FOODI
Foodi is an AI-driven application that helps users reduce grocery costs by generating personalized meal plans based on local discounts and existing ingredients.
Foodi is an app that suggests recipes based on your diet and budget.
It collects weekly grocery deals from local supermarkets and turns them into personalized meal suggestions tailored to your preferences.
Foodi helps you save money and eat better.
Feb 3, 2025
Feb 3, 2025
CONCEPT
Independent Startup Concept · Thesis-Based Project
ROLE
UX / Product Designer
RECOGNITION
Startup Fest Pitch Competition · Round 1 Drexel University · 2023& 2024
Best Bachelor’s Thesis 2022
DURATION
12 months
What I Bring to Product Design
Content
Rising Grocery Prices
High grocery prices make budget-friendly meals a challenge.
Discounts Without Structure
Although discounts are widely available, shoppers struggle to turn them into structured meal plans.
Balancing Diet & Budget
For people following diets like keto or vegan, balancing nutrition with affordability becomes even more difficult.
What I Bring to Product Design
Content
Interviews
10 semi-structured interviews with households
Behavioral Survey
40 participants
Field Observation
In-store behavior observation
Persona
Jessica represents users who want to eat healthier
but feel overwhelmed turning discounts into real meals.
What I Bring to Product Design
What we saw in real behavior
People want to eat healthy
Healthy meals often feel expensive
when shoppers try to stay with in budget
Discounts don't translate into meals
Shoppers see many deals but don't know how to turn them into meals.
Discounts drive impulse purchases
Promotions often trigger unplanned buying instead of structured meal planning.
Budget pressure creates stress
Constant price comparison creates decision fatigue while shopping.
What I Bring to Product Design
The problem isn’t finding discounts — it’s turning them into decisions.
What I Bring to Product Design
Content
75%
Actively search for grocery discounts
60%
Try to eat healthier or follow a diet
Market Demand
This isn’t a niche problem. It’s a large behavioral overlap.
Behavioral Overlap
A large segment simultaneously seeks savings, health, and meal inspiration.
Demographic Breakdown
Budget-conscious and health-aware consumers span multiple age groups, not a single demographic.
What I Bring to Product Design
Content
Experiment Setup
6-week test
Behavioral experiment with real shoppers
30 Walmart shoppers
Budget-conscious participants
Email-based meal suggestions
Personalized recipes matched to weekly discounts
What We Learned
80% cooked at least one suggested meal
This showed that personalized, deal-based meal ideas could lead to real action
Not a single demographic
Budget-conscious and health-aware shoppers appeared across different age groups.
What I Bring to Product Design
Content
Simple Flow
Store Discounts
Collects nearby weekly grocery deals.
Dietary Preferences
Considers user diet, health goals, and household needs.
Meal Suggestions
Recommends affordable meals based on available discounts.
Smart Shopping List
Organizes ingredients into a practical shopping list.
No app. No interface. Just behavior testing
Key Features
Discount → Meal Conversion
Scattered discounts into real meal ideas
Diet-aware Filtering.
Shoppers see many deals but don't know how to turn them into meals.
Smart Shopping List
Automatically gathers ingredients
Decision Simplification
Removes the need to compare and plan manually
What I Bring to Product Design
Content
Happy Path
Set Preferences
Define dietary needs, budget, and household context.
Explore Savings
Browse personalized deals and meal suggestions based on available discounts.
Choose a Meal
Select a meal that fits both user preferences and budget.
Review Recipe
Check ingredients, directions, and estimated cost.
Add to Plan
Save the selected meal to the weekly meal plan.
Generate Shopping List
Turn planned meals into an actionable grocery list.
IA
