PantryPal,
cook with what you have. 🥣
A friendly, simple recipe website that helps users discover meals based on ingredients they already have at home — using AI to assist.
UI/UX DESIGN
1 WEEK - APRIL 2026
AI-ASSISTED
🌀PROJECT OVERVIEW
OUTCOME
Personal UX/UI Case Study
1-Week AI Project
ROLE
UI/UX Designer
End-to-end
TIMELINE
1 Week
April 2026
TOOLS
Figma, Claude Design, Perplexity, ChatGPT, V0.dev, Coolors.co, Visual Electric
🎯 PROJECT GOAL
Turn everyday ingredients into inspiration — not stress.
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
Rethinking a frustrating everyday experience.
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?
I used Perplexity.ai to uncover real complaints and issues users face while browsing recipe websites — going straight to authentic experiences on Reddit and cooking forums.
01
Research method
Prompted Perplexity to surface real complaints from Reddit and cooking forums.
02
Direct quotes
Gathered authentic user voices and grouped the most frequent problems.
03
Patterns > opinions
Categorized recurring pain points before forming any design opinion.
📌 INSIGHTS → DESIGN DECISIONS
Top user pain points, from real quotes
Each insight from my research directly informed a design decision for PantryPal.
“These long intros feel like SEO hacks, not helpful info”
“So many recipe sites lag on mobile or crash my browser”
“Missing ingredient lists, confusing instructions”
“Just because someone posts a recipe doesn’t mean it works”
INSIGHT #1
Ads, auto-play videos, and slow-loading pages
Users hate cluttered, slow recipe websites.
→
DESIGN DECISION
Fast, lightweight, and ad-free
PantryPal is optimized for instant recipe access with no clutter.
INSIGHT #2
Long personal stories before the recipe
Users are tired of scrolling through intros to reach the actual recipe.
→
DESIGN DECISION
Recipe-first hierarchy
Ingredients and steps come first — context lives below, never above.
INSIGHT #3
Poorly written or incomplete recipes
Confusing or missing steps cause failed meals.
→
DESIGN DECISION
AI structures and verifies recipes
PantryPal uses AI to help structure and verify recipes for consistency, clarity, and completeness.
🧩 NAMING THE PRODUCT
Choosing a name with ChatGPT
I prompted ChatGPT for friendly, short, easy-to-remember name ideas — something playful and clever, evoking a warm food-and-recipe vibe. After reviewing suggestions, I chose 🥣 PantryPal. It perfectly aligned with the product’s goal — making cooking with what you already have more delightful.
Friendly
Warm and inviting — like a helpful kitchen companion.
Clear
Communicates the product’s purpose at a glance.
Memorable
Short, playful, and easy to recall.
🎨 DESIGN PROCESS
Turning insights into an effortless UX
The goal: 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.
01
A clean layout
Generated rough page structures with V0.dev to
spark layout and spacing ideas.
02
Minimalist ingredient UI
Focused on simple, low-friction ingredient selection from the start.
03
Recipe detail without distraction
Stripped pages to ingredients, steps, and a clear CTA placement.
📹 FROM RESEARCH TO FIRST CONCEPT
The first PantryPal concept
The goal: 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.
FINAL EXPERIENCE
The moment the product came together
What started as an early design direction evolved through iteration and refinement in Claude Design. As the system matured, the concept was challenged and reshaped until it aligned with real product needs — turning the idea from a design exploration into a complete, working product experience.
🏠 HOMEPAGE
First impressions matter
Designed for simplicity & delight — the homepage introduces PantryPal’s smart ingredient picker, one-click recipe discovery, and visual recipe inspiration at a glance.
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 possible with your pantry items.
🧺 SELECTING INGREDIENTS
Smart ingredient selection
Users quickly select ingredients they already have at home, neatly organized into categories — moving from “what’s in my kitchen” to “what can I cook tonight” without friction.
Intuitive categories
Ingredients are organized logically for quick selection.
Tap-to-select interface
Large, tappable buttons make selection effortless.
AI-powered matching
Selected ingredients become the foundation for personalized recipes.
🍽️ 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 prep 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.
🔁 REFRESH FOR NEW IDEAS
A wide variety, from just a few ingredients
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.
01
Combat recipe fatigue
Never get bored with the same meals again.
02
Discover new cuisines
Explore different cooking styles with the same ingredients.
03
Maximize ingredient potential
Learn how versatile your pantry items can be.
✨ CORE VALUE PROPOSITION
From random pantry items to doable meals, fast.
PantryPal transforms random pantry items into doable meals, fast — eliminating the “what’s for dinner?” dilemma.
🧩 DESIGN SYSTEM FOUNDATIONS
AI-assisted, intentionally simple
I developed a foundational design system to support consistency and scalability across the product. Using Claude Design as a collaborative tool, I explored component variations, refined UI patterns, and accelerated iteration while maintaining control over usability and design decisions.
TYPOGRAPHY
Clear, friendly hierarchy
Type pairings that feel warm and easy to scan.
H4 · SemiBold 18
Body · Regular 16
Small · 14
Caption · 12 Med
SPACING
Predictable rhythm
A small, consistent scale that keeps screens calm.
4
8
16
24
32
48
COLOR
Warm & edible
Coolors.co-driven palette with a soft, kitchen-friendly feel.
COMPONENTS
Reusable patterns
Variants explored with Claude Design for consistency at speed.
chips
buttons
cards
🔮 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.
01 Clear goals + fast iteration beat overthinking
02 AI tools are most powerful as collaborators, not shortcuts
03 Small ideas can meaningfully improve everyday life
🍳 FINAL THOUGHTS
Tools should feel like magic, not chores.
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