PureBite
An AI powered app for healthy meal planning and smart grocery shopping
Introduction
In today’s fast-paced world, maintaining a balanced diet while managing a busy schedule is a challenge. PureBite is an AI-powered meal-planning app designed to simplify healthy eating by providing personalized meal plans, grocery list automation, and recipe discovery. Through a user-centered design approach, this project aimed to create an intuitive and seamless experience that empowers users to make smarter food choices effortlessly.
Role
Entire product design
Client
Student Project
Duration
2 weeks
The Problem
Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet can be challenging, especially for individuals with busy schedules, dietary restrictions, or limited meal-planning experience. Many struggle with finding suitable recipes, organizing grocery shopping, and reducing food waste, often leading to unhealthy eating habits or last-minute meal decisions.
Without an efficient system, users have to manually search for recipes, create meal plans, and manage grocery lists, making the process overwhelming and time-consuming. Existing solutions lack seamless AI integration for personalized meal planning, automated grocery management, and ingredient-based recipe discovery, forcing users to switch between multiple apps to meet their needs.
PureBite bridges this gap by providing an AI-powered meal-planning experience, simplifying grocery organization, enhancing recipe discovery, and optimizing nutrition—making clean eating accessible, efficient, and stress-free.
UCD Process
Research and Analysis
The initial phase of PureBite focuses on comprehensive user research to understand target users' meal planning and grocery shopping habits, challenges, and preferences.
Through
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user interviews,
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surveys and
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competitor analysis,
I gathered key insights to identify user pain points and opportunities for differentiation in the market. Additionally, data on dietary preferences, shopping behaviors, and technological adoption is collected to inform design decisions and ensure a user-centered experience.
Competitive Analysis
There are several meal-planning and recipe apps on the market, but none fully integrate AI-powered personalization, smart grocery list automation, and interactive meal discovery like PureBite.
To understand the competitive landscape, I analyzed existing apps based on market positioning, target audience, core functionality, usability, design, and personalization features. A SWOT analysis helped identify gaps in current offerings and areas where PureBite could differentiate itself.
Additionally, I evaluated the strengths and limitations of meal-planning apps to determine how AI-driven automation could enhance user experience, making healthy eating more accessible and engaging.
User research: Interviews & Survey
I conducted user interviews and a survey with 30 participants to understand behaviors, challenges, and preferences related to meal planning and grocery shopping. The research focused on identifying key pain points, shopping habits, and dietary needs to create an intuitive experience.
Goals
Identify the biggest challenges in meal planning and grocery management
Understand how users currently organize meals and grocery lists
Determine expectations for AI-generated meal plans and customization
Assess the importance of ingredient flexibility and dietary filters
Explore the role of community engagement in meal planning
Findings from Interviews and Surveys
INTERVIEW INSIGHT #1
Users struggle with meal variety
Many users reported getting bored of eating the same meals repeatedly, which makes it difficult to maintain a consistent, healthy diet. They expressed a need for diverse and personalized meal suggestions to keep their eating habits engaging.
INTERVIEW INSIGHT #2
Dietary preferences and restrictions must be prioritized
Many users have specific dietary needs, allergies, or ingredient preferences and struggle to find meal plans that align with their nutrition goals. They want a filtering system that removes unwanted ingredients and highlights preferred foods.
INTERVIEW INSIGHT #3
Time constraints affect meal planning
Busy professionals and students find it challenging to plan meals in advance, often resorting to last-minute takeout or unhealthy choices. They seek a quick and effortless way to generate meal plans that fit into their schedules.
INTERVIEW INSIGHT #4
Community-driven meal planning boosts motivation
Users expressed interest in shared meal planning with family and friends, enabling collaborative grocery shopping and recipe discovery. They believe a social feature would encourage healthier eating habits.
INTERVIEW INSIGHT #5
Users want more flexibility in AI-generated meal plans
While users appreciate AI-generated meal plans, they desire manual control to swap meals, adjust portion sizes, and modify grocery lists. They want AI to suggest but not dictate their meal choices.
INTERVIEW INSIGHT #6
Cooking guidance needs to be more interactive
Users prefer step-by-step, hands-free cooking instructions instead of scrolling through lengthy recipe descriptions. They want a "Cooking Mode" that provides visual guidance and timers for a more intuitive experience.
INTERVIEW INSIGHT #7
Grocery list management needs improvement
Users often forget to add items to their grocery lists or end up buying unnecessary ingredients. They want a smarter grocery list that auto-updates based on meal selections while allowing manual adjustments.
INTERVIEW INSIGHT #8
Users like discovering new recipes in a fun way
Rather than browsing long lists, users prefer interactive ways to find recipes, such as swiping through AI-suggested meals. A "Swipe & Match" feature was seen as an engaging way to explore new dishes.
UCD Process
User Personas
The research revealed diverse user needs in meal planning and grocery management. To address this, I created user personas capturing demographics, dietary habits, and pain points to guide a user-centered design.
Empathy maps further illustrated users' thoughts, feelings, and challenges, ensuring insights from interviews and surveys shaped a more intuitive and personalized experience.
Persona’s
UCD Process
Ideation and Concept Development
Through design thinking methodologies, I structured PureBite’s information architecture using user flow mapping and card sorting to ensure seamless access to meal planning customization, ingredient filtering, and dietary-based recommendations.
By aligning key features with user needs, I prioritized efficiency, personalization, and engagement, shaping a more intuitive and adaptable meal-planning experience.
Features
AI-Powered Meal Planning & Smart Grocery List
Swipe & Match Recipe Discovery
Customizable Dietary Filters
Cooking Mode
Information Architecture
User Flow
UCD Process
Sketching & Mid-Fidelity Wireframing
I began by sketching low-fidelity concepts using the Crazy Eights method, rapidly exploring different layouts for meal planning, grocery list automation, and recipe discovery. This helped identify intuitive user flows and refine interactions based on usability principles.
Once validated, I transitioned to Figma to develop mid-fidelity wireframes, focusing on seamless navigation and AI-driven meal customization. After internal feedback, I refined the structure and interactions before progressing to high-fidelity prototyping.
UCD Process
The Solution
PureBite simplifies meal planning, grocery management, and recipe discovery through an intuitive AI-powered interface. Users can effortlessly generate personalized meal plans, automate grocery lists, and discover new recipestailored to their dietary needs and preferences.
With smart meal customization, ingredient filtering, and interactive cooking mode, PureBite helps users save time, reduce food waste, and maintain a healthier lifestyle—all in one seamless experience.
Personalized Dietary Onboarding
Set your dietary preferences, allergies, health goals, and ingredient exclusions to receive AI-powered meal plans and personalized recipe recommendations. PureBite ensures a tailored experience, adapting to your unique needs from the start.
Personalized Recipe Feed
Discover AI-curated recipes based on your dietary preferences. Easily search by meal type, cooking time, or ingredients, and apply smart filters for a customized experience.
Smart Meal Planning & Grocery List
Generate AI-powered meal plans tailored to your preferences. Choose your cooking level, number of meals, and swap recipes for full customization. Access past meal plans anytime.
Every meal plan and saved recipe automatically updates your grocery list, ensuring you have all the ingredients you need. Manually add or remove items for flexibility.
Swipe & Match + Step-by-Step Cooking Mode
Find new meal inspirations with a Tinder-style swipe feature. Match with recipes based on your tastes and instantly add them to your meal plan or grocery list.
Seamlessly cook with a hands-free guided mode. Follow step-by-step instructions, timers, and voice assistance to make meal prep effortless.
Account & Preferences
Manage your dietary settings, saved recipes, and grocery list preferences in one place. Update your details anytime for a fully personalized experience.
UCD Process
Usability Testing
To ensure PureBite delivered a seamless and intuitive experience, I conducted multiple rounds of usability testing and quantitative validation at various stages of the design process.
Lo-Fi Prototype Testing – Weekly feedback sessions with stakeholders assessed key features like meal planning, grocery list automation, and recipe discovery, allowing for early refinements.
Unmoderated User Testing – Test groups used PureBite in real-world scenarios to complete meal-planning tasks, helping identify pain points in navigation, AI-generated meal plans, and grocery list adjustments.
A/B and Click Testing – Focused on validating navigation flow on mobile and tablet, clarity of action labels, and user preferences for visual hierarchy. Insights led to improvements in button placements, labeling, and overall UI structure for better usability.
Beta Testing – Before finalizing the product, live testing with selected users ensured a smooth experience in meal plan customization, grocery list management, and personalized recipe discovery.
Through these iterative refinements, PureBite evolved into an efficient, user-friendly, and engaging meal-planning solution, driven by real user insights.
Reflection & Learnings
The way people approach meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking is evolving—not just for convenience, but for health-conscious, sustainable, and efficient food choices. PureBite embraces this shift, leveraging AI-powered personalization to simplify meal planning, grocery automation, and recipe discovery.
Following a user-centered design approach, I conducted user interviews, surveys, and usability tests to shape key features and interaction flows. However, iteration is key—balancing AI-driven automation with user control and flexibility was a crucial challenge. Many users preferred manual adjustments, reinforcing the need for customization in AI-powered experiences.
If More Time Was Available...
Further refinement of AI-powered meal recommendations for even more tailored results.
Enhanced community features, allowing users to share meal plans and grocery lists.
Voice-guided cooking assistance for a hands-free kitchen experience.
AI-powered image recognition, enabling users to scan their available ingredients for recipe suggestions.
Nutritional insights, including macros and micronutrient tracking, to support healthier eating habits.
Project Learnings
#1 Simplicity is key
Designing an AI-driven product means balancing automation with usability. Overcomplicating features can overwhelm users, so prioritizing intuitive and effortless navigation is crucial.
#2 Prioritize the MVP
Focusing on core functionalities and delivering an MVP helped maintain clarity and prevent feature creep. Having a structured approach ensured a high-quality, testable product in time.
#3 Continuous feedback drives better outcomes
Early and frequent usability testing was essential in refining the app. User feedback helped eliminate friction points, improve clarity, and enhance engagement throughout the design process.
PureBite is just the beginning of how AI can revolutionize meal planning. Moving forward, the focus will be on expanding AI capabilities, strengthening community-driven engagement, and refining personalization to empower users in their daily food choices.
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