls to action makes the user experience more seamless.