LeanLife App
A practical approach to sustainable weight loss for Nigerian Women.
- Sector
- Health and Wellness
- Challenge
- The LeanLife app wants to tackle the problem of obesity among Nigerian women by allowing users create personalised meal plans using their favourite local foods.
- My Contribution
- User Research, User testing, UI Design, Wire framing and Prototyping
- Project Time
- 5 weeks
- Tools
- Figma, Miro, FigJam, Google Meet
Background of the problem
Obesity is a global health crisis associated with severe conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and reduced lifespans, and it’s expensive to treat. According to WHO, over 650 million adults out of 1.9 billion adults in 2016 are considered obese. A recent study in the Journal of Public Health in Africa and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that:
“the percentage of obese adults increased from 7.0% to 8.3% in 2018, with women having a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity compared to men”
It is known to affect various demographics; middle-aged women and young adults are notably impacted. Obesity is often attributed to a lack of physical activity and limited nutritional knowledge. In Nigeria where the focus lies, a study in BMC Health in 2021 revealed that
“many Nigerian diets are deficient in fruits, vegetables, and protein, while being high in unhealthy fats and carbohydrates”
If we don’t address obesity in Nigeria, it will get worse. A big fraction of the population will suffer from obesity related issues, leading to shorter lifespans, making the society less healthy and productive.
User Interviews
The first thing I did was to send out a survey form to recruit my target audience for a one-on-one interview. The recruitment criteria for my target audience are as detailed below:
- female participants (Nigerian) living in any part of the world;
- within the age range of 18 to 40 years;
- women who are either considered obese and aren’t happy with how their bodies look;
- women actively trying to weight loss through dieting;
- women who have made previous attempts to lose weight;
- postpartum mums or women who had babies in the last two years
- women who have been diagnosed with hormonal and endocrine disorders: PCOS, Endometriosis, Hypothyroidism etc.
After screening, I interviewed 10 people who fit these criteria and made sure to carefully write down their important feedback.
Key Insights
#1
For most participants, intermittent fasting, portion control, and regular exercise was the most successful weight loss methods so far.
#3
Some participants preferred structured diet plans, while others, opted for flexible plan due to busy schedules, taste preferences, and convenience.
#5
Taking body measurement using a weight scale and dropping dress sizes were primary means of tracking their progress and measuring success
#7
Their common frustration while trying to lose weight includes slow progress, fluctuation in weight loss progress, managing craving and busy schedule.
#2
Some participants mentioned struggling to maintain their desired weight loss over time, indicating a need for sustainable method for a long-term weight maintenance.
#4
Most participants confessed to not tracking their daily nutrition intake and follows inconsistent eating patterns, citing a need for more organised dietary guidance.
#6
Local Nigerian foods were a prominent part of the daily diets of all the participants.
#8
Their motivations to lose weight or maintain a healthy body weight includes improving overall health, increasing energy levels, boosting self-confidence, achieving personal fitness goals, preparing for an event and managing a medical condition.
Actionable Takeaways
Develop tailored meal plans that consider users’ dietary preferences and restrictions to help promote balanced and consistent eating routines.
Research on methods to help women overcome common challenges related to controlling portion sizes, staying active and managing cravings effectively.
Think and come up with features that will help address user frustrations linked to slow progress.
Come up with ways to help women sustain their weight loss progress in the long term.
Research on how to incorporate user’s favourite variety of cultural foods in their meal plans while still assisting them in achieving their goal of sustainable weight loss.
User Persona
I went ahead to create a primary persona for this study in order to ensure that my solutions are tailored to the specific requirements and needs of the users.
"How can we help Nigerian women maintain weight loss, stick to meal plans, control portion sizes, stay motivated, and see faster results?"
How i solved this problem?
- I designed an app to help them plan their meals by choosing their favourite foods while putting their dietary preferences & restrictions into consideration.
- I introduced exercise programs and provided articles/daily tips to offer support to users throughout their weight loss program.
- To keep users in track of their progress over time, I added in-app notifications to remind users to tick what they eat every day and update their weight weekly.
- For each meal, I provided a recipe to ensure portion control, promote a balanced diet, and curb unhealthy cravings.
- I used gamification to boost motivation and enhance user engagement by allowing users to earn a badge for each kg of weight they lose.
- I used weight & body measurements as a metric to track success which is the method users are familiar with.
Market Research and Feature analysis
To create an app that will cater for some of the demands for customised meal plans, I analysed top meal apps like LifeSum and Noom, alongside Nigerian online weight loss platforms like Lose it Nigerian (LIN) and Shredder Gang. This comparison revealed strengths and areas for improvement, shaping my approach to deliver a unique solution.
Unique Value Proposition
For LeanLife App, its unique feature is customised meal plans based on Nigerian local food options. This sets the product apart from the competition. It is also a unique feature not commonly found in other nutrition and meal planner apps available in the app store.
SKETCHES
USer FLOWS
I proceeded to draw user flows for each task a user is trying to accomplish which is Adding a meal and Updating progress while following their meal plan.
Medium-fidelity prototypes
Based on the user flows, I developed medium-fidelity prototypes, which I used to conduct usability testing with real product users. The images below present the screens of these prototypes.
Usability Testing
To test the app’s usability, I conducted usability test sessions with participants from the initial interviews and other target users using the medium-fidelity prototype.
During the sessions, users were asked to complete two tasks: adding a meal to their plan and tracking their progress. By observing their interactions, I was able to identify areas for improvement and gather valuable feedback. This process allowed me to refine the high-fidelity prototypes to better align with users’ needs and preferences.
In addition to their feedback, users found the process of adding a meal to be seamless. They also found the onboarding process to be straightforward, noting that it was clear and easy to follow without being overwhelming or confusing.
High Fidelity Designs
Prototype Video
Brand Identity
UI KITS
Key Learnings and challenges
A major challenge I faced while working on this project was the limited availability of nutritional information on African foods. Many existing resources and articles were either incomplete or lacking specifics. To overcome this, I carefully checked the accuracy of the data I gathered by comparing it with information from different sources making sure that the app gives users accurate nutritional information.
The key learnings were:
- I learned that aesthetics and functionality are important, but they do not guarantee a good user experience if the app is not easy to use.
- Researching Nigerian meals for the app deepened my appreciation for Nigerian cuisine. I revealed the diversity in meals, dishes and food preferences across different regions.
Next steps
After app is launched in the app store, the next steps are to:
- Ensure the app performs efficiently, loads quickly, and has minimal crashes or bugs.
- Identify performance issues and collaborate with developers to address them through updates.
- Consider adding new features or refining existing ones to maintain a competitive edge.
- Use performance analysis tools like Hotjar to monitor engagement metrics, feature usage metrics and drop-off points.