Executive Summary
Project: Pantry Pal - A meal-planning app that reduces food waste and decision fatigue
Role: End-to-End Product Designer
Skills Used: UX Research, Information architecture, Surveys, Competitive audit, User interviews, UI Design, Interaction Design, Visual Design, Prototyping (Figma), Usability Testing, Copywriting
Platform: Mobile App & Responsive Website
Target Users: Busy individuals and young professionals who want quick, easy meal ideas using what they already have at home. They care about saving time, money, and reducing food waste.
Overview: Pantry Pal is a friendly, beginner-focused meal-planning app that helps users find recipes using ingredients they already have. As the sole product designer, I led the entire process from research to prototyping and testing. The app simplifies decisions around food, reduces waste, and builds kitchen confidence by making cooking intuitive, guided, and stress-free.
Your Personal Kitchen Assistant
Background:
“What can I cook with what I already have?” That simple, often frustrating question was the starting point for Pantry Pal—a recipe app designed for beginner cooks who feel overwhelmed by traditional cooking apps.
Pantry Pal turns everyday ingredients into stress-free meals. It’s built to reduce food waste and build kitchen confidence by offering recipes based on what users already have. Features like step-by-step instructions, portion controls, built-in timers, and shopping list creation make the experience approachable and intuitive.
51% of Europeans cook from scratch daily, but many young adults lack confidence in the kitchen.
88 million tonnes of food are wasted each year in the EU—much of it fresh, unused ingredients.
Pantry Pal makes cooking simpler, smarter, and more sustainable—starting with what’s in your pantry.
The Challenge:
Most recipe apps are built for confident cooks. They assume a well-stocked kitchen, lots of free time, and familiarity with cooking jargon. But beginners—especially those who are busy, on a budget, or just starting out—face very different challenges:
“I don’t know what to make with what I have.”
“Recipes are hard to follow or adjust.”
“My phone locks in the middle of cooking.”
These frustrations lead to skipped meals, food waste, or takeout habits. Pantry Pal meets users where they are: in their kitchen, with the ingredients they have and the help they actually need.
The Solution:
Instead of asking users to search for recipes and buy missing ingredients, Pantry Pal flips the flow: users enter what they already have, and the app recommends recipes they can make now.
Key Features:
Ingredient-first search
Smart portion adjustment
Built-in cooking timers
Hands-free, screen-unlock mode
Favorites and shopping list tools
By removing friction and adding reassurance, Pantry Pal turns “what’s for dinner?” into something you look forward to.
Features
Logging in & adding ingredients
Discovering & exploring recipes
Cooking with favorites & timers
Creating and sharing a shopping list
Responsive Website
The responsive desktop version of Pantry Pal brings the same clarity and ease-of-use to a larger format. Whether users are cooking from a laptop or browsing recipes at their desk, the design adapts smoothly to support a focused, flexible experience.
Design Thinking
1 Understanding the User
Research Goal:
Understand how beginner cooks plan meals and the challenges they face when trying to use existing ingredients.
Methods:
Survey (24 respondents)
6 user interviews
Competitive audit of 5 cooking and meal-planning apps
Key Findings:
Users struggle with deciding what to cook
Many lack confidence and abandon recipes mid-way
Apps often assume experience and a well-stocked pantry
Wasted ingredients cause frustration and guilt
Competitive Analysis:
Apps like Tasty, Yummly, and BigOven offered variety—but none prioritized starting with ingredients. Accessibility and flow were often lacking.
User Quotes:
"I want to cook with what I already have."
"Recipes are hard to follow — too many steps."
"My phone keeps locking while I’m cooking."
Personas and User Journeys
Framing the Problem:
How might we help beginners find meals based on what they already have? How might we make recipes flexible and time-efficient? How might we support users in the moment, not just before they start?
Problem Statement:
Miguel and Maria need an easy way to decide what to cook using what’s already in their kitchen. They also need help with portioning, time-saving, and staying on task—because current cooking apps are often inflexible and overwhelming.
2 Designing the experience
Design Goals:
Ingredient-first recipe suggestions
Flexible, easy-to-follow instructions
Timers and hands-free features for ease
Wireframes & Concepts:
Ingredient input with auto-suggestions
Smart filters for diet, time, servings
Visual recipe cards
Favorites and sharing features
Design Priorities:
Reduce friction and cognitive load
Support real-time cooking
Keep the tone warm, visual, and encouraging
Key Flows Prototyped:
Add pantry ingredients
Discover and save recipes
Follow cooking steps with built-in timers
Generate shopping list for missing items
3 Validating the solution
To validate the core experience, I conducted usability testing with the low-fidelity prototype. The focus was on how easily users could navigate the app, follow a recipe, and feel in control while cooking.
Testing:
Two rounds of usability testing (6 participants each)
Task-based testing of ingredient input, recipe navigation, and timers
Top Findings & Fixes:
Issue: Ingredient entry was slow → Fix: Smart suggestions
Issue: Timer was hard to find → Fix: Added timer dashboard / Navbar
Issue: Filter flow confusing → Fix: Simplified filters with icons
Positive Feedback:
"Finally, something that starts with what I have!"
"The steps are so easy to follow."
"I love not having to unlock my phone every 2 mins."
4 Outcome and Reflection
Impact:
Ingredient-first search increased user confidence
Portion controls helped reduce waste
Visual, step-by-step walkthroughs improved cooking experience
Timers and hands-free mode helped users stay focused
Reflection:
Less is more: Reducing features helped beginners engage
Real context matters: Testing during real cooking sessions revealed key usability issues
Empathy wins: Focusing on stress and confidence made the app more than just functional — it felt supportive
High-Fidelity Prototype:
The final prototype delivered a seamless experience from pantry to plate. Key flows were tested again with positive feedback around ease of use, clarity, and reduced stress.
5 What’s new?
Future enhancements could include:
AI-driven meal suggestions based on pantry and preferences
Offline-first features
Voice navigation for accessibility
Integration with grocery stores or food banks