ABOUT ME

© Rhea Pillai. All rights reserved.

MEALS & DEALS

ROLE

UX DESIGNER

DURATION

January - May 2023

TOOLS

Figma, MidJourney

& ChatGPT

OVERVIEW

Our goal is to support international students by offering practical and affordable solutions that save both time and money. By collaborating with grocery stores to provide exclusive coupons and student discounts, we aim to make shopping easier and more cost-effective. Additionally, we strive to guide students toward the best options for purchasing ingredients, helping them make smart choices for their recipes.

PROBLEM

International students, as well as local students living alone or with roommates like myself, often seek simple, easy-to-cook meals paired with affordable grocery options to save money. While there are several apps that offer delivery services or provide meal ingredients, they can be helpful in urgent situations but aren't always the most user-friendly or budget-conscious.

GOAL?

The goal is to simplify life by offering options that help students save money and time, allowing them to enjoy the rest of their day after a challenging day.

RESEARCH

Qualitative research - Survey Results

What are the difficulties you’ve faced while trying to make a meal plan/grocery shop being a student & doing your day to day activity?

Participant 1


“It was not easy at first but over years it got better and now I really like the meals that I cook and honestly don’t even remember what food back home tasted like now.”

Participant 2


“My current meals are unfortunately not authentic meals from my origin. I usually just put together a quick sandwich or noodles, which is quite disappointing in terms or taste and health. However with a busy school schedule there is not much of an option.”

Participant 3


“It makes me miss home cooked meals that I don’t get here, its not the same even if i try to recreate it.”

Questions I asked & the responses I received from my interviewees(international students) to understand them better :

On an average how much do you spend in a month on groceries?

UPTO $100

$100 - $200

$200 - $300

>$300

UPTO $500

10-15% of respondents spend up to $100 on groceries per month.

25-30% of respondents fall within the $100-$200 range.

30-35% of respondents spend between $200 and $300, making it the most common range.

Roughly 15-20% of respondents spend between $200 and $300, making it the most common range.

10-15% of respondents report spending up to $500 per month on groceries.

What are the difficulties you’ve faced while trying to make a meal plan/grocery shop being a student & doing your day to day activity?

“I want to feel motivated to cook because it gives me joy & happiness making home made meals but i get restricted because i usually get tired, exhausted & grocery stores are usually far.” - Raksha (Business Management Student)

Meet Joanna

Joanna Nix, 25

Gender

Course & University

Location

Background

Female

MBA, Yale University

Connecticut

  • Adjusting to a new country while managing a tight budget with limited funding and student loans.

  • Her personality reflects her determination and adaptability, she is creative, hardworking, optimistic, enthusiastic, and trustworthy.

  • Enjoys cooking simple, unique meals and sharing them with friends.

Frustrations

  • Feeling homesick and nostalgic when home-like food is unavailable.

  • Walking long distances to purchase groceries and carrying heavy bags back.

  • Buying in bulk often leads to waste.

  • High expenses compel her to order takeout more often.

  • Reasonable and healthy meal plans.

  • Easy and simple ingredient recipes.

  • Pocket-friendly meal and grocery deals.

  • Loyalty programs or student discounts.

Needs

Cost Preference

Distance Preference

"Being an international student with limited funding & loans, I want to be able to save money & time as much as I can with easy, sensible & pocket-friendly meal deals & grocery deals."

  • Up to 2–3 miles for walking.

  • Up to 5 miles for driving.

  • Per Day: $25–$30

  • Per Week: $100–$150

  • Per Month: $400–$500

Based on Joanna's painpoints

How might we design an intuitive interface that simplifies access to discounts, recipes, and grocery options?

How might we reduce the frustration of navigating grocery stores and apps by offering clear, user-friendly options?

IDEATION & TASK FLOWS

Discover simple and easy recipes tailored to your preferred number of ingredients and choice of cuisine or food type.

TASK FLOW 1

Homepage

Cuisines/Food options i.e comfort, vegan, healthy etc.

Choose your choice

Choose number of

ingredients.

Choices of recipes

Choose a recipe

Recipe with instructions

& direct youtube link

Display the best deals, discounts, and coupons available across multiple stores.

TASK FLOW 2

Receive a digital coupon with qr code

Homepage

Select store

Top deals, discounts & coupons

Use coupon

Select a coupon

Coupons

Provides directions via Google Maps to your selected grocery store, whether it's the nearest or farthest based on your preference.

TASK FLOW 3

Homepage

Select store

Map with store description

Navigate to google maps

STYLEGUIDE

Medium

Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz

Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz

Bold

Aa

Greycliff is a robust, versatile sans-serif font that balances geometric precision with a humanist touch, making it ideal for both professional and approachable designs across digital and print media.

Default size : 20pt

Purple exudes a sense of creativity and sophistication, evoking imagination and a subtle touch of elegance in design.

#B87CF6

Primary

Secondary

#D5B4F8

#FCF7FF

#000000

#FFFFFF

#6F9B6F

#E2FEC4

Branding

USER TESTING

TEST RUN


Before : Even though there is an option for emergency contact but nothing for an SOS incase of an emergency.

After : An SOS option has been added to the profile screen & notification screen, which the AI actively monitors. In case of an emergency, the AI will automatically call the designated emergency contact, ensuring quick assistance.

TEST RUN


Before : There is no testing feature after the setting customization is done, to see if its all good and clear, for one final confirmation.

After : Added a command, where the AI asks if we want to do a final test run.


Previous Design

Revised Design

On Smart Watch

Previous Design

Revised Design

CONCLUSION

Developing this application for international students demonstrated how technology can address financial and logistical challenges, making daily life more manageable. The project showcased the potential to create practical, user-friendly solutions that simplify grocery shopping and meal planning while promoting affordability and convenience.

© Rhea Pillai. All rights reserved.

FINAL PROTOTYPE