A SET OF FEATURES
UX research
Interaction Design
Ui design
Usability testing
Branding
UX RESEARCH
INTERACTION DESIGN
UI DESIGN
USABILITY TESTING
NOTE: I am not affiliated with Lifesum. This case study showcases a simulated project adding a set of features for a pre-existing product.
Lifesum has a vision to simplify the path to long-term healthy living for millions of people worldwide. Evolving from a calorie tracking app, Lifesum offers a platform that motivates users to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle with tailored plans for better eating. Lifesum’s goal is to create the number one self-care service for the Millennial Generation.
People who use food tracking apps have individual needs and individualized goals that can range from weight loss or gain, nutrition & health, improving brain function, and improving athletic performance. These goals may require information to be organized in a variety of ways. Lifesum has an opportunity to improve or add customization features to retain current users and expand market share.
I created a set of features that add flexibility to the way subscribers track their food by allowing them to control:
My research goal was to understand why people subscribe to food tracking apps and what included features help them to make that choice.
USER INTERVIEWS
USER SURVEYS
SURVEY OF LIFESUM COMMUNITY REQUESTS
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
I was limited to recruiting within my networks and I could not find Lifesum subscribers to interview and survey within my timeframe. I opted to interview and survey people who regularly use any food tracking app, which gave me broad insights but limited my findings specifically around Lifesum. Accessing the Lifesum community requests site proved to be a valuable resource to pull specific insights.
When comparing features that allow customizing meals to track macros and calories per meal, timestamping and scheduling, and adjusting calories for different days, learning about Lifesum’s lack of customizing features made me curious to find out if features like these are valuable.
Since I didn't have access to Lifesum users, I found it difficult to compare my interview participants' struggles to theirs directly. So I cast a wider net with a survey focusing on what participants value in their food tracking app. The results showed that participants tend to appreciate a flexible organization system that accommodates their needs.
92% OF Participants value customizing which meals are tracked
53% of participants value customizing their target calories per meal
54% of participants value customizing their macros per meal
I found the Lifesum feedback site to be a helpful resource in gaining insight into who Lifesum users are, what they value, and what their pain points are.
The top-upvoted post had over 5,000 votes and asked for flexible meal options. Comments on this post mentioned diverse needs from trying to gain weight, dealing with diabetes, intermittent fasting, and gastric bypass surgery. Many people also noted that they wanted their entries timestamped.
Other top posts included asking for flexibility in the increments of water to track, and different goals for different days.
247 SUPPORTING COMMENTS
ORIGINAL POST: AUGUST 13, 2015
76 SUPPORTING COMMENTS
ORIGINAL POST: july 10, 2015
Looking at all the information together, I found a few areas for improvement that fall under the umbrella of customization:
Once I had a set of features to work with, I looked at how they would integrate within the current Lifesum app.
I started by sketching each screen I would need by hand. I referenced the task flows and screenshots of the original app, noting where I would be repurposing existing design patterns and UI elements. From there, I narrowed the sketches down and created mid-fidelity screens in Figma using screenshots and noting where I might need to make additional icons. After receiving feedback, I created higher fidelity screens, a few new icons, and a basic prototype. I administered four usability tests that helped to find additional improvements – especially around UI copy.
“This seems like a great idea. I have tried a lot of food tracking apps, including Lifesum. It was a really nice app, but ultimately I felt that Lifesum was too rigid.”
The added features give subscribers like Ashley flexibility when logging food and water, so she is more likely to stick with it and continue subscribing to Lifesum. The solution fits seamlessly within the design system and passes basic usability tests.
If I had additional time, scope, and access to the Lifesum dev team, I would collaborate with them early in the process to see what is possible. I imagine we'd start with one of these ideas smaller ideas that could make a significant impact, like the custom meal settings. We would have to refine and test it, especially with the nutrition breakdown.
My mind continued to return to a question while developing this solution: “Why haven’t they implemented a solution to these popular requests?” I’m guessing there are technical challenges associated with nutrition algorithms — a constraint I did not consider in my process. However, I think this is an essential improvement that Lifesum should make to stand out in the field of food tracking apps.
