Helping users find and optimize meal plans based on ingredient discounts and price tiers
Overview
Context
Goulash is an app that helps people plan meals by offering recipes and ordering groceries directly from the same app. The idea is to help users save money, reduce food waste, and spend less time deciding what to cook.
Problem
The main idea is that you can save money. But when I joined the project, there was nothing showing savings in the user interface.
Process
At first, I suggested setting a price for each meal, but I had to change my idea because we couldn't show specific discounts or prices for individual meals because of local laws. I had to come up with indirect signals that people would still believe.
Outcomes
A savings banner on the recipe page, with a popup explaining how the discount is calculated and which specific ingredients are discounted.
The redesigned cookbook experience — Deals tab for filtered browsing, discount badges on recipe cards, and a savings popup on entry.
Key design decisions
Filter added to find recipes based on discounts for budget options.
Budget goals enable browsing of cost-optimized recipes immediately.
Price comparisons display original and discounted prices for obvious savings.
Shopping cart highlights savings for easy total cost tracking.
Clear cost tiers with price ranges provide a quick, transparent spending overview.
Tier labels set clear spending expectations before meal plan selection.
Savings shown as percentage or dollar amount for clarity.
Ingredients impacting budget are highlighted for smarter choices.