PlateMate
Automated Dietary Guide
UX/UI Design
AI Design
Product Design
Timeline
Sep 2025 - Dec 2025
MY ROLE
UX/UI Designer
team
Samantha Mirabella, Sharon Ou, Yashini Ravindran, Madhushree Ghosh
Background
What is Automation?
We started with a simple question: "What is automation?"
It’s something people talk about everywhere right now. We were curious how automation actually connects to everyday life, and what kind of impact it has on people. That curiosity became the starting point of this project.
Ideation
Brainstorming
To better understand it, we brainstormed what automation means to us: speeding up processes, reducing repetitive tasks, improving efficiency, using AI, minimizing human error, adapting to user needs, completing tasks independently, and being flexible and responsive.
Ideation
Brainstorming
From there, we explored different problem spaces and potential solutions across areas like environment, finance, business operations, and health & safety.
We found ourselves most drawn to the health space. As we went deeper, we focused on topics like dieting, dietary restrictions, digital health records, health habits, and nutrition.
This led to the concept of PlateMate, with the slogan “Eat with confidence.”
Initial Problem Statement
Problem Statement
Individuals with different dietary needs, restrictions, health conditions, or lifestyle goals struggle to find tailored nutrition guidance.
Many individuals struggle to make confident food choices due to complex ingredient labels, unclear menus, and diverse dietary needs or goals. This often leads to stress, uncertainty, and potential health risks.
Research & Analysis
User Need
We went through the user personas to spot the user pain points and key needs.
01
Simple explanations and trustworthy interpretation of ingredients to make decision.
02
Confidence when eating out and recommendations that match diet, goals and preferences.
03
A platform that adapts user's lifestyle, habits and progress.
04
All in one app that handles restrictions, goals and real-life decisions.
Research & Analysis
Opportunities Features
Next, we conducted the benchmark analyses to iterate the opportunities or features.
01
Scan the label (Safe / Avoid / Caution) to learn more using the AI scan.
02
AI meal recommendation for ordering and cooking foods.
03
Behaviour-based nudges/notification and allergen or diet alert system.
04
All in one decision engine that combines health goals, restrictions and whether you're at home or eating out.
Refined Challenge Statement
Solution Statement
An AI-powered companion that provides dietary guidance based on user’s unique needs and goals.
Actionable dietary guidance for when, what, and how to eat.
Personalized profiles for individuals or families to ease dietary decisions in the household.
AI-driven nutrition tracking, food scanning, and tailored recommendations.
Food and health logs to monitor progress and prevent risks.
Smart dining, shopping, and cooking support.
Implementation
Design Process
We started by creating a system map and analyzing user scenarios to capture diverse needs, particularly around dietary restrictions and health goals.
These insights informed the design of wireframes for core features, including onboarding, a food scanner, health tracking, and food logging.
Reflection & Learnings
A key takeaway
What I learned from this project was the value of continuous iteration and user feedback. Each week, we presented our ideas and process, received feedback, and iterated on our work.
With more time, I would expand usability testing across a broader demographic to better understand diverse dietary needs and cultural contexts, as well as observe long-term behaviours such as meal tracking and engagement with AI-generated suggestions. This experience strengthened my focus on designing with empathy, simplicity, and adaptability, and showed how well-designed AI can support user confidence and make everyday decisions easier.