UX/UI: Food Inclusion App

5 min readJan 19, 2023

Good Food is a concept app that was designed by me.

Introduction

Focused on people’s issues with food restrictions that feel excluded by the society.

Vegans, vegetarians, celiacs, lactose-intolerants, and many others with food allergies, intolerances, or even just a healthy diet, they report not feeling included in restaurants and markets delivery apps.

Those facts brings low self esteem, low autonomy, no freedom of choice, of their daily meals, it brings reduction of social contact, and many other problems generated by the difficulty of finding places and products that completely supply what they need in their daily lives.

Desk Research

30% of Brazilians are affected by food allergies.

It corresponds about 63 millions of brazilians that suffers with their food.
São Paulo City Hall

According to the Brazilian Association of Allergy and Immunology (Asbai), about 30% of the Brazilian population has some type of allergy, of which 20% are children. In this interview with HSPM Responde, the doctor at the Allergy clinic at the Municipal Public Server Hospital (HSPM), Dr. Márcia R. de Melo Costa, clarifies the main causes and types of allergy, symptoms and treatment.

Research reveals the growth of food delivery apps during pandemic.

Brazil Agency

People using food delivery apps:
40,5% pre pandemic
66,1% during pandemic
57,8% keep post pandemic

Payments:
76,5% credict
64,1% debt
49,5) pix (brazilian instant payment system)
31,9% digital cash
11,6% cash

Reasons to online shop:
98,3% practical
89,9% expense control

“The tendency is growing the use of delivery apps, but, are they looking to everyone?”

Increase in cases of food allergy calls for awareness.

Senate News

Food allergies occupy an increasing space in the list of diseases with a high incidence in the world population, many new cases and more serious reactions.
The number of new foods identified as allergens increases and there’s no way to prevent their appearance. The only really effective treatment so far is the complete restriction of allergenic proteins, which is a difficult task, especially in the pediatric range — said the doctor.

“We NEED the INCLUSION of these people with restrictions in daily life”

Ux Research

Initially, a filtered research was made to select the people who have some type of restrictive diet, intolerance, allergies or just guided by healthy eating habits.
Then a interview was applied to better understand what these people went through with this problem in their daily lives.

Click here to acess the interview questions. (in portuguese)
Click here to acess the users answear board. (in portuguese)

Empathy Map

Do:

They risk and subject themselves to the possibility of later taking a pill to ease the reactions in the body. Some even adapted over time to the condition and lack of options but still feel excluded. They read labels because they need the nutritional information about the food to be sure of what they are buying and what they will consume.

Think:

I noticed that they think that things could be different, that they want to be included on social events with friends and family and that this becomes something embedded in society so that everyone knows what dietary restriction is and that they have equal options in the establishment both for them and for people who have none of these, so that they suffer no more.

Say:

“I’m totally excluded. Society is not prepared for allergy sufferers. We don’t have many food options in fast food, everything is very expensive. Like lactose-free milk it’s almost R$ 9.00. A vegetable milk is almost R$20.00. A very expensive Zatar flour.”
“I don’t feel included, I think the price of lactose-free products is very different from what is considered normal. I have to buy a long one for R$58.00 (which you have to take 1 each time you eat) in order to have a simple meal next to the people I like or to satisfy myself.”

Goals

An easy way to order food for these people through a food delivery app.

User guide with recipes that include the types of restrictive foods. Not only providing the purchase channels, but also suggesting homemade food options.

Creat the option to delivery, order to make at home, and also the map to go take your food.

CDS Matrix

Affinity Diagram

Click here in this link so you can see the Affinity Diagram and Insights generated based on user research.

The diagram was developed after a series of interviews with people who responded to the interview affirming to have dietary restrictions.

Insight grup 1: Locator of restaurants/markets that work with restrictive foods, to go/pick up/receive.
*(So you don’t feel left out when choosing a place to have dinner with the family or simply being able to order delivery when you feel the need and knowing that he will find the options you want.)

Insight grup 2: Food price comparator from places like restaurants/markets, for better choices.
*(Showing the user that he has more freedom of choice between products and can opt for the best prices, generating savings.)

Insight grup 3: Recipe tips adapted for restrictive diets, being able to receive a box with specific products and a guide teaching step by step the recipe they bought, homemade food style, thus, increasing his options.
*(Giving they freedom when preparing meals that are not included in your restrictions, but with foods that are allowed to be consumed. Increasing the range of options.)