Promoting a new outlook on nutrition (one not based calories alone, but rather on diversity of nutrients) to promote health, Palette allows users to log foods they eat and create a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, trackable on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. We all eat, and we can all eat better. Palette is a simple tool for children and adults alike. ​




Palette helps users track what they eat providing a visual tool to promote a healthy holistic diet, helping users increase and diversify their intake of fruits and vegetables over time.


My role: Design Lead


The Problem
Most people are deficient in maintaining a healthy diet. Americans especially eat a large amount of processed foods and too few fruits and vegetables resulting in a shortage of micronutrients and vitamins.


Diet tracking apps tend to focus on counting calories. This can lead to users placing an undue focus on quantity of food at the sake of quality of food which can result in formation of unsustainable and unhealthy food habits.
The Process
I began by sketching an interface on paper. Pretty? No. But, this step was crucial in mapping out the journey a user would take logging food and tracking their consumption over a longer period of time. Observing others fumble through this first prototype, I was quickly able to find some weaknesses in the initial design, allowing me to build a cleaner more functional digital prototype using Sketch incorporating changes from this first round of testing.
​
With further review, I changed several elements in the UI to streamline the user experience, including removing one redundant path, changing font colors for increased readability for color deficient users, adding a universal search feature, and eliminating pagination in favor of windows and scrolling. I also altered some of the graphic representations in the UI, namely changing the daily interface from circle to bar graph. The bar graph, in this instance, has higher fidelity in representing the daily intake data compared to the ratio of food colors a circle graph displays. Essentially, a bar graph is more informative more quickly. The line and circle graphs were kept for week and month views respectively for their fidelity over time.






Scripted Prototype Test
In the third round of user testing, users followed a script as they logged a daily intake of food (including adding a new food to the library), checked weekly and monthly food consumption.


I tested with approximately 15 users across many demographics from a 17 yr old vegan female to an 85 yr old man with no dietary restrictions. Using feedback from these tests, a few minor design tweaks were identified and completed. An alpha test was done on the team’s personal phones to diagnose bugs and test the library of foods.


Next, pending results from the completion of a wider beta test that will have users report back on a two weeks of using the app for diet tracking purposes in their daily lives, final changes will be completed and Palette will be launched on app outlets across mobile platforms.
​
Outcomes
​
By increasing the amount of whole fruits and vegetables the user consumes, we shift their focus from counting calories to counting quality foods. Using Palette to track their food consumption, by the end of the day, users reported eating fewer total calories, feeling more full, and establishing sustainable habits. These outcomes can lead to a healthier lifestyle and have even been shown to prevent and reverse certain conditions, like diabetes and heart disease.
​
Learning
​
UI
Pagination vs scroll vs window (not all three)
Contrast between text and background for readability (forsaking visual design for functionality)
Universal search as an anchor
Introductory content to orient new users
Working more closely with developers - I worked side by side with developers, sharing ideas and talking through implementation and ease of use questions. This was invaluable. I learned so much being able to see from the perspective of the devs. I even got to learn some of their tools as well as the process of onboarding an app to stores and the review, notation, etc. involved.
Testing - This was my first robust testing experience. As head designer, I was tasked with building the app and then through research, completing redesigns as needed.
Gamification - To answer the question of engagement, I was able to apply my background in psychology to construct ways incentivize users to both continue and increase their use of the app and increase their consumption of healthy foods. Contests, streaks, giveaways, and more are ideas we are implementing. I also added a new feature to the monthly tracking, the ‘Alphabet Challenge.’ This feature was specifically designed to incentivize more user engagement in long term diverse diet tracking.

​Promoting a new outlook on nutrition (one not based calories alone, but rather on diversity of nutrients) to promote health, Palette allows users to log foods they eat and create a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, trackable on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. We all eat, and we can all eat better. Palette is a simple tool for children and adults alike. ​
Work in Progress

Promoting a new outlook on nutrition (one not based calories alone, but rather on diversity of nutrients) to promote health, Palette allows users to log foods they eat and create a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, trackable on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. We all eat, and we can all eat better. Palette is a simple tool for children and adults alike. ​

My role: Lead Designer & Researcher
A break though... This was my first robust UX research experience. As head designer, I was tasked with building the app and then through research, deeply understanding user needs and completing redesigns as needed.

SITUATION

Most people are deficient in maintaining a healthy diet. Americans especially eat a large amount of processed foods and too few fruits and vegetables resulting in a shortage of micronutrients and vitamins.


Diet tracking apps tend to focus on counting calories. This can lead to users placing an undue focus on quantity of food at the sake of quality of food which can result in formation of unsustainable and unhealthy food habits.


TASK
Help users track what they eat providing a visual tool to promote a healthy holistic diet, helping users increase and diversify their intake of fruits and vegetables over time.


ACTION

I began by sketching an interface on paper. Pretty? No. But, this step was crucial in mapping out the journey a user would take logging food and tracking their consumption over a longer period of time. Observing others fumble through this first prototype, I was quickly able to find some weaknesses in the initial design, allowing me to build a cleaner more functional digital prototype using Sketch incorporating changes from this first round of testing.
​
With further review, I changed several elements in the UI to streamline the user experience, including removing one redundant path, changing font colors for increased readability for color deficient users, adding a universal search feature, and eliminating pagination in favor of windows and scrolling. I also altered some of the graphic representations in the UI, namely changing the daily interface from circle to bar graph. The bar graph, in this instance, has higher fidelity in representing the daily intake data compared to the ratio of food colors a circle graph displays. Essentially, a bar graph is more informative more quickly. The line and circle graphs were kept for week and month views respectively for their fidelity over time.

Scripted Prototype Test
In the third round of user testing, users followed a script as they logged a daily intake of food (including adding a new food to the library), checked weekly and monthly food consumption.


I tested with approximately 15 users across many demographics from a 17 yr old vegan female to an 85 yr old man with no dietary restrictions. Using feedback from these tests, a few minor design tweaks were identified and completed. An alpha test was done on the team’s personal phones to diagnose bugs and test the library of foods.


Next, pending results from the completion of a wider beta test that will have users report back on a two weeks of using the app for diet tracking purposes in their daily lives, final changes will be completed and Palette will be launched on app outlets across mobile platforms.
​
RESULTS
​
By increasing the amount of whole fruits and vegetables the user consumes, we shift their focus from counting calories to counting quality foods. Using Palette to track their food consumption, by the end of the day, users reported eating fewer total calories, feeling more full, and establishing sustainable habits. These outcomes can lead to a healthier lifestyle and have even been shown to prevent and reverse certain conditions, like diabetes and heart disease.
​

Learnings

- ​Pagination vs scroll vs window (not all three)
- Contrast between text and background for readability (forsaking visual design for functionality)
- Universal search as an anchor
- Introductory content to orient new users
- Working more closely with developers - I worked side by side with developers, sharing ideas and talking through implementation and ease of use questions. This was invaluable. I learned so much being able to see from the perspective of the devs. I even got to learn some of their tools as well as the process of onboarding an app to stores and the review, notation, etc. involved.
Gamification - To answer the question of engagement, I was able to apply my background in psychology to construct ways incentivize users to both continue and increase their use of the app and increase their consumption of healthy foods. Contests, streaks, giveaways, and more are ideas we are implementing. I also added a new feature to the monthly tracking, the ‘Alphabet Challenge.’ This feature was specifically designed to incentivize more user engagement in long term diverse diet tracking.



Work in Progress