Meal paddy

A Simple, Smart Way to Plan Nigerian Meals

Duration

3 DAYS

Tools

Figma, Whatsapp, Google forms.

Responsibility

UI/UX DESIGNER

A Personal Problem, A Bigger Idea

Every Sunday evening, I’d find myself sitting with a pen and a notepad, trying to come up with meal ideas for the week. It always felt like a chore. I’d repeat the same meals, forget to check what ingredients I had, or realize halfway through the week that I didn’t plan for lunch. And I wasn’t alone. Friends, family, and even online communities all echoed the same thing: meal planning is frustrating, especially in Nigeria where meal variety is vast but inspiration often runs dry.

So I asked myself: what if there was a simple, fun, no-signup-needed tool that helped people create custom Nigerian meal timetables — fast?

And that’s how Meal Paddy was born.

Gathering Insights from Real Kitchens

Before designing anything, I wanted to know what real people wanted. I ran casual polls, asked on WhatsApp groups, and even had phone calls with friends who cook regularly. A few things stood out:

1 They cared about simplicity :

especially busy parents and students.

2 People want variety :

They were tired of eating the same meals every week.

1 They cared about simplicity :

especially busy parents and students.

2 People want variety :

They were tired of eating the same meals every week.

Bringing Meal Paddy to Life

Meal Paddy is like a buddy that helps you plan your meals without the stress. It asks a few simple questions:

1

How many people are you planning for?

2

How long do you want to plan meals for?

3

Which meals do you want to plan?

4

Are there any ingredients you want to avoid?

Then, boom 🤯 :

It gives you a full meal timetable — no repeats, all Nigerian favorites, clickable links to recipes, and options to download, refresh, or send it to your email.

The Design Process

User Journey Map

This user journey map captures the typical path a user takes from realizing they need to plan meals, to successfully using Meal Paddy to generate a tailored meal timetable. It includes the user’s emotions, touchpoints, pain points, and opportunities — showing how Meal Paddy reduces stress, adds variety, and makes planning meals feel effortless and even fun.

Papper wireframes

Low fidelity wireframes

I wanted Meal Paddy to feel like a modern kitchen tool — colorful, friendly, and easy to use on both desktop and mobile. I sketched a few ideas on paper and quickly moved into Figma. I prioritized:

A clean layout with playful Nigerian food illustrations.

A 3-step planning flow to reduce decision fatigue.

A meal table that feels like a personal chef’s schedule.

I even considered calling it MealPal at first, but I realized Meal Paddy felt more local, more Nigerian.

The Full Design Experience

Every detail , from the layout to the micro copy was designed to make meal planning feel joyful and stress-free.
Whether you’re tapping on your phone or clicking on a laptop, Meal Paddy adapts to how you cook and plan.

Core Features of Meal Paddy

Meal Paddy was designed to be as helpful as that friend who always knows what to cook. Every feature is rooted in solving real kitchen pain points, with ease and delight baked in.

Quick & Smart Planning Form

No lengthy signups or complex settings.
This lightweight form ensures users get what they need in under a minute.

Auto-Generated Timetable

Once the form is submitted, Meal Paddy generates a personalized meal timetable. No repeats, no generic suggestions — just a thoughtful rotation of Nigerian meals tailored to the user’s needs.

Clickable Recipe Links

Each meal on the timetable is linked to a trusted recipe from top Nigerian food blogs. Users who don’t know how to make Ogbono or Yam Porridge can instantly follow a guide — no extra Googling required.

Download, Email, or Refresh

After viewing their plan, users can:
Download a copy for offline use
Send it to their email for later
Refresh the plan for a different combo (because variety is life)

Allergen & Preference Filters

Users can exclude ingredients (like crayfish, pepper, or groundnut) due to allergies or dislikes. They can also choose to only see vegetarian or protein-heavy meals.

A Personal Note

Meal Paddy started with a simple question: “Why is this so hard?” I wanted to create something that solved that frustration in a delightful way. It’s a love letter to Nigerian kitchens, aunties with the best stew recipes, and busy people who just want to eat well.

Built with love, jollof, and a sprinkle of design magic.

Click to view figma file