Platera - Plan smarter. Eat better. Stress less.
By: Itisha Dubey
Weekly Meal Planning Is Harder Than It Should Be
  • Users struggle to consistently plan meals each week.
  • After a long day, decision fatigue makes choosing what to cook overwhelming.
  • Meal choices often don't align with available cooking time or dietary goals.
  • Lack of clear visibility into pantry inventory leads to last-minute grocery runs or wasted food.

Smart Meal Planning: Designed for Your Life

A Presentation by Itisha Dubey

Key insight: Meal planning is a decision problem—not a recipe problem.
Designed for Real Life, Not One Persona
Busy Individuals & Couples
Fast, low-effort planning that fits into hectic schedules without adding stress.
Families
Portion-aware weekly planners that account for different household sizes and preferences.
Health & Diet-Restricted Users
Safe, filtered meals that respect dietary restrictions and health goals.
Fitness-Focused Users
Goal-aligned meal plans that support specific fitness and nutrition targets.
What Users Really Need
Core User Needs
  • Personalisation without complexity—smart defaults that just work
  • Flexibility to change plans mid-week when life happens
  • Ability to reuse meals that worked before, building a personal library
  • Quick decision-making support for the daily "what should I eat?" question
A Personalised, Stress-Free Meal Planning App
Our solution puts life first, recipes second. Through adaptive onboarding, we learn about your household, goals, dietary needs, and available time. From there, the app generates weekly meal plans in under 10 minutes—no endless scrolling or decision paralysis.
How It Works
01
Adaptive Onboarding
Share your household size, dietary goals, restrictions, and available cooking time in a quick, conversational flow.
02
Weekly Meal Planning
Generate a full week's plan in under 10 minutes, with smart suggestions based on your preferences.
03
Daily Suggestions
Get "What should I eat today?" recommendations that adapt to your pantry and schedule.
04
Pantry-Based Recommendations
Use what you already have at home with meal suggestions built around your ingredients.
05
One-Tap Recipe Access
Jump straight into cooking with clear, step-by-step recipes when you need them.
Value Proposition
Fewer decisions. Smarter plans. Meals that fit your life.
We've designed an experience that removes friction at every step. Instead of overwhelming users with thousands of recipes, we focus on intelligent meal planning that adapts to real-world constraints—time, budget, dietary needs, and what's already in the kitchen.
The result is a calmer, more intentional approach to eating well.
Key Features That Make It Work
Weekly Planner
See your entire week at a glance, with the flexibility to swap meals or regenerate plans instantly.
Pantry Integration
Track what you have and get suggestions that minimise waste and shopping trips.
Simple Recipe View
Clear instructions, ingredient lists, and cooking times—no distractions or endless blog posts.
Smart Personalisation
The app learns your preferences over time and improves suggestions without requiring constant input.
Design Principles
Life-First, Not Recipe-First
We start with your schedule, goals, and constraints—then surface recipes that actually work for you.
Reduce Cognitive Load
Every screen is designed to help users make fewer decisions, not more. Smart defaults and clear pathways guide the experience.
Flexible by Default
Plans should adapt to life, not the other way around. Users can adjust, skip, or regenerate meals anytime.
Warm & Approachable
Visual design uses soft orange, cream, and neutral tones to create a calming, inviting experience.
Prototype Walkthrough
The prototype demonstrates how users can quickly personalise their experience, generate a weekly plan, and access recipes with minimal effort. It showcases the onboarding flow, weekly meal planner screen, and recipe detail view—all designed with simplicity and clarity in mind.
View Prototype
Next Steps
Moving Forward
We're focused on validating the core experience through user testing, refining key features based on feedback, and preparing for a phased launch. The goal is to ensure the app truly reduces decision fatigue and fits seamlessly into users' lives.
We believe this approach to meal planning will resonate with anyone who values eating well but struggles with the daily logistics of making it happen.
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