App Showcase: Intent

What it does

Intent is a mobile app designed to simplify meal planning and healthy eating. It functions as a personal diet assistant that creates customized meal plans based on an individual's health goals, dietary restrictions, and taste preferences. The app's core function is to eliminate the guesswork in dieting by providing a structured plan, complete with recipes and an automatically generated grocery list.

Where it shines

The app excels at creating a feeling of deep personalization from the very beginning. The onboarding quiz is exceptionally thorough, covering everything from disliked ingredients (01:08) to cooking skills (01:29), making the user feel truly understood. The swipe-to-rate taste profiler (02:12) is a standout interaction that makes data collection engaging. After the plan is created, the granular customization flow (04:16) empowers the user by allowing them to easily swap out any meal they don't like, reinforcing a sense of control over their diet.

UX highlights

• Gamified Onboarding: The use of a Tinder-style swipe interface for rating recipes (02:12) turns a tedious task into a quick and enjoyable interaction.
• Tangible Goal Setting: When selecting a weight loss pace, the app displays a dynamic graph (01:45) that visualizes the user's projected progress, making the goal feel more concrete.
• Guided Customization: Instead of dropping the user into a complex editor, the app walks them through reviewing each part of their new plan (breakfast, lunch, etc.) one by one (04:15), which serves as a gentle tutorial.
• Pantry Check: Before finalizing the grocery list, the app prompts the user to check off common ingredients they already own (05:07), a thoughtful touch that increases the list's practical value.
• Integrated Experience: The journey from meal plan to grocery list is seamless. The app automatically compiles all necessary ingredients, which can then be checked off or even sent to a shopping service (06:08).

Monetization & growth

The app employs a pay-to-proceed model, gating the finalized meal plan behind a subscription. After the extensive personalization quiz, the user lands on a paywall at 03:13 that offers an annual plan with a 7-day free trial. The paywall uses social proof like an 'App of the Day' badge and review counts to build trust. It also presents a clear visual timeline of the trial period. After subscribing, the user must still create an account (03:38), ensuring user retention even if the subscription is later canceled.

Who it’s for

Intent is clearly designed for individuals who are serious about achieving specific dietary goals, such as weight loss or healthy eating, but lack the time or knowledge to plan their meals effectively. It appeals to users who value structure, personalization, and convenience. The detailed customization options also make it suitable for those with particular food dislikes or preferences who have struggled with generic, one-size-fits-all diet plans.

Notes & opportunities

The onboarding is very long, which could lead to some user drop-off despite its quality. While the personalization is a strength, the sheer number of steps might test some users' patience. A potential friction point is the lack of a clear 'back' button during the multi-step quiz, which could frustrate users who make a mistake. Finally, the app asks for a rating (02:33) before the user has even seen the core product (the meal plan), which might be premature for gathering meaningful feedback.