The Process

We structured our approach into four stages to complete the project.

Problem

Design Sprint Sketch

To determine our project idea, each team member individually completed a mini design sprint sketch by selecting a unique theme, technology, and customer.

My sketch, a meal-planning app centered on the theme of food and wellbeing, leveraging generative AI, was voted as the winning sketch to develop further for our final project.

Problem Statement

Planning healthy meals can be a time-consuming and overwhelming task for busy professionals. How can we help busy professionals efficiently plan their meals?

Solution

Develop a user-friendly platform that simplifies meal planning, recipe selection, and grocery shopping.

Empathize

We conducted a mix of primary and secondary research, using the following methods:

• Scholarly articles and studies (1, 2)

• User surveys (Google form)

To summarize our key research findings, we created a user persona and customer journey map to delve deeper into the user and problem space.

User Persona

Our user persona, Ashley, helped us empathize with our target audience and refine our design approach.

Customer Journey Map

We developed a customer journey map inspired by my own experiences as a busy professional to gain a deeper understanding of our target users' behaviors and identify opportunities for improvement. This journey map, centered around 'Ashley, the Busy Foodie,' visualizes each step users take, from researching recipes to reflecting on their meal experiences.

By mapping out Ashley’s journey, we highlighted pain points and areas where Nom can streamline meal planning, shopping, and cooking to create a more satisfying, efficient experience for users striving to maintain a balanced, home-cooked diet.

Ideate

Building on insights from our customer journey map and user research, we developed a user flow to visualize how users would navigate through the Nom app. This flow illustrates each step, from signing up and onboarding to exploring recipes, managing meal plans, and customizing grocery lists. By carefully mapping out these interactions, we ensured that Nom provides a seamless and intuitive experience, enabling busy professionals to efficiently plan, shop, and prepare healthy meals.

Design

Due to time constraints, we streamlined our design process by jumping directly into mid-fidelity designs. This allowed us to focus on refining the core visual elements of Nom while continuously gathering feedback from each other to enhance the design as we progressed. The result is a cohesive, user-friendly interface that aligns with Nom’s mission to simplify meal planning and support healthier lifestyles for busy professionals.