🥣 PantryPal
Outcome
Personal UX/UI Case Study (1-Week AI Project)
Timeline
1 Week - May 2025
Tools
Figma, Perplexity, ChatGPT, V0.dev, Coolors.co, Visual Electric
Project Goal 🎯
Create a friendly, simple recipe website that helps users discover meals based on ingredients they already have at home — using AI to assist. Built in one week by leveraging modern design and AI tools to reduce common recipe site frustrations and bring joy and speed back to home cooking.
Why This Project? 💡
As a UX designer and home cook, I noticed that recipe websites often feel bloated, slow, and frustrating. I wanted to explore how AI tools could help rethink the recipe experience — and turn everyday ingredients into inspiration, not stress.
🧠 User Research
What Frustrates People About Recipe Websites?
Research Method 🔍
I used Perplexity.ai to uncover real complaints and issues users face while browsing recipe websites.
My prompt was:
"What problems do users commonly report when using online recipe websites? Can you find authentic user experiences and complaints from platforms like Reddit or cooking forums?"
Top User Frustrations (From Real Quotes) 📌
I gathered direct quotes and categorized the most frequent problems users face:
“I just want the damned recipe, not 18 paragraphs about your views on sauce 🍝📖”
“So many recipe sites lag on mobile or crash my browser 📱💥”
“Too many ads. It’s like trying to read a blog inside a casino 💸📢”
“Missing ingredient lists, confusing instructions 📋❓”
“Just because someone posts a recipe doesn’t mean it works 🤔🚩”
“These long intros feel like SEO hacks, not helpful info 🔍📉”
Key Insights 👉 Design Decisions
Each insight from my research directly informed a design decision for PantryPal:
Naming the Product 🧩
To help me brainstorm, I used ChatGPT with the following prompt:
"I’m working on a recipe website that uses AI to suggest recipes based on ingredients users have at home. Can you suggest a list of friendly, short, and easy-to-remember name ideas for this website? The name should evoke a food and recipe vibe, feel inviting, and be memorable. Avoid overly generic names — I’d prefer something a little playful or clever, ideally one or two words."
After reviewing the suggestions, I chose:
🥣 PantryPal
It perfectly aligned with the product’s goal — making cooking with what you already have more delightful.
Friendly 🧑🍳✨
Clear 👀🧼
Memorable 🎉🧠
🎨 Design Process
Turning Insights into an Effortless UX
The Goal 🎯 : To design a clean, modern tool that eliminates clutter and puts users' needs first —
all within a one-week timeline, using AI tools to help speed things up without sacrificing clarity or thoughtfulness.
Wireframes & Initial Structure 🧱
Tools used: Figma, V0.dev
To move fast, I used V0.dev to generate a few rough page structures based on prompts. While many results weren’t exactly what I needed, they sparked ideas for layout, spacing, and interaction flows — especially for the homepage and ingredient selection steps.
A clean layout
Minimalist ingredient selection UI
A recipe detail page without distraction
Clear CTA placement
Interactive Flow: PantryPal in Action 📹
🏠 Homepage: First Impressions Matter
Designed for Simplicity & Delight
🏠
Clean & Welcoming Homepage
First impressions that invite users to jump right in
🥕
Smart Ingredient Picker
Categorized for quick, intuitive selection
👨🍳
One-Click Recipe Discovery
From ingredients to delicious meals in seconds
🍽️
Visual Recipe Inspiration
See what's with your pantry items
🧺 Selecting Ingredients
Smart Ingredient Selection
Users quickly select ingredients they already have at home, neatly organized into categories:
Protein
Veggies
Grains
Dairy
Herbs
1
Intuitive Categories
Ingredients are organized logically for quick selection
2
Tap-to-Select Interface
Large, tappable buttons make selection effortless
3
AI-Powered Matching
Selected ingredients become the foundation for personalized recipes
✨ Why This Works
The clean toggle system and intentionally simple interaction reduce friction, helping users quickly move from "what's in my kitchen" to "what can I cook tonight" without frustration.
🍽️ Generating Recipe Matches
AI-Powered Recipe Suggestions
Once ingredients are selected, users tap "Show Me Recipes" to instantly view AI-curated meal ideas that match what they have on hand.
⏱️
Quick Preparation Times
Recipes prioritize speed and simplicity for busy cooks
👩🍳
Clear Visual Guidance
Appetizing images show what the finished dish
will look like
📝
Simple Ingredient Lists
Focus on what you already have, with minimal additional items
✨ Core Value Proposition
PantryPal transforms random pantry items into doable meals, fast—eliminating the "what's for dinner?" dilemma.
🔁 Refresh for New Ideas
Endless Recipe Possibilities
Even with just two ingredients, PantryPal's AI can generate a wide variety of recipe suggestions. With each tap of "Refresh Recipes", users discover new, diverse meal ideas.
1
Combat Recipe Fatigue
Never get bored with same meals again
2
Discover New Cuisines
Explore different cooking styles with the same ingredients
3
Maximize Ingredient Potential
Learn how versatile your pantry items can be
✨ Why This Matters
This feature emphasizes PantryPal's flexibility and creative potential, showing users they can create diverse meals even with limited ingredients.
Retrospective 🔮
🧺 What I Learned
Building PantryPal in just a week reminded me how much can be achieved with clear goals, fast iteration, and the right tools
(hi AI 👋). From identifying real user pain points to delivering a smooth, joyful recipe experience, this project showed me that even small ideas can make daily life better.
🍳 Final Thoughts
PantryPal isn’t just a concept — it’s a reminder that tools should feel like magic, not chores. I’m proud of how this prototype turned out, and even more excited to keep exploring how AI and UX can work together to make everyday tasks easier (and more fun).
Other works
Built one thoughtful prompt at a time ✍️
Designed in Figma, made in Framer
2025