Dietary Requirements

I decided to continue developing the idea of an app to make living with a dietary requirement easier. I initially mind mapped what dietary requirements look like for different people.

The Issues Dietary Requirements / Restrictions Pose

1. Allergies and Food Intolerances: Many people have allergies or intolerances to certain foods or ingredients. These can range from common allergens like peanuts, shellfish, or dairy, to less common ones such as gluten or soy. Dietary restrictions due to allergies or intolerances can make it challenging to find suitable food options and may require careful label-reading or dining out considerations.
2. Medical Conditions: Individuals with medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or kidney problems often need to follow specific dietary guidelines. These may involve restrictions on certain nutrients like sodium, sugar, cholesterol, or saturated fats. Meeting these requirements can be difficult and may require careful meal planning, monitoring, and working closely with healthcare professionals.
3. Cultural and Religious Beliefs: Different cultures and religions may have dietary restrictions or requirements. For example, some religious practices might prohibit the consumption of certain meats, while others might emphasise vegetarianism or veganism. Adhering to these dietary guidelines may pose challenges in terms of finding appropriate food options, maintaining social interactions, or dining out.
4. Vegetarianism and Veganism: Individuals who choose to follow a vegetarian or vegan diet abstain from consuming animal products. While these dietary choices can have several health benefits, they may also require careful planning to ensure sufficient intake of essential nutrients like protein, iron, calcium, and vitamin B12, which are typically found in animal-based foods.
5. Availability and Accessibility: Dietary requirements can pose challenges in terms of availability and accessibility of suitable food options. In some regions or communities, it may be difficult to find or afford a wide variety of nutritious foods that meet specific requirements, such as organic produce or specialty dietary products.

Managing dietary requirements often requires careful planning, education, and support from healthcare professionals, dieticians, or nutritionists. This can affect so many aspects of your life. I mind mapped some of the issues I face or have faced below.

Solving the Problem

I decided to ideate on how to solve the problem through the use of user journeys. In these, I took some of the problems raised in the mind map above and began to solve these, detailing the steps a user would take to achieve a task that was difficult previously.