Forgotten ingredients
Missing one item often meant another supermarket trip.
01 · Digital product · 2026
MealMate
MealMate helps international students adjust to life in a new country by making unfamiliar food decisions feel manageable—saving time, reducing stress and softening everyday culture shock.
Why it matters
Food is part of
feeling at home.
For international students, unfamiliar supermarkets, ingredients and routines can add pressure to an already difficult transition. MealMate supports everyday independence by connecting familiar meals, realistic budgets and one clear shopping journey—reducing repeat trips and leaving more time and energy for study, work and belonging.
Research · Insight
Understanding
the real friction.
“I don’t know what to cook.”
DECIDEPLANSHOPCOOK
Key insightMeal planning and shopping—not cooking itself—created the most stress and made settling into a new routine harder.
Scattered decisions
Recipes, notes and shopping lists lived in separate places.
Low mental energy
The hardest question at the end of the day was simply: what should I make?
User flow · Refined
One clear path from
“What should I eat?” to dinner.
The early hand sketch is translated into a concrete product journey. A single decision point personalises the experience, then each action moves naturally toward a completed meal.
01 · ENTER
Open MealMate
Sign in or continue as Flora
02 · PERSONALISE
What fits today?
03 · CHOOSE
Select a meal
Review ingredients and serving size
04 · PREPARE
Generate shopping list
Edit quantities and check pantry items
05 · SHOP
Set smart reminder
Receive the list before entering the store
06 · COMPLETE
Cook, save & share
Follow the recipe and keep favourites
Interface · Core journey
Each step supported
by the right screen.
01 · Choose
Meal discovery that feels personal.
Flora can compare familiar home-style dishes, select the meals she wants, then generate a shopping list directly from the same decision.
02 · Organise
A shopping list that stays actionable.
Ingredients are grouped into a clear checklist. The overview connects remaining items with timely meal preparation and expiry reminders.
Design development
From structure
to a personal system.
03 · Personalise
Designed around Flora, not a generic user.
The home screen prioritises familiar Hunan-style meals, while the profile keeps saved recipes, dietary choices and spending preferences together.
04 · Budget
Budget awareness without extra admin.
Weekly progress, cost-per-serving labels and practical savings tips help an international student make realistic food choices before shopping.
05 · Remind
The list arrives at the useful moment.
A location-aware reminder is set before the supermarket visit. On arrival, MealMate brings the unfinished shopping list forward immediately.
Interactive prototype
Plan. Shop.
Cook with ease.
Final outcome
The prototype connects culturally familiar meal suggestions, budget awareness, an automatically generated shopping list and timely reminders. The result is not only a faster task flow, but a calmer everyday routine for students building independence away from home.
Choose meal→Generate list→Shop→Cook