Foodle
Social Dining Adventure App
Overview
Foodle is a mobile app concept that aims to connect adventurous food lovers through shared culinary experiences, blending swipe-based matching with personalized food preferences.
The Concept
Foodle addresses the gap in social food discovery apps by making it fun and easy to find dining buddies for trying new cuisines. This need was found during conversations with friends post COVID-19 pandemic, as a need for people living away from families in isolation for a companion and food seemed to be the universal connector.
Ideation
"Eating out is pretty awesome. But finding someone who appreciates food for adventures can be troublesome."
People crave new culinary experiences, but solo dining or mismatched companions often hold them back. How can we make discovering shared food adventures more seamless and exciting?
Research
What is so hard to match with someone?
From user interviews and surveys, key challenges emerged regarding compatibility and coordination.
Discovery
To better understand user behaviors in food discovery, we surveyed 25 enthusiasts aged 22-35 and audited apps like Yelp, Tinder, and Meetup. This uncovered a four-stage process for shared culinary adventures:
- Planning: Brainstorming cuisines or spots
- Matching: Finding compatible partners
- Dining: The shared experience
- Reviewing: Reflecting for future outings
The linear flow exposed inefficiencies, like switching platforms, highlighting the need for an integrated solution.
Core Insight: Users demanded quick personalized suggestions. Foodle's swiping mechanism addresses this by enabling "food compatibility scores"—algorithmic matches based on dietary restrictions, spice tolerance, and adventure levels.
Models & Vision
Analyzed findings with graphs and mind maps to structure the app.
Navigation Overview
The bottom navigation bar features a launch screen with profile setup, a Swipe tab for discovery, an Explore tab for curated spots, a Chat tab for planning, and a Profile tab for personal logs.
Key Features
Comprehensive Match Information
The match profile card provides essential details for quick, confident swipes. Displayed information is simplified with prominent cuisine badges, dietary icons, adventure level tags, and bio highlights. Deeper details like interests and past dining experiences are organized below to avoid overwhelming the initial view.
Seamless Planning
With in-app chat and sharing features, users can easily coordinate dining plans. They can share restaurant ideas, availability, and export the full plan (including spot details and time) to invite friends or post on social media.
Design Details
Branding
Why "Foodle"?
"Foodle" combines "food" and "doodle" for playful exploration, or nods to "noodle" for fun eats—symbolizing casual, adventurous connections.
It's memorable and tied to the joy of sharing meals.