Finding a restaurant—and avoiding the allergy-sensitive food options that restaurants provide—is a challenge for UAT alumnus Kyle Tommet. That is why he created a prototype for the Food Meister app when he was a student. Tommet, who has a passion for food and technology (he holds degrees in both Culinary Arts and Advancing Computer Science here at UAT), came up with a real solution to a real-world problem: food allergies.
The app serves a real purpose. Up to 15 million Americans suffer from food allergies and many find it difficult to locate restaurants in their area that cater to them. Food Meister could change this for once and for all.
The Food Meister app works like this: Users who are allergic to certain foods open Food Meister on their Apple or Android device and find suitable restaurants in their local area. People allergic to peanuts, for example, can search for places that don't have peanuts on their menu. Once users have found the perfect location, they can get directions to the restaurant.
Food Meister utilizes a proprietary software framework that incorporates mobile and web. Users can create up to four profiles and enable or disable them when they locate a suitable restaurant. This framework allows them to filter results based on the profile which initiated the search. Plus, Food Meister will remember users' previous visits so they only need to sign into the app once.
Prototype Design
The app has three prototypes: Android, iOS and a web portal that allows restaurants to upload their nutritional information. Both of the mobile apps utilize their native languages (Swift/Xcode on iOS and Java/Android Studio on Android).
Innovation
Food Meister filters local map search results based on users' allergy profiles. As a result, the app only shows users local restaurants that match the information they provided when they registered. This makes it easier for users to find locations that don't serve allergy-sensitive food options.
Do you have an idea that could benefit the world? To discover more about mobile and web design at UAT, head over to uat.edu/digital-marketing-degree.
