7dish · Quebec startup
Redesigning 3 Core Tasks for 7Dish’s Meal Planning App
- Role
- UX/UI Designer
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Team
- 7-person startup, Quebec
- Tools
Figma
Background & Project Goals
A native mobile app opened the door to tackling design debt.
I was hired by 7dish to redesign 3 core user tasks. Since most users access 7dish on mobile, I was brought in to introduce a native mobile app for meal planning. This initiative allowed me to address existing design debt and usability challenges.
- 01Creating a meal plan
- 02Saving a recipe
- 03Creating a shopping list
Fig. 01 — Homepage before and after. The original design suffered from low contrast, unclear layout, and inconsistent navigation.
Process & Usability Audit
I started by auditing and pinpointing existing usability issues, giving a strong foundation to my design decisions.
Research based on 7dish’s analytics and user interviewsrevealed users often did a “back and forth” in completing core tasks and reported confusion.
Main reasons identified
- Unclear instructions
- Icon and common pattern inconsistencies
- Ineffective navigation
Fig. 02 — Existing design overview. The original experience before redesign.
Redesigning Core Task #1
Create a Meal Plan
The problem
Creating a meal plan was laborious and adding recipes lacked order.
The design audit revealed two key issues. I redesigned the flow with organized daily meal planning, meal type selection (Breakfast, Lunch, Snack, Dinner), and a straightforward approach to adding meals from saved folders.
Fig. 03 — User flow for creating a meal plan, mapped during the audit phase.
Concept A/B Testing
Two concepts went head-to-head. Flexibility lost.
Concept A (More Flexible) — Losing
Day-by-day planning with specific prep and cook times. Multi-day selection confused the majority of users, and large food cards felt “overwhelming.”
Concept B (More Controlled) — Winning
Single-day selection featuring a horizontal scroll combined with smaller images, plus an accessible, minimizable “Unscheduled” tab. Users valued quick choice elements and a high-level daily view.
Fig. 04 — Concept A/B Testing. Users valued quick choices over granular control.
Redesigning Core Task #2
Saving a Recipe
The problem
Users consistently browse and save recipes, but the original flow lacked a clear connection between ‘Saved’ and ‘Meal Planner.’
Users worried about managing a growing, unorganized list. The disconnect between screens meant saved recipes felt like a dead end rather than a tool for planning.
The streamlined Saved solutions
I added a dedicated search bar on the Saved screen, a sorting button, smaller food cards for consistency, and a single-page user flow.
Fig. 05 — Saved Recipes screens with the new folder system, search bar, and consistent food cards.
Fig. 06 — Saved Folders feature detail. Fixed system folders + customizable user folders.
Redesigning Core Task #3
Making a Shopping List
The problem
Three glaring usability flaws in the original shopping list.
The original design had three issues:
- No option to delete one item at a time (deleting cleared the entire category)
- Type-in bars instead of dropdowns causing misspellings and miscalculations
- Excessively flexible adding with unclear iconography
The redesign elements
I focused on easy editing and deleting items, predetermined categories attached to items for automated sorting, and clearly separating checked and unchecked items. 4/5 users explicitly preferred a dedicated separation with color-coded separators.
Fig. 07 — Shopping list testing and iteration. 4/5 users preferred separating checked from unchecked items.
Team Collaboration & Stakeholder Alignment
Major UX changes often introduce internal controversy.
Controversial features included eliminating the previous “Inspiration” page for a new homepage, and the addition of saved recipe folders for higher organization.
Controversial decision
Eliminating the legacy “Inspiration” page
Removed to make room for a direct, intuitive homepage recipe-browsing workflow. Stakeholders were hesitant— the page had existed since launch.
Scope expansion
Adding the “Saved Recipes Folders” feature
Added technical scope but drastically improved user organization. Not in the original brief — had to be justified with evidence.
Fig. 08 — Design collaboration session with the 7dish team. Aligning stakeholders with evidence, not taste.
Final Testing & Expected Impact
Testing all three redesigned core tasks together revealed a vastly improved end-to-end ecosystem.
When flows that were previously disconnected finally worked together, users noticed immediately. The results confirmed the direction.
Final Metrics
- 01
10/10 of users rated the new app design an 8 or above across Functionality, User-Friendliness, and Aesthetics.
- 02
8/10 users gave positive feedback pointing to higher overall satisfaction and word-of-mouth recommendations.
- 03
Custom search metrics and toggle states give users complete ownership over their dashboards.
- 04
Eliminating shopping list configuration obstacles ensures users transition from digital planning to real-world execution.
Fig. 09 — Final user testing survey results. 10/10 users rated the new design 8 or above.
“I love how I can now personalize more than I was able to before.”
“This new one feels so fresh, and I can't wait for it to be out.”
Projected Business & User Impact
- ▸Organic Growth: Positive feedback from 8/10 users points to higher overall satisfaction, driving word-of-mouth app recommendations.
- ▸Personalization: Custom search metrics and toggle states give users complete ownership over their dashboards.
- ▸Frictionless Utility: Eliminating the shopping list configuration obstacles ensures users successfully transition from digital planning to real-world execution.