INTRO
This project was developed with a team as a part of ScottyLabs, CMU’s student-run app development organization.
WTF am I eating?
We've all heard of the freshman 15. Students struggling through home-packed lunches all their lives stepping into a world of all-you-can-eat options and all the greasy food imaginable. Piles of pizza, wings, ice cream, and more, all seemingly free for the taking with the school meal plan.
For me it was the freshman 22, and it all happened in one semester. Still dealing with the aftermath a whole year later, I stumbled upon a team willing to help students with the exact same issue. Fueled by both the goodness of my heart and a personal vendetta against all junk food, I set out to help create an app freshman me would have loved to have.
THE PROBLEM
CMU Students have no way of knowing what is actually going into their stomachs when they eat on campus, with no way of making informed decisions.
THE SOLUTION
CMU macros finds time within your busy schedule, identifies places to eat, and suggests options depending on interests.
The dashboard.
Designed to be opened on the move. Everything you need is on one page.
Fits into your schedule.
CMU Macros pairs with Google Calendar to optimize food times around your schedule, not fight against it.
Personalized items, found schoolwide.
It's easier to know what to eat when the options are right at hand.
RESEARCH
Defining the problem
Most of our information came from the personal experiences of team members as well as interviews from the people around us. As someone who's spent two whole years at Carnegie Mellon and can count the number of times he's cooked on his digits, I guess you could also consider this an ethnography.
Here's some notable (slightly paraphrased) quotes from our interviews:
"Someone tell me why the tomato egg costs more than the beef."
"I've got two pounds of ground beef in my fridge, but no time to dethaw and cook."
"No clue what they put in the Hunan noodles but there's no way it's healthy. Get it every time though."
"I never know what to eat, so I get the Exchange every time I'm close or I just go home and sleep."
In addition, speaking with many upperclassmen and grad students reveal that they also tend to grab food on campus throughout the day or put off eating until they get home, which is usually affected by unpredictable workloads and club commitments.
Key Insights
Students simply can't find the time to cook, or even to eat. The limiting factor is usually not kitchen availability, but instead time between classes and spontaneous gathering.
Students question the nutritional value of many campus food options, especially when vegetables are priced the same as protein, making them feel like a less worthwhile choice.
The thriving block market and reasonable prices keep campus food a viable option for students past the first year.
Time and perceived value drive student food choices, making quick, filling, and cost-effective campus meals the default option despite nutritional concerns.
So how do we promote healthy eating? By decreasing friction during the discovery process when looking for a nearby place to eat, and using data to back up the value of nutritious options.
What's stopping us?
Before we began anything, we needed to see if the idea was feasible or not.
For one thing, a lot of spots DON'T fully know what they are making as well. Spots like Schatz also change their menus on the daily, and throw in whatever's available whenever supplies run out.
Thankfully, talking with every campus restaurant in person gave us enough information to start off by logging three major spots on campus. Gathering data IS highly feasible in the long run, as we encourage staff to track information moving forward.
THE CONCEPT
With this in mind, I settled on three main factors to address when considering a solution.
Setting a Direction
Time - People are busy. The app shouldn't be about min-maxxing, but about selecting where to go immediately.
Value - Data and visual display should clearly explain why a choice is recommended.
Alternatives - This app is NOT a full-fledged macro tracker. It should do what nutrient tracking apps cannot, but it doesn't need the full scalability of MyFitnessPal or Cronometer.
The benefits of a narrow scope
Since our audience is exclusively CMU students, we can differentiate our product through a level of personalization and campus-specific detail that general nutrition apps simply cannot match.
Recommendations are personalized by distance, opening times, and food offered.
The search bar's camera feature takes full advantage of the school's online ordering system, scanning Grubhub screenshots and receipts.
Synergy with existing apps
Two other projects under ScottyLabs, CMU Eats and CMU Maps, already provide information on campus restaurant times and how to get from point A to point B. No need to reinvent the wheel.
PROCESS
Flowchart
I started with what people actually need the app for and built the flow around those main use cases. The dashboard acts as a central hub, branching into different paths depending on what the user wants to do and guiding them towards a final decision.
IMPACT
Presentation day
At the end of the first semester, we presented our progress to the student body and to the other teams. We received a lot of "Why didn't I think of that!" and many ScottyLabs members offered to join the team. I'm glad visitors didn't think it was too similar to what already exists on the market, and saw value in the idea.
REFLECTION
As my first long-term UIUX project that actually crosses into reality, there were a few major things I learned to consider:
Scope and feasibility matter more than I think. Project success is dependent on support, and support is dependent on tangibility.
Categorization is key, and determined by the overall direction of the process. Choosing how to order and layout foods, and what level of control to give the user was the process that took the most deliberation, and should happen at an earlier stage.
Notice bottlenecks before they happen. If tasks are contingent on another, make sure that deadlines are clearly communicated and met early.
Overall, I'm very happy with the work our team put out while also juggling CMU's draconic workload. This project is still under development, and will be updated along the way.
<- KOINOS
@Timothy Yang
ttimothyy24@gmail.com
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