MealMates
Cooking without conflict
Product Design, Product Innovation
Product Innovation, Product Design
This case study is in progress 🚧
In the meantime, white paper slides can be found here!
Context
What is MealMates?
MealMates is an intuitive kitchen coordination platform that transforms the chaotic, often frustrating experience of shared cooking spaces into a seamless collaborative rhythm. Through synchronized schedules and real-time availability tracking, I reimagined kitchen conflicts as opportunities for connection, creating an interface where meal planning becomes effortless and communal.
Developed as a capstone project for a class of mine (Technology and Human Interaction) during winter quarter, MealMates represents our vision for technology that doesn't just solve logistical problems, but nurtures community through everyday interactions in shared living spaces. As the lead product designer in my team, I led the design strategy and product vision, designing the end-to-end experience of MealMates.
The Problem
Uncoordinated meal plans and cooking timing spark roommate tensions, stress, and food waste 🗑️
When college juniors transition off-campus, they face a perfect storm of new responsibilities: they must suddenly manage meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking — all while navigating shared kitchen spaces with multiple roommates. Northwestern's mandatory two-year on-campus housing requirement creates a jarring shift from structured dining hall convenience to kitchen chaos and coordination challenges, adding significant stress to already demanding academic schedules. Through developing MealMates, we aimed to address this critical transition point where limited kitchen access meets newfound food independence.