Sans Gluten
Empowering Celiac Foodies to Dine-out
This project was a deep dive into UI/UX design, where I developed an application that reimagines the restaurant review experience for individuals with celiac disease. Partnering with the Canadian Celiac Association as the hypothetical client, the goal was to create a vibrant and uplifting foodie community app that celebrates dining out without worry.
The app serves as a safe space for people with celiac disease, primarily aged 18-60, to share and discover gluten-free dining options. It distinguishes between celiac-safe, gluten-free, and gluten-friendly spaces through a clear and vibrant colour-coded system, ensuring users can navigate dining choices effortlessly. Secondary audiences include those with gluten intolerance or loved ones of celiacs.
Straying from the clinical tones often found in health-focused content, I prioritized a playful and editorial visual identity. With bold colours and engaging elements inspired by the vibrancy of the food industry, the app balances the seriousness of celiac disease with the joy of being a foodie. My research was rooted in my personal experiences as a celiac and food enthusiast and the functional requirements of a restaurant rating app, my frustrations with the current competitors and blending usability with delight.
“Ease-o-meter”
The goal of Sans Glutens colour focused design approach is to create a visual language for regular users to quickly identify between restaurants and options that match their comfort levels and needs.
New locations continuously pop up with “Gluten free” options and you see in competitor apps that many celiacs thankfully take the risk to try them out and they will share their findings with the community in the review sections of those apps. It’s always a risk to go out to dinner for those of us with celiac disease but its a really kind and beautiful thing to see so i wanted to highlight this community spirit and anxiety through the “ease-o-meter”.
Process
From Vision to Creation: Designing Sans Gluten
The design process began with extensive research to define the project goals, user benefits, and identify a niche in the market. Personas were developed to better understand the primary and secondary audiences. The visual direction took shape with these foundations, exploring colour schemes and conceptual directions.
Prototyping was the next step, starting with user flows and wireframes, leading to a low-fidelity prototype. This transitioned into UI design, where a comprehensive design system and component library were established. Interactive prototypes brought the app to life, followed by rigorous testing with focus groups. Based on user feedback, adjustments were made to refine the user flow and experience.
Through this thorough process, the app evolved from early sketches to a polished, functional design. Each stage—from defining user benefits and mapping user flows to creating a vibrant design system—was carefully executed to ensure the final product met the needs of its audience. The iterative nature of the process allowed for experimentation and refinement, ensuring the app not only functioned seamlessly but also delivered a joyful and inclusive user experience.
Outcome
Vibrant and Functional
The final app design brought together a bold colour scheme and the intuitive “ease-o-meter,” a feature that visually communicated the level of ease users could expect when exploring dining options. This design system was not only functional but also added a layer of accessibility and confidence for users.
Through this project, I gained valuable insights into UX/UI research and problem-solving techniques, ensuring the app was both intentional and user-friendly. The process reinforced the importance of balancing aesthetic appeal with practicality, resulting in a product that I believe meets the needs of its audience.
Sans Gluten
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