The meal planner is the core feature of the Workweek Lunch Program. The current functionality allowed users to drag and drop meals from either “All,” “Favorites,” or “Bookmarked” recipe sections. The meal planner then synced with an in-app shopping list so preppers knew which ingredients were needed.

After speaking with users, an easy win would be to introduce the ability to be able to plan for more than one person and allocate for those who eat more or less than three squares a day.

Workweek Lunch heard from preppers over the years that the current meal planner experience is stressful due to unprioritized information taking up most of the screen real estate. This presented the user with an overload of unneeded (or blank) recipe banks instead of their weekly outline.

The shopping list syncs with the meal planner so a prepper can keep track of needed ingredients for the meals they have selected to make. Ingredients are listed by section in the store (produce, pantry, etc.)

After some user testing, many potential users expressed interest in wanting to see a shopping list divided by recipe. These users were urbanites, who frequent the grocery store many times a week and opting to pick up only what they need for one meal at a time to lighten their load while walking.

Preppers didn’t feel confident about the shopping list because the use of bright icons were repeated, clunking up the screen and requiring constant mental calculation on where to look. Often, the item name was on multiple lines due to the repeated icons, decreasing the readability of the tool. A scanable list is valued in high-foot traffic places like grocery stores and farmers markets.

The feedback from preppers was extremely positive, with many noting the improved usability and convenience of the Shopping List. Because the Meal Planner directly influenced what was on the Shopping List, users were delighted that the Planner offered a more enjoyable experience.