fun and engaging App for conscious
meal and financial decisions
End-to-end app design
iOS App
UI
Microanimations
Plato—wise philosopher of food—is an entertaining mobile app for anyone, who doesn’t cook often (yet). This end-to-end MVP for a mobile iOS app reads user’s takeout history and helps them to cook their favorite dishes for fraction of the price.
Users can swiftly browse personalized suggestions of dishes—or step up their game and track money saved on each dish and overall impact on health and environment.
RESponsibilities /
UX Research
End-to-end Prototype
Visual Design
Usability Testing
ROLE /
Sole UX/UI Designer + Brand Designer
TOOLS /
Figma
ChatGPT & Gemini
Dovetaill
Balsamiq
context /
detrimental food delivery Habit
Individuals have become dependent on takeout delivery, making it a go-to solution for daily meals.
Ordering meals is fast, simple and very convenient. But what if you heavily rely on it?
problem /
the CONSEQUENces of takeout
This habit is probably keeping some people from the savings they still don’t have, the beach body they dream about and let’s face it—it does impact the environment too.
SOLUTION /
let’s help them out of the habit of ordering out
Maybe users can make something they didn’t even know they could?
PERSONALIZED onboarding
Helps users learn more about their existing bad eating habits and making it a fun and educational experience.
Entertaining UI
Easy swiping between their favorite takeout dishes that are a bit healthier and easy to cook.
goal & finances tracking
Users can set monthly spending and track their savings and impact to feel motivated about their progress.
1
Research
Who orders the most and why?
What makes people order so often?
Secondary research /
Millennials Lead the Charge in ORDERING OUT but STRUGGLE TO BALANCE Convenience and Health
Despite the high usage, not all millennials are completely satisfied with this habit. Many express a desire to cook more at home if they could overcome barriers like time constraints and lack of cooking skills.
See Full Secondary Research
“Around 64% of millennials consider food delivery and takeout essential to their lifestyle”
competitive analysis /
a lot of sources with Limited personalization
There are many sources of recipe inspiration and ways to learn how to cook and what to eat, but the vast majority of them require you to search and choose (resulting in choice paralysis), instead of offering something without you needing to think much.
See Full Competitive Analysis
qualitative user interviews /
let’s ask Millennials about their barriers
I focused on an equal distribution between genders but also family situations for the most objective results.
Sample size
8 in-person interviews
Age range
24-39
Gender
4 women
4 men
Household
3 singles
3 couples
2 families
INTERVIEW INSIGHTS /
Interest IN healthier eating habits and a desire for cooking inspiration and guidance
Hearing out all different life scenarios in different life stages and how millennials solve one of the most common topic—food and nutrition, these insights stuck with me the most:
2
define
Prioritizing and focusing on one user persona
user persona /
Meet Will
Tap to enlarge
the opportunities /
how might we..
..Motivate users to break their bad delivery habits with healthier but familiar choices?
..Make cooking more enticing and meaningful for insecure cooks?
Let’s not make Will think too hard
the app vision /
EDUCATE WILL ON HIS BAD HABITS SO HE RECOGNIZES THE PROBLEM
The app will read his history, analyses patterns and suggest personalizes approach based on Will’s chosen goals.
MOTIVATE WILL TO SHOP FOR RECIPES THAT HE CAN EASILY GET STARTED WITh
The easiest way how to decide if we want to eat something is to see it. If Will doesn’t like the suggestion, he just swipes left. When he is interested, he swipes right.
See Full App Concept
FEature prioritation /
planning
in phases fOR MVP
See Full Feature Set
01 / tailored recommendations
Analyzes user preferences and dietary needs to suggest healthier home-cooked versions of favorite dishes.
02 / Educates based on behavior
Maintains monitoring food orders, analyzing patterns and preferences. Educates on balanced eating habits.
03 / Cost Comparison
Compares costs between homemade meals and restaurant orders to highlight savings for meals and fees.
04 / Financial management
Sets order limits and tracks progress with notifications to guide user’s behavior.
user flow with task flows /
mapping out the path in the user’s shoes
Seeing the flow from user’s perspective helped me identify the key screens to focus on first.
Tap to enlarge
Tap to enlarge
sitemap /
KEEPING NAVIGATION SIMPLE
After reviewing all the content, I was able to strategically condense the structure from initial 5 pages down to 3 for improved clarity and navigation.
3
design
WIREFRAMES /
this phase proved crucial for iterating on flows and navigation
After UI Exploration & basic hand sketches I moved on to creating more detailed versions of the future screens that stemmed from the user flow.
This allowed me to see the bigger picture, ask for feedback, and experiment without spending too much time on visual details.
See Hand Sketches & UI Exploration
Branding /
fresh & fun * easy + delightful
Before diving into designs, I tackled the most enjoyable yet challenging aspect: the app's look.
01 / moodboard
To visually convey the overall style and feel of the project, it was crucial to make choosing what to cook FUN, easy and delightful, while streamlining the often tedious decision-making process.
Tap to enlarge
02 / plato – the name and avatar evolution
Naming was tricky—I needed something not too boring or mainstream but aligned with the project's goal. Once I chose "Plato" as the wise philosopher of food, I experimented with AI tools for visuals. After many trials, I used some AI made components and created Plato myself in Figma.
Tap to enlarge
03 / style tile
Once I narrowed down the color palette, AI served me well in generating meal photos that matched my vision. I wanted images with vibrant colors and sharp shadows to enhance the visual appeal and Plato’s vibe.
See Full Style Tile
03 / UI KIT
Then I merged everything into a finalized UI kit and set up the styles in Figma, ensuring a cohesive and polished design framework.
See UI Kit
FINAL DESIGNS /
introducing plato
01 /
Personalization and amusement
consolidated summary of past orders
Offers visual insights into user’s habits, preferences and recognizes patterns for improvement.
unlimited Flavor-Tailored Recipes
Meal cards curated to match users' taste preferences, aspiring to make every dish a right swipe.
Refined Search for Variety
Customized search filters that match users' mood or dietary needs, preventing boredom or decision fatigue.
02 /
Supporting goals and healthier choices
well balanced options
Receive suggestions for healthier ingredients and understand why cooking at home is better for their health.
03 /
Helping with budgeting and motivation
TRACKING BUDGETS AND FINANCIAL Progress
Enabling track cost savings and cooking progress to feel accomplished, whether cooking for yourself or setting monthly goals.
Motivation Boosters
Various insights into delivery costs, health impacts, and environmental factors, guiding healthier and more sustainable choices
4
iterative testing
But would anyone even use this app?
prototype & Usability test /
testers were very amused by the concept and would use when developed
See Test Result Summary
Phase 1
2 monitored tests
Phase 2
6 unmonitored tests
Average Test Time
34:38
Completion Rate
100%
on all tasks
real feedback from participants /
Tap to enlarge
iterations and prototype /
Plato is now ready to be developed and tested by real world
After thorough testing, only three minor adjustments (see in the link below) in wording and color contrast were needed, confirming that the app was ready for real-world trials.
See Full Iteration File
See Prototype in Figma
(in Chrome open in Incognito Window)
final thoughts
next steps /
Integrating with Grocery Delivery Experience
This enhancement will streamline the user experience by allowing seamless access to ingredients for recommended recipes, promoting healthier eating choices, and enhancing overall convenience for users aiming to optimize their meal planning and preparation process.
CHALLENGES and obstacles /
Decision Fatigue
Navigating the project solo meant I had to shoulder all decision-making responsibilities, which sometimes became overwhelming, particularly when faced with numerous options or solutions to choose from.
Managing a Diverse Color Palette
Ensuring all colors harmonized seamlessly while maintaining visual appeal and usability required meticulous planning and frequent adjustments to achieve a cohesive and engaging user interface.
LEARNING /
Prioritizing Validation Over Comprehensive Design System
I've confirmed that attempting to develop a comprehensive design system alongside the initial concept of the app, prior to validation, can be overly ambitious. It's crucial to first validate the core functionalities and user experience to ensure alignment with user needs before committing to a full-fledged design system.
