Keaton Taylor

My Role

As the founding Product Designer at Mealthy, I not only spearheaded the design team but also temporarily managed engineering. I had a hand in shaping every feature from concept to V1 launch. Navigating the transition from the first designer to design lead came with its challenges, including setting foundational processes and tooling. I strategically chose Sketch and Abstract for design and prioritized hiring multi-skilled designers capable of front-end coding. While some early decisions posed challenges down the line, they were crucial stepping stones for team growth.

Goals

Mealthy aimed to create a unique, community-driven recipe platform that focused on user experience over advertising. The goal was to combine an online community with a repository of healthy recipes and kitchen tools, positioning Mealthy as a multichannel product and appliance organization. I was initially aided on this path by an engineering partner and our CEO.

Research

Initial research involved competitive analysis and user demographic studies, working with a business intelligence analyst, a CX contractor, and a TPM from Buzzfeed's recently launched food brand.

• - 30 - 40 years old
• - Mostly identify as female (~70/30 split)
• - Household Income ~$100k per year
• - College Educated (at least some college in most cases)
• - Health conscious and digitally savvy

Challenges & Opportunities

Challenges included navigating a saturated market and avoiding the pitfalls of ad-based revenue models. The team also faced the challenge of balancing design, strategy, and implementation. Opportunities included the potential for high user engagement and the ability to create a unique, community-driven platform.

Hypotheses

The team hypothesized that a community-driven approach would lead to higher user engagement and that focusing on user experience would set Mealthy apart in a crowded market.

Design Process & Solutions

The design process involved Branding explorations, wireframing, user testing, and iterative development. Solutions included recruiting experts from AllRecipes and Buzzfeed Tasty, as well as designing unique kitchen appliances like the Multipot Pressure Cooker.

In collaboration with Customer Experience (CX), we rigorously tested our initial wireframes using Usertesting.com and feedback from friends and family. We even pitted our designs against competitors to validate our approach. By using real content in our wireframes, we eliminated guesswork and streamlined the engineering process, with Ryan focusing on Elixir and React, and myself on markup and SCSS.

Within a month, it became evident that my engineering partner and I were stretched thin across design, strategy, and implementation. To bolster the team, I recruited a senior engineer and our first design hire, an AllRecipes alum. As the de facto design lead, my role expanded to include process development, team management, and CEO reporting. The leadership transition was challenging, prompting me to dive into management literature and seek advice from peers.

Around this period, we collaborated with Treble Apps to transition our web presence to native apps. We were fortunate to have Diana, one of their designers, join us part-time, accelerating our design workflow. Our Senior Engineer, John, stepped into a CTO role. Soon after, we hired another designer, Tim, who quickly tackled front-end bottlenecks. Unfortunately, I also had to make the tough decision to let go of a designer, a challenging moment regardless of the circumstances. This experience was truly a test of my own empathy and mettle as a leader.