SafeEats
The companion for individuals with dietary restrictions.
Role
UI/UX designer
Timeline
2 weeks
Tools
Figma
FigJam
Adobe Illustrator
Team
Solo
BACKGROUND
Managing food allergies is tough enough—but trying to eat out or travel with them? As someone with multiple food allergies, eating out is honestly one of the most stressful parts of my day. Whether I’m traveling or just grabbing lunch with friends, I’m constantly worried about what’s in my food; I’m always double-checking menus, asking waiters about ingredients, and scanning food labels. Dining out should be enjoyable, not anxiety-inducing. How can individuals safely eat out and avoid allergens that could trigger a reaction?
PROBLEM
Research & User Interviews
About 11% of Americans have at least one food allergy. To better understand the daily challenges these individuals face, I surveyed 32 people who live with food allergies—focusing on how they navigate dining out, especially while traveling. The goal was to identify pain points, understand existing workarounds, and uncover opportunities to design a safer, more confident dining experience.
Here are the main questions I asked them and the insights I received from their responses:
How severe are you food allergies?
5.5 average out of 10
How anxious do you feel eating out?
6.8 average out of 10
Allergic reaction while eating out?
54% said yes
What is your primary worry when traveling with food allergies?
The responses made it clear: the challenge isn’t just the allergies themselves, but the constant uncertainty around information, safety, and trust—especially in unfamiliar settings.
DESIGN PROCESS
Using the information from the user survey, I brainstormed any potential ideas for the app using a user flow diagram.
After defining the user flow, I moved into mid-fidelity wireframes to refine the layout, emphasizing intuitive navigation and visual clarity.
SOLUTION
Custom profile
SafeEats starts with a personalized onboarding flow where users input their allergies and dietary restrictions. This ensures all recommendations and alerts are tailored to their needs.
Personalized experience
Each user receives a tailored dining experience, with restaurant recommendations based on their allergies and dietary needs. When dining with a friend, the app adjusts to accommodate both users’ restrictions.
Comprehensive restaurant details
SafeEats breaks down menu ingredients and flags allergens instantly, helping users avoid risks. Users can also view each restaurant’s safety and contamination history.
Allergen-detecting translator
The allergen-detecting translator scans labels, highlights allergens, and ensures safe dining—for different languages.
Food safety alerts
SafeEats sends real-time, location-based alerts about nearby food safety risks like contamination or hidden allergens.
DESIGN PROCESS
TAKEAWAYS
Precision matters when safety is involved: This project made it clear that when designing for health and safety—especially in high-stakes scenarios like food allergies—clarity and precision aren’t optional, they’re essential. Every design choice, from icon placement to text hierarchy, had to prioritize speed, accuracy, and trust.
Even small UI details can affect user trust: Something as simple as emphasizing the allergen with a red outline or improving recall alert hierarchy helped users feel more confident in the product’s reliability.