Behind the simple idea was enormous complexity, including leveraging AI to match recipe ingredients to the Albertsons catalog. My task was to take the existing recipe screens and figure out how to add significant new functionality (e.g., scan your own recipe by photo or URL) without overloading or slowing users down.

New functionality included calculating ingredient amounts across multiple recipes, accounting for what was already in the cart, and remembering personal preferences like gluten-free or organic. Users could also set a total weekly budget, number of meals, and number of servings, with costs tracked in real time as recipes were added. Each addition was a potential point of confusion. My job was to make sure none of them felt like one.

Analysis

I started with user research to understand how customers actually plan meals. I also conducted a landscape analysis of competitive meal-planning apps to identify best practices and gaps and understand the flows users might already know.

From that analysis, I mapped a step-by-step content journey across the updated flow, integrating recipe discovery, budget filters, and health goals in sequence rather than surfacing everything at once. Working with UX and product, I identified where new functionality could be introduced in context, such as a prompt to add ingredients appearing only after a recipe was saved.

Solution

For each new function, I examined the existing copy and flow to find integration points that minimized cognitive load. I identified unobtrusive placements within existing screens to inform users of options like adding all ingredients to their cart, selecting just some, or swapping items for alternatives. I wrote and A/B tested each piece of new copy before implementation.

For launch, I wrote new onboarding screens to introduce the expanded functionality to existing users, and developed go-to-market copy to promote the feature across channels.

Outcome

Within the first six weeks of launch, Shoppable Recipes saw a significant jump in both feature adoption and engagement. The feature earned several industry awards that year, including a Webby.