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Calorease
Calorease is a calorie-counting app, aimed at helping people who do not have typical access to the tools of diet and weight loss. Our target audience are users who do not have access to measuring tools, or those want to eat at a specific caloric intake without being tied down to traditional instruments of measurement.
Date :
June to August 2023
Role:
Lead UX Designer, researcher
Challenge
How do we create an app that gives everyone the opportunity to track calories and fitness, even those who do not have access to typical methods of measurement?
Research
When counting calories, most individuals underreport their caloric intake by a whopping 45%. This can lead to thousands of underreported calories a day, resulting in a struggle to lose weight and a fast burnout.
I conducted a series of interview questions with individuals ages 18 to 60. Most participants admitted that while they did attempt to diet and lose weight, they struggled with counting calories. One particularly issue was a matter of time, and eating on a busy schedule. Participants expressed an interest in easier ways to track calories on the go.
Pain Points
Design
Ideation
As always, I began my journey with the ideation phase. Using paper wireframes, I coordinated various possible layouts for the home page of the app. In most of these designs, the main component was the calorie tracking feature.
Digital Wireframes
I selected my favorite elements from the wireframes I create, then I went on to create digital wireframes. This helped me to address the basic layout of the page, and determine where my elements would look best and be most accessible.
Prototypes
Low-fidelity prototype
I went on to create a simple, low-fidelity prototype that connects various buttons to the corresponding pages of the app. This allowed me to accurately test the usability of the app with real life users.
Studies and Testing
In order to test the functionality of my lo-fi prototype, I conducted an unmoderated usability study. Users were asked to perform simple tasks, such as adding a food to the meal log, or navigating the menu.
Results
Mockups
Takeaways
Impact:
Users felt excited about the overall idea of the map. The majority of users strongly agreed that they would use an app like this to improve their health. One user stated, "I like the idea of having different measuring types, like handfuls. I often find when I'm cooking in a rush, I don't have time to wash my measuring cups or weigh out every little ingredient."
What I learned:
It can be difficult to stay consistent when designing for UX. Looking back at it, I am noticing that I struggle to use the same fonts or button styles. However, I feel this is where I could really benefit from a team or colleague to remind me of the little components in design that create clarity and consistency.
Goals moving forward:
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