OVERVIEW

Time: 4 weeks

Place: St. Louis, Missouri

Menu Match: Finding Compatibility for Customers & Restaurants

Food allergies in the United States, affect over three million people a year. Despite the magnitude of the problem, few tools are available to those with allergies to navigate their condition.
 
​The Idea: Menu Match is an app that matches restaurant goers with restrictive diets and allergies to eating establishments that best fit their needs. In the app, a user can view annotated menus with indicators of compatibility given her diet preference. If the user wants more information, she can click to see the individual ingredients and the top eight allergens the dish contains.

The Process

INSPIRATION & SYNTHESIS

I spent the first week of my research trying to better understand the challenges of living with allergies. I adjusted my diet and ate as though I had strict peanut and soy allergies and carried a small notebook with me. I also interviewed two college students living with serious food allergies to learn more about their experience. 

I compiled my research in an affinity map then grouped the information into five broad themes, insights and guiding principles. 

Social and Logistical Challenges to Dining Out* 
​How might we make the experience of dining out easier for those with allergies?

Access to Information about Allergens 
​How might we make allergy information more accessible to those with allergies? 

Diet/Nutrition 
​How might we help people with allergy restrictions balance their diet? 

Lack of Trust Toward Manufacturers 
How might we improve food labeling to make allergy information more accessible and clear? 

Informing Children of their Allergies 
​How might we help children understand their own allergies? ​​

IDEATION

While brainstorming ideas, I chose to focus on the first three insights: challenges with eating out, social barriers and access. After much rapid brainstorming,  I decided to develop the idea of an iPhone application that allows people to access information about restaurant menus and information. I created a storyboard about how a theoretical potential user, Joel, might use the application.

DESIGN

After sketching out low-fidelity wireframes, I created a more refined prototype of Menu Match.