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THE PROBLEM


People who are on a diet or have a dietary preference often have a hard time searching for food that fits their needs.


WHY IS IT A PROBLEM?

As a vegetarian myself, it’s frustrating when I need to order delivery. It takes me a long time to find food that fits my needs, healthy, and easy to find in any food delivery app. For this case study, I’m using Uber Eats and Seamless apps to base my research and redesign of the UI.

The app will have the option to pick from a few different diets, such as Keto, Gluten-free, vegan, and more. Based on the option picked, the app will recommend restaurants and specific foods that will support the type of diet the user is following. The goal of the app is to allow users to order delivery food as any other user would. The app will have a simple, accessible, and visual design that will enable users to decide on what food to order quickly. The users will have the option to customize their profile to save their dietary preferences for future simple ordering.


DESCRIPTION OF THE KINDS OF USERS EXPECTED

The diet app will target urban, educated, health-conscious consumers. The main target is young and mid professionals. The age spectrum can range from ages 18 to 65. The users live busy lives in mid-size to large cities around the U.S. Some users want to stay fit, but not always have the time to meal prep, but don’t want to feel as they can’t order delivery foods. Others are committed to a diet to lose weight or keep it off and not always can or know how to meal prep. Based on observation, ordering healthy food is not always easy. As seen in research, I expect to have a slight majority of women using the diet app. Based on the data released by The NPD Group in 2013, “about 20 percent of adults report they are on a diet, down from a peak of 31 percent in 1991 according to NPD’s National Eating TrendsĀ® food and beverage market research. In 1992, 34 percent of women told NPD they were on a diet, and in 2012, 23 percent of women reported being on a diet.” According to U.S. Census Bureau, it can be calculated that in 2012, there were 23% of women (36,260,190) in America reported that they were on a diet, while about 16.7% of men (25,505,210) reported. Hungry for Change.


WHAT USERS CAN DO WITH THE APP

Users can order food from nearby restaurants while ensuring the options provided will follow their diet requirements. The app will have a simple and intuitive display that will help users feel comfortable ordering specific food choices. The interface will resemble some of the other food ordering systems, such as Uber Eats or Seamless, giving the users a familiar ordering experience. Users will search for foods based on their diet selection and will be given food options based on that selection. The interface design of the app will encourage users to keep on track by providing a simple and straightforward ordering experience.


“Ordering foods through a delivery app gives me cravings for unhealthy foods, as most of the pictures feature fast-food or unhealthy options. I wish there were a simpler way of ordering healthier foods.” – Martina

WHY IT’S USEFUL AND WHAT PROBLEMS IT SOLVES

Most food apps display food results based on location and type of food, not dietary preference. For people who want to stay healthy or are following a specific diet, this is a big problem. First, by showing unhealthy foods, users will second-guess themselves and feel guilty by wanting to order food not accepted by their diet. Second, some users will even get tempted and end up ordering food not included in their regime. Finally, by developing an app that will cater to user needs, they can spend less time ordering and more time enjoying their healthy food. As more people live busy, urban lives, cooking, or meal prepping is not always the right solution. “UBS Investment Bank forecast delivery sales could rise an annual average of more than 20% to $365 billion worldwide by 2030, from $35 billion.” Cheng, Andria. “Millennials Are Ordering More Food Delivery, But Are They Killing The Kitchen, Too?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 26 June 2018. The app will also help people stay on track by only giving them options based on their preferred diet. By narrowing the food choices, but still providing the same ordering experience users will not feel left out when ordering delivery at the office or family gathering. “Applications in which emotional impact is important, include social interaction.” “Social and cultural interactions entail aspects, such as trustworthiness and credibility.” The UX Book: Agile UX Design for a Quality User Experience 2nd Edition, p. 12.


WHY DO USERS CARE?

Staying fit and healthy is hard nowadays. There are too many food options, and the serving sizes only get bigger. Thus, keeping weight off or following a diet is hard. My target audience will care about this app because they often feel left out by not being able to order food with their friends and family. Causing them to feel annoyed and sometimes hopeless.