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Created May 3, 2025 15:11
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"What Should I Eat?" Picker - Product Requirements Document

Overview

The "What Should I Eat?" Picker is a fun, lightweight web application designed to help indecisive food lovers quickly decide on their next meal by generating random, appetizing suggestions at the click of a button.

User Profile

Primary User: Indecisive food enthusiasts who regularly struggle to choose what to eat.

User Need: These users experience decision fatigue when it comes to meal choices, often spending excessive time deliberating between options or defaulting to the same meals repeatedly.

User Goal: To quickly receive appealing meal suggestions that simplify the decision-making process.

Problem Statement

Meal decision-making creates several pain points:

  • Decision paralysis when faced with too many meal options
  • Wasted time deliberating between choices
  • Tendency to fall back on the same limited rotation of meals
  • Lack of inspiration for new meal ideas
  • Household disagreements about what to eat

Users need a simple, fun tool that removes the burden of decision-making while introducing variety to their meal choices.

Product Goals

  1. Eliminate meal decision fatigue
  2. Provide diverse and appealing food suggestions
  3. Create a delightful, friction-free user experience
  4. Encourage culinary exploration and variety

Features & Requirements

Core Features

  1. Random Meal Generator

    • One-click interface to generate suggestions
    • Visually appealing food imagery
    • Option to refresh for new suggestions
    • Basic meal description
  2. Preference Filtering

    • Dietary restriction toggles (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free)
    • Meal type selection (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack)
    • Cuisine preferences (Italian, Mexican, Asian, etc.)
    • Complexity level (quick & easy, moderate, gourmet)
  3. Save Favorites

    • Ability to bookmark appealing suggestions
    • View history of previously suggested meals
    • Quick access to favorite selections
  4. Decision Finalization

    • "I'll eat this!" confirmation button
    • Brief celebratory animation/message
    • Optional sharing of decision

User Interface

  1. Main Generator Screen

    • Large, appetizing food imagery
    • Prominent meal name and brief description
    • Big, accessible "Generate Meal Idea" button
    • Simple preference controls
  2. Preference Panel

    • Intuitive filter toggles and selectors
    • Visual indicators of active filters
    • Quick reset option
    • Collapsible for mobile view
  3. Visual Design

    • Appetizing color palette
    • Food-related visual elements
    • Playful, friendly typography
    • Subtle animations for state changes

Technical Requirements

  1. Frontend

    • HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (or React for component structure)
    • Responsive design prioritizing mobile use
    • Accessible interface (WCAG 2.1 compliance)
  2. Core Components

    • Food suggestion database/array
    • Random selection algorithm with filtering
    • Local storage for favorites and history
    • Basic animation system
  3. Performance Requirements

    • Near-instant suggestion generation
    • Smooth image loading and transitions
    • Minimal initial load time
    • Offline functionality for basic features

Success Metrics

  1. User Engagement

    • Daily active users
    • Average session duration
    • Number of suggestions generated per session
  2. User Behavior

    • Frequency of filter usage
    • "I'll eat this!" confirmation rate
    • Return usage patterns (mealtime correlation)
  3. User Feedback

    • Helpfulness ratings
    • Suggestion quality feedback
    • Feature satisfaction survey

Future Enhancements (v2)

  1. Recipe links for suggested meals
  2. Local restaurant suggestions based on meal type
  3. Meal planning functionality for multiple days
  4. Group decision mode for households
  5. Integration with grocery delivery services

Timeline (2-Day Hackathon)

  • Day 1 - Morning: Concept finalization & UI sketching
  • Day 1 - Afternoon: Food database creation & randomization algorithm
  • Day 1 - Evening: Basic UI implementation & generator functionality
  • Day 2 - Morning: Preference filters & favorites system
  • Day 2 - Afternoon: Visual styling, animations & usability improvements
  • Day 2 - Evening: Final testing & demo preparation
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