Authentic African meals delivered with love
Afrimeals connects the African diaspora and food lovers with local chefs specializing in traditional cuisine like jollof rice, ugali, chapati, and more.
My Role: Lead UX Designer (Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, Testing)
Duration: 6 months
African communities worldwide struggle to access authentic home-cooked meals through existing food delivery platforms. Our research identified three key pain points:
Limited availability of traditional African restaurants on mainstream apps
Inconsistent quality when ordering "African" food from generic services
Would order more if they could find authentic home-style cooking
We conducted mixed-methods research over 4 weeks to understand our users' needs, behaviors, and pain points.
"I miss my grandmother's cooking. These 'African fusion' places don't taste like home."
"I'd order every week if I could get real Kenyan Githeri, not the watered-down version."
Based on our research, we developed two primary personas representing our target users.
28-45 years old | Urban areas
Goals: Convenient access to authentic meals, support local chefs, maintain cultural connection
Frustrations: Limited options, inconsistent quality, no time to cook traditional meals
22-40 years old | Food enthusiasts
Goals: Discover authentic African cuisine, learn about different cultures through food
Frustrations: Hard to find authentic options, lack of context about dishes
Visualizing what our primary persona thinks, feels, says, and does helps us design with empathy.
"I want convenience but won't compromise on taste"
"How do I know it's authentic?"
"I miss family meals back home"
"Is this worth the price?"
Frustrated by limited options
Nostalgic for home flavors
Orders from the same 2-3 places
Asks friends for recommendations
Mapping the experience from discovery to delivery revealed key opportunities for improvement.
Hears about app from friend
Pain Point: Hard to find authentic options
Downloads app and browses
Need: Clear photos & chef bios
Selects meal and checks out
Opportunity: Customization options
Tracks order in real-time
Fear: Food arriving cold
Shares with friends
Delight: Authentic taste
We structured the app's content and features to create an intuitive user experience.
Low-fidelity wireframes helped us test and refine the core user flows before visual design.
Homepage
Meal description
Order
Checkout Process
Notifications
User Profile
Based on usability testing, we made several improvements to the wireframes:
The final interface combines authentic African aesthetics with modern usability principles, creating a vibrant yet functional experience.
We conducted three rounds of testing with 5 participants each to refine the experience.
Before: Basic food details
After: Enhanced with chef kitchen photos and prep time
The design prototype successfully addresses the authenticity gap.
Design Test Projections
retention likelihood
propensity for repeat ordering
Small details like spice-level customization and chef storytelling significantly increased trust.
Users prioritized taste over delivery time, allowing us to focus on quality.
Chef profiles created personal connections that drove loyalty.
Dish origin stories helped both diaspora and new users appreciate the cuisine.