Themes and recommendations from open-ended interviews discussing the concept of an AI food logging app:
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Ease of Use:
- The app should not be time-consuming and logging food should not add significant time overhead to the user's daily routine.
- Searching databases for exactly the right food can be frustrating, and an app that does this automatically based on a photo be highly desirable.
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Accuracy and Recognition of Diverse Foods:
- Importance of the AI model recognizing traditional Hawaiian and other ethnic foods.
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Privacy:
- Two of three users did not care about or have any concerns about privacy.
- One user had significant concerns about privacy and emphasized the need for clear communication about data usage, storage, and security.
- Options like end-to-end encryption and storing data on the user's device were viewed positively.
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Personalization and Variation in Desired Features:
- Variation in desired features, but meal planning, workout tracking, goal tracking, and competitions with friends were popular.
- Idea of creating an avatar or character to represent the AI.
- One participant had previously used three different apps simultaneously for food preparation and logging: one to generate recipes based on food in the fridge, one for a photo food journal, and one to track macronutrients and calories. This person wished for a single app to fulfill all three functions.
Feedback focused more on the app’s design than interactivity, as the CRUD features are not fully implemented yet.
- Warm colors and fruit imagery give a healthy and welcoming impression.
- Design appeals to new users or those wanting to start healthier habits.
- Suggest incorporating a photo or loop video showing high-protein meal preparation to attract experienced users.
- Liked the calming blue background and simple layout, but confusion over GitHub icon mistaken for a social login option.
- Positive feedback on the food breakdown chart (processed, unprocessed, ultra-processed).
- Appreciation for visible accomplishments and challenges.
- Importance of mindfulness features.
- Desire for detailed macronutrient breakdown.
- Requested push notifications and a checklist on the dashboard for meal logging and other task reminders.
- Found design clean but somewhat plain; suggested adding dynamic elements like a rotating quote of the day.
- Desired more personalized features, such as setting dietary goals (e.g., low sugar).
- Requested bar charts for daily nutritional values and a color-coded system for dietary balance.
- Card layout with half picture, and half information is well-received.
- Suggestion to add meals as headings with snaps for each meal underneath.
- Request for inclusion of macronutrient details in the meal cards (protein, fat, carbohydrates).
- Questioned app's ability to automatically crop and adjust images.
- Proposed filtering journal entries by food type (e.g., vegan, keto).
- Interest in viewing weekly or monthly statistics in a chart format.
- Desire to see macronutrient or processed percentage trends over time.
- Expected functionality similar to a stock market app for tracking nutrient intake over time.
- Wanted options to customize the graph display, like nutrient selection and time range adjustments.
- Interest in workout and step goal challenges.
- Suggestion for a leaderboard and the ability to form and compete within friend groups.
- Excited about group challenges with a leaderboard for motivation.
- Hoped for a range of challenges, from daily tasks to long-term goals.
- Support for an instagram social feed where users can share meals and progress.
- Endorsement of using the platform for dietitians/personal trainers to offer services.
- Emphasized need for privacy settings for dietary information.
- Interested in sharing recipes and tips within the app community.
- Willingness to pay for AI-based and human coaching services, with a preference for video interaction with human coaches.
- Desire for the ability to silence social features.
- Suggestion to add a specific goals page for
detailed goal-setting.
- Wanted detailed settings for dietary preferences, allergen alerts, and goals (e.g., weight loss).
- Requested in-depth explanations for features like 'mindfulness check-ins'.
- Request for an exercise tracking and workout planning feature.
- Positive feedback on the quick and easy logging process.
- Preference for a warmer, less stark color scheme in the app's design.
- Recommendation to include percentage numbers and macronutrient breakdown on meal cards.
- Affirmation of the clarity and usefulness of the nutrition breakdown ring.
- Revise color scheme to be more modern and visually appealing, taking inspiration from apps like 24-hour fitness.
- Implement a warmer color palette, potentially with a darker background and bright accents.
- Maintain the current layout of the bottom bar for its intuitive order.
- Introduce processed/unprocessed/ultraprocessed food categorization in the app onboarding screens.
- Incorporate missing macronutrient information to meet user expectations.
- Add workout features to enhance the app's appeal and functionality.
- Add a chat box icon in the app bar for quick access to messages with friends and the AI bot.
- Conduct two more user testing interviews before the end of the semester.
- Finish CRUD functions by the end of the semester.
- The app has been submitted as a candidate capstone project for ICS 496 next semester.