What The Food

This case study is not just about the process; it’s the story of my journey, navigating challenges and discovering solutions as the founding product designer of What The Food. Happy reading!

It started in a small café, the three of us huddled around a table: myself — the designer, Ashwin — the developer, and Jenny — the product manager. We had the concept of What The Food sketched out, but that was it. The real work was yet to begin.

We didn’t just want to build an app; we wanted to build something meaningful, something that solved a real problem. I knew that if we were going to create a product that resonated with users, it had to be grounded in not only a clear business strategy but a design framework that served as a foundation to our app. That was my job: to ensure that everything we did from that point on had purpose, and that design wasn’t just an afterthought but a core driver of the product’s success.

Product Vision

As the founders of What The Food, our vision is to redefine how we think about cooking by transforming it into a sustainable, creative, and effortless process. I see a future where every ingredient in our kitchens, no matter how small or random, is given purpose—where food waste becomes a thing of the past because every meal is born from what we already have.

Imagine opening your fridge, seeing a few leftover vegetables, maybe some spices you rarely use, and having a personalized recipe instantly appear—one that fits your tastes, saves you from wasting those ingredients, and requires zero extra effort. That’s the future I envision for our users. What The Food is not just a recipe generator; it’s a tool that empowers people to cook smarter, reduce waste, and turn everyday ingredients into great meals.

At the heart of this vision is sustainability. Food waste is a huge issue, and I believe that with the right technology, we can help people make the most of every ingredient they have. Every design decision I make is guided by this vision: a world where sustainability and creativity meet, where cooking is reimagined as a way to use what we have in ways we never thought possible.

After reflecting on the product concept and vision for What The Food we brainstormed some basic storyboards that explores different real-world scenarios where the app could be a valuable tool.

Business Strategy

As we shaped our product vision, we focused on aligning our business strategy with real user needs, addressing current market challenges, and positioning ourselves as a standout solution in a competitive space. We set clear goals: to create a tool that not only simplifies meal preparation but also fosters a loyal, engaged user base.

I started by researching about some of the most pressing issues faced by individual households, with food waste at the forefront. According to the USDA, the average American household wastes nearly 32% of the food they buy, amounting to over $1,500 per year in lost groceries. This waste not only has a significant financial impact on families but also contributes to a growing environmental crisis, as food waste in landfills generates 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Beyond the environmental impact, we also recognized the everyday frustration faced by individuals trying to make the most of their groceries. Studies show that 25% of the food Americans buy is discarded due to spoilage or lack of a plan for its use. Many households struggle to make use of ingredients that don't fit into their usual recipes, leading to unnecessary waste.

We knew that we had to solve two key pain points: reducing food waste and easing the burden of decision-making in meal preparation. To tackle these, we implemented an AI-driven recipe generation solution that turns leftover ingredients or pantry items into fresh, creative meal ideas, eliminating the need to waste food. Users can input whatever they have, and the app curates personalized recipes, offering a unique value proposition that distinguishes us from other meal-planning apps.

The demand for personalized solutions is a growing trend, with 73% of consumers expecting companies to understand their individual needs and preferences. This has been highlighted by recent research, emphasizing the importance of personalized customer experiences for increasing engagement and long-term loyalty. Consumers are increasingly drawn to products that can adapt to their specific habits and preferences, and companies that fail to meet this expectation risk losing customers to more personalized competitors(Salesforce report).

As days progressed, the conversations quickly moved from the why to the how. I remember Ashwin emphasizing the technical scope and the challenge of integrating a dynamic recipe generation algorithm. Meanwhile, Jenny outlined the market landscape, talking about positioning and competitive advantage. But as they both spoke, I found myself thinking about the user — the person opening our app, staring at ingredients, and feeling stuck. What did they need? What would make them trust this product from the first tap?

‍I knew that for this to work, I needed to ensure we weren’t just building features — we were building an experience. My first work was setting the base design goals and product requirements that would steer us through the chaos of development.

Simplifying the Experience

While Jenny was brilliant at organizing the product’s broader go-to-market strategy, I was bringing design thinking into those discussions. It wasn’t just about deadlines or deliverables — it was about ensuring every decision we made would lead to a product that is people-centered.
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During our conversations about the MVP, there were differences in opinion regarding the features we should include. I advocated for an approach, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the product’s core value. We justified the exclusion of features like user profiles and community forums, explaining that our target users had different needs that prioritized simplicity and immediate functionality. Instead, we focused on essential features that directly enhanced the user experience, such as the ability to input random ingredients and generate a recipe. This clarity helped ensure we delivered a strong initial experience without overwhelming users with unnecessary complexity.

This decision was significant. It wasn’t about fitting in every feature for the initial release; it was about getting one key aspect right. This choice influenced all subsequent steps, from the design of the initial interface to the way Ashwin structured the backend logic.

gathering data

I started gathering real data to ensure that the design process is driven by genuine user insights.

The first thing I thought of was clarity. Clarity in user needs, clarity in design vision, and clarity in our roles. We couldn’t just throw a bunch of features into an app and hope they worked. We needed to gather real data on what potential users actually wanted and struggled with, rather than making assumptions.

I created a survey, to understand how people approached meal planning and their frustrations with cooking and gathered the following insights.

🧍🏻Demographic Distribution

🥡 Handling Leftovers

📱 Likelihood of Using the App

👩🏻‍🍳 Cooking Frequency

🤔 Decision Factors

❗️ Pain Points in Cooking

The majority of respondents, aged 18-34, are young adults, often single or living with roommates, likely leading busy lives with limited cooking experience. They tend to seek quick, easy meal solutions that fit their fast-paced routines.

Many respondents cook daily or a few times a week, highlighting a need for diverse recipe suggestions to prevent meal monotony and keep things interesting. These users could also benefit from meal planning features to streamline their daily cooking routines.

survey insights

They frequently find themselves with leftover ingredients they don't know how to use, with responses ranging from "sometimes" to "often." This confirms the core value proposition of the app—helping users repurpose leftover ingredients.

Many respondents indicated they are likely or very likely to use an app that suggests recipes based on available ingredients, highlighting a strong potential user base interested in the app’s core functionality. This validates our concept and its appeal.

Users primarily rely on online recipes and experimenting with available ingredients. This indicates that the app should focus on making the process more efficient by providing tailored recipes based on what users have, saving time and effort.

Common pain points include lack of time, inspiration, complex recipes, and food waste. To address these, the app should offer quick and simple recipes, meal inspiration simplifying complex recipes with easy-to-follow instructions will further alleviate these challenges.

Once I had enough insights from the surveys, I started developing user personas. These weren’t just hypothetical characters; they were built directly from real user pain points and behaviors that we had uncovered. By basing the personas on actual user feedback, I was able to define two core personas: a Business Professional and a College Student. These personas became our compass, ensuring that every feature and interaction was purposefully designed for the people who needed it most.

Pricing Strategies

In parallel with our feature development, we engaged in discussions about pricing strategies, which were critical to positioning What The Food in the market. We recognized that our pricing needed to reflect the unique value we were providing while remaining accessible to our target audience.We explored various models, including freemium options and subscription tiers, weighing the pros and cons of each.

It was essential to convey the app's value effectively, particularly the time-saving aspect of generating personalized recipes from any ingredients input. We considered how to communicate this value proposition clearly to potential users, emphasizing that our app could alleviate common cooking challenges and enhance their overall culinary experience. These discussions helped us align on a pricing strategy that balanced user affordability with the financial sustainability of our product. Ultimately, we decided on a small pricing model solely to cover operational costs, especially given that the usage of generative AI incurs expenses. To support these costs, we’ll be introducing a small subscription fee for premium features, as well as displaying some ads for free users.

However, the final details of this pricing model are still under discussion, and we’re exploring the best way to balance user experience with sustainability. By ensuring users understand the value they would receive, we are aiming to create a compelling case for them to invest in our app.