Context / Problem
College students often struggle with budgeting for groceries and meal planning, leading to inefficient use of resources and unnecessary spending. Limited time, tight budgets, and varying cooking skills contribute to this challenge. Additionally, students may lack the knowledge or inspiration to make the most of the ingredients they already have at hand.
Proposed Solution
An AI-powered mobile application designed to assist college students in budgeting for groceries and meal planning. It allows users to input the ingredients they have on hand and their budget constraints, then generates personalized recipe suggestions optimized for minimal additional grocery purchases. Key features include ingredient input, AI-driven recommendations, minimal grocery purchases, (potential integrated e-commerce), weekly meal planning and scheduling, and budget tracking. Overall, the app aims to empower college students to make cost-effective and efficient choices when it comes to grocery shopping and meal planning.
We believe that by developing an intuitive and personalized platform that seamlessly integrates ingredient tracking and personalized AI-driven recipe recommendations, college students will feel more confident and empowered in managing their grocery budgets and meal planning effectively while pursuing their education.
Target Audience
College students aged 18 to 25, who have limited budgets, time constraints, and varied cooking skills. They seek convenient solutions for grocery shopping and meal planning, prefer nutritious options, and/or prioritize sustainability.
User Journey Map
Expected Outcome
An optimized and effortless grocery budgeting experience that provides students with relief in managing their expenses, all within a comprehensive app.
Information Architecture
UI Style Mood Board
Low Fidelity Concept Wireframes
AI-Integration Features
Key AI integration features will enable users to utilize AI-Image Identification technology by taking a picture of their fridge from the app. The app will then detect and identify the items in their fridge and pantry, creating a digital inventory. This inventory will be used to provide personalized recipe recommendations that minimize additional grocery purchases, making the most of the ingredients already on hand, thereby saving time and money.
The digital inventory will also serve as an organizational tool, categorizing scanned ingredients (e.g., meat, dairy, fruit) to help users avoid purchasing duplicate items, which can waste money. Additionally, the app will track food expiration dates based on when items are scanned, alerting users when products are nearing their expiration. Scanning can be done via AI image identification or by using a barcode, if available.
Final Screens For Concept Pitch
