Smart Kitchen
An AI-powered kitchen co-pilot that transforms any pantry into a real-time smart inventory to eliminate waste and automate meal prep.
Overview
- The Vision: To democratize the "Smart Kitchen" by moving the intelligence from expensive $4,500 appliances into the user's pocket.
- The Product: An AI-powered mobile ecosystem that uses computer vision to track inventory, reduce food waste, and provide personalized cooking "co-pilot" guidance.
- My Role: Lead Product Designer overseeing the end-to-end journey from discovery and focus group synthesis to engineering handoff and design QA.
Project Goals
- Reduce order abandonment by minimizing cognitive load and streamlining the mobile ordering flow.
- Decrease friction in core tasks by reducing unnecessary taps and aligning interactions with user mental models.
- Improve user satisfaction and NPS by addressing frustration points identified through UX research.
- Create an emotionally engaging experience that feels effortless, rewarding, and intuitive.
- Increase conversion rates through psychology-driven design decisions that guide users confidently to completion.
Sprint Planning
- Focus Group Synthesis: Synthesised qualitative insights from London focus groups into a feature roadmap prioritised by user effort versus perceived value.
- Project Planning: Established a delivery cadence where design sprints preceded engineering sprints, enabling rapid validation with Product Owners before high-cost development.
- Whiteboarding & Service Mapping: Mapped the user’s mental load in the kitchen, from the friction of “What’s in my fridge?” to the anxiety of “How do I cook this before it expires?”
The Solution: Designing the "Co-Pilot"
AI-Powered Inventory (The Scan):
Designed a camera-first UX that uses computer vision to "Detect & Monitor" food items in real-time, eliminating the need for manual data entry.
Unlimited Recipes
The app gives users instant access to a diverse range of recipes, tailored to their preferences, available ingredients, and cooking confidence. Recipes adapt dynamically based on context, not static browsing.
- Time to cook
- Cooking difficulty
- Allergy and dietary alerts
- Calories per serving
- Serving size and meal type
- Cuisine-based discovery
Eat Like an Expert
Users gain expert-level insights into their daily nutrition without needing to understand complex dietary science. The system translates complex data into clear, actionable guidance.
- Calories
- Proteins
- Fats and cholesterol
- Sodium
- Fiber and sugars
- Carbohydrates
- Iron, zinc, magnesium, and calcium
Never Forget a Shop
A smart shopping list keeps track of everything the user needs, removing the friction of remembering, writing, or duplicating items. Every item syncs directly with the user’s digital kitchen.
- Quick-add items with minimal input
- Check items off while shopping
- No paper or manual tracking required
- Automatic sync with pantry inventory
Final Handoff: High-fidelity visual designs and modular UI components to ensure a precise and scalable engineering build.
Design System & Engineering Synergy
To ensure the vision was maintained through development:
Design System
Built a comprehensive library of components, from "Liquid Glass" 3D assets to accessible typography scales.
The Handoff
Provided a central "Source of Truth" for engineers, including all SVG assets and documented interaction states.
Design QA
Conducted regular reviews of the build to ensure the implemented product matched the envisioned fidelity.
Reflections & Results
- Senior Thinking: By leading with design sprints, we reduced engineering "re-work" and ensured that the core value proposition—saving users $1,800 a year—was at the forefront of every screen.
- Outcome: Developed a scalable design language that supports the brand's growth from a mobile app to future Smart Kitchen Sensors and AR/VR integration.
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