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Team members: Daniela Chacón, Julia Forster, Arianna Jayne, Krishanu Roy, Annie Sherer 

Summary

Many people struggle to adopt and maintain a healthy diet long term (Carter, 2012; Masters, 2022) and women in particular, struggle to do so without suffering adverse effects on their mental health. They are significantly more likely (than men) to develop: stress related to their diet, unhealthy eating habits, disordered eating, and eating disorders (Kunze, Rathmanner, and Kiefer, 2005; Women’s Health, 2019; Kinasz, 2017). 

 

Current diet solutions (applications, diet books, and guided programs) can be considered inadequate because they often involve calorie counting/deprivation or promote food restriction - both of which have been heavily linked to the development of disordered eating and eating disorders (Levinson et al, 2017; Memom et al, 2020; EDV, 2022). 

Thus, taking these problems into consideration, FreshStart strives to help individuals adopt and maintain a healthy diet long-term; whilst protecting their mental health and prioritizing a healthy relationship with food. To tackle negative feelings around food, this solution will promote a healthy balanced diet excluding any kind of calorie counting or food restriction. It will also provide users with content (podcasts, blogs, articles) created by verified dietitians/psychologists who actively address, and provide advice for the management of, negative feelings/behaviors around food. 

Challenges & Objectives

 General Objective:

This research aims to study and understand the use of diet-focused applications for promoting healthier eating habits. 

 Specific Objectives:

01

Define the meaning of a healthy diet.

02

Discover the habits and motivations of users of applications in the healthy diet category.

03

Understand how and why users are engaging with existing solutions.

04

Determine the influence of apps in the adoption of the habit.

05

Identify potential gaps within existing applications.

Research

After formulating our research objectives, we initiated our inquiry by commencing desk research. Subsequently, we successfully conducted five interviews, identified key competitors, and executed a comprehensive benchmarking analysis.

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Desk research

Through desk research, we achieved several critical insights. Firstly, we gained a precise understanding of the essence of a healthy diet, unraveling its true meaning within the context of our study. Additionally, we comprehended the diverse pathways through which individuals can endeavor to embrace healthier dietary habits. Our research unveiled a spectrum of available solutions designed to facilitate the adoption of healthier eating practices. We delved into a comprehensive analysis of a range of these solutions, with a particular focus on technological platforms such as web and app-based approaches. In this pursuit, we deciphered the key attributes and intricacies of these solutions, mapping out the intricate customer journey that accompanies each one.

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Survey

To augment our research approach, we administered a comprehensive survey, designed to collect quantitative data regarding healthy eating habits. This survey encompassed a range of questions, yielding a wealth of statistical insights that enriched our understanding of patterns and trends related to dietary behaviors.

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1-on-1 interviews

Through our insightful interviews, we unraveled the habits and underlying motivations of users engaged with applications within the healthy diet realm. These interactions allowed us to ascertain the significant impact of these apps on fostering the adoption of healthier dietary practices, while also shedding light on potential risk factors inherent in existing app offerings. Our research journey extended to encompass observations and immersive exercises rooted in design thinking principles. Employing tools such as user journey maps and empathy maps, we garnered invaluable insights that further enriched our understanding of user experiences and aspirations within this context.

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Benchmarking

Conducting a rigorous benchmarking analysis, we meticulously scrutinized our competitors in the field. This endeavor facilitated a comprehensive evaluation of their strengths and weaknesses, allowing us to glean valuable lessons from their successes and shortcomings. By dissecting their approaches, we gained a nuanced understanding of industry best practices and innovative strategies, empowering us to refine our own strategies for enhanced effectiveness.

Customer Journey Maps

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Empathy Map

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Benchmarking

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Learnings

01

Definition of "Healthy diet"

04

Features the users would want to improve about the solutions they use

02

Discovered the difficulties the users have to maintain a healthy diet

05

Areas of improvement

03

Different solutions the users used to maintain a healthy diet

User Persona

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User Challenges 

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Reshaping Routines

Overcoming deeply ingrained eating habits that hinder progress.

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Mindful Nourishment

Tackling the emotional and mental complexities intertwined with food and dietary decisions.

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Decoding Nourishment

Navigating the intricacies of distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy foods and recipes.

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Culinary Endeavors

Managing the substantial effort required for meal and snack planning and preparation.

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Craving Control

 Battling persistent cravings for unhealthy food choices.

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Endurance Blueprint

Sustaining motivation over the long haul, particularly in challenging scenarios such as dining out or navigating work-related stressors.

User Needs

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Support

Establishing a supportive community to sustain motivation and cultivate encouragement throughout their journey.

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Meal plans

Access to a diverse array of meal plans and recipes that harmonize with their health and dietary objective

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Tracking Goals

A mechanism for setting personal goals and tracking milestones, fostering a sense of achievement.

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Accurate information

A database replete with food information to facilitate research and seamless integration into their food log.

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Monitor eating patterns

A comprehensive food log to meticulously monitor eating patterns, ensuring self-accountability

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Guidance

Clear and unequivocal guidance on the fundamental tenets of a wholesome diet.

Conclusion

Today, The market is overflowing with solutions for healthy eating, but many of them are too restrictive and only focus on weight loss. FreshStart should have a more balanced approach by putting daily meal planning first and using reminders and alarms to help maintain consistent healthy eating habits. By emphasizing routine and consistency, the app should helps users establish the habit of making and eating nutritious meals. The challenge is to provide a realistic and sustainable way to adopt and maintain healthy eating habits.

Ideation Process & Prototypes

To come up with a cohesive solution that would allow us to cater to our target user’s needs, we took part in a number of collaborative ideation exercises (Design thinking). Combined with our research, we were able to brainstorm, wireframe and build freshstart

FreshStart

FreshStart was designed to address the needs and challenges faced by individuals looking to establish healthy eating habits. To support users in their journey, FreshStart offers a 4-week guided program for users to adopt healthy eating habits. The program includes a mentor (registered dietitian), a dietitian-reviewed meal plan with weekly shopping list, and access to a community feature with diet/mental health related content. Users can also join a support group of around 5 people. If the user completes the 4-week program, they can choose to continue with a paid maintenance program, or they can still access the app's features, such as the recipe database, shopping list, and community feature. 

 

The app offers a 4-week guided program after signing up, users can choose to partake, or select ‘maybe later’ (users can start or stop the guided program at any point in ‘account’). On the program, users select a ‘mentor’ to guide and support them. These will be registered dietitians; the content they provide throughout the program will be pre-recorded/produced for the application. Users can then choose a (dietitian reviewed/curated) meal plan for the 4 weeks - providing healthy balanced recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It further provides a weekly shopping list so users know what they need to buy to make the recipes. Once the program is complete, users no longer have access to the meal plan/mentor etc - they can choose a paid ‘maintenance’ program which continues to provide those features. If users choose not to partake in the program they still have access to the full in app features (excluding the mentors and meal plan). Including: a database of recipes (dietitian approved), shopping list feature (creates shopping list based on chosen recipes), a community feature (diet/mental health related blogs, articles, podcasts etc), food/dietary advice, and the option to join a support group. The support groups will consist of around five users - with the hope that together they support each other through the up/downs of adopting a healthier diet (give advice, share recipes etc).

Wireflow

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User testing

Our testing approach for "Fresh Start" encompassed the conduct of thorough and moderated usability sessions. To commence, we initiated by posing a series of initial questions to participants, aiming to gain deeper insights into their healthy eating habits and their familiarity with analogous applications. Subsequently, we presented participants with a scenario and a set of specific tasks to accomplish within the application. Throughout these sessions, we provided continuous guidance, addressing their questions and concerns. 

Following the completion of these testing sessions involving five participants, we gained access to valuable feedback and perspectives. Our subsequent step involved meticulous analysis of these inputs, employing techniques like heatmaps and severity rankings to evaluate the flow and usability of the application. Through this in-depth analysis, we successfully identified areas with potential for enhancement, enabling us to fine-tune the application's design and ensure a seamless and effective user experience that caters to user needs and surpasses their expectations.

Principal Findings

  • Through heatmaps and user interactions, we discerned which features garnered the most attention and engagement.

  • By observing participants navigating through tasks, we pinpointed areas where the application's usability was smooth and seamless, as well as areas where users encountered difficulties or confusion.

  • Users' reactions and feedback provided a clear indication of the effectiveness of various features within the application.

Personal contributions

In this project, my primary contribution was concentrated in the research domain. I took charge of meticulously gathering accurate and relevant data, curating participants for our testing sessions, and orchestrating the  research process. Additionally, I played a pivotal role in crafting comprehensive weekly reports that encapsulated our progress. These reports were enriched with detailed summaries and presentations that succinctly conveyed the evolution of our project, ensuring that our efforts were transparent and comprehensible to everyone. My dedication to the research aspect of the project aimed to provide a strong foundation for informed decision-making and strategic advancements.

Personal learnings & challenges 

Undoubtedly, one of the most significant challenges I encountered throughout this project was orchestrating a sizable team and fostering consensus regarding the definition of certain key concepts. This challenge was particularly pronounced as these concepts held the potential to be interpreted differently based on the diverse personal experiences and perspectives of each team member. Navigating these variations and facilitating productive discussions to arrive at a unified understanding required a delicate balance of communication, active listening, and harmonizing viewpoints. Despite the complexity, I strived to ensure that our collaborative efforts resulted in a coherent and cohesive research direction, underscoring the importance of inclusive and productive teamwork.

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