Recipe App Components

Overview

A recipe app designed to preserve family recipes while supporting allergy-friendly substitutions and fridge-based filtering. Role: UX Designer & Database Architect
Tools: Figma, MySQL, Adalo (no-code)

Problem

I wanted a way to preserve my mother’s and grandmother’s recipes—dishes full of tradition, but often undocumented or unmeasured. But I also have food allergies and intolerances, and needed a system that could recommend safe substitutions without losing the spirit of the dish. Existing recipe apps didn’t support this dual need. They were either too impersonal, didn’t filter by what I had on hand, or ignored allergen tagging altogether.

My Approach

• Discovery: Documented handwritten family recipes and cleaned up inconsistent formats
• User Needs: Prioritized allergen-aware design and "what’s-in-my-fridge" filtering for everyday usability
• Database Design: Built a MySQL schema with tables for recipes, ingredients, substitutions, dietary tags, user profiles, and fridge inventory
• UX Prototyping: Designed a mobile-first Figma prototype with flows for saving recipes, entering allergies, and browsing based on fridge contents
• No-Code MVP: Created a working prototype in Adalo using design principles + logic to simulate premium filters and safe substitutions

UX Decisions

• Allergen-aware ingredient tagging: Every ingredient in the database was tagged with potential allergens (e.g. dairy, gluten, soy), enabling the app to flag unsafe recipes and offer safe substitutes.
• “Fridge filter” search flow: Instead of requiring users to browse endless recipes, the app allows filtering based on ingredients already on hand, reducing decision fatigue and food waste.
• Substitution suggestions built into recipe view: Rather than hiding substitutions in a settings panel, alternatives appear directly beneath flagged ingredients, keeping the cooking flow uninterrupted.
\
• Minimalist, mobile-first layout: Designed with everyday use in mind—especially for users cooking in real-time—layouts emphasize quick readability, large touch targets, and low visual noise.
• Cultural context preserved: Family recipe entries allow for optional “notes from mom” fields and support for approximate or flexible ingredient quantities, acknowledging the lived way many home recipes are passed down.
• Freemium logic introduced gently: Advanced filters (e.g. “gluten-free + in-fridge + under 20 min”) are part of a soft upsell moment, reinforcing value without interrupting the user experience.

Final Build

Complete backend schema in MySQL with test data and substitution logic Figma prototype of main flows: add/view recipes, filter by available ingredients, swap for allergens Adalo no-code version functional for concept testing

Reflection

This was a deeply personal project that reminded me why UX matters. Designing for allergy safety, cultural preservation, and everyday ease made me think differently about user needs—especially for small but meaningful tasks. I'm proud of building something custom to my life that others with similar needs could benefit from. Next, I'd love to build a full-stack version that learns from user behavior and makes substitution suggestions smarter over time.