CHILLASAURS
Application prototype
Chillasaurs is a kitchen-centric IoT prototype designed to modernise the interaction between users and their appliances. Developed as a smart fridge solution, the project optimises food and appliance management by integrating real-time inventory tracking and climate control within an intuitive interface tailored for daily household workflows.
Project Type
UI/UX
Team
Daniel Yeo
Year
2025
Problem Statement
Individuals struggling with managing fridge contents, expiration dates and meal planning due to a lack of real-time visibility.
Goals & Objectives
Enable users to view fridge inventory remotely, reduce waste, and inspire recipe ideas based on available ingredients.
Target Audience
Busy individuals that wishes to prepare home-cooked meals and being able to track ingredients and food products in their fridges.
User Research
To better understand the needs, challenges, and behaviours of my target audience, I conducted in-depth interviews with selected participants. The excerpts below capture key moments and insights that shaped my design direction.
"By the time I get home from work, I forget what’s in the fridge. I’ve bought duplicates so many times, and half the time something goes bad before I even remember it’s there."
– Business Professional, 25 🧑🏼💼
"I want to start cooking more at home but it’s hard for me to know exactly what ingredients I have. Online recipes aren’t consistent [some use Celsius while others Fahrenheit] and it’s tricky to convert temperatures on the go while I’m cooking."
– University Student, 22 🧑🏻🎓
Persona
Informed by the research findings, I crafted a basic user persona to represent the typical journey of someone managing their fridge and meal planning.
Kelvin Tan
Pain Points
These key pain points were identified through in-depth user conversations and reflected in the persona, highlighting gaps between user needs and current solutions.
Lack of real-time fridge visibility 🧊🔍
Users often forget what’s at home, leading to food waste and duplicate purchases. Checking the fridge isn’t always possible, especially when they’re away.
No support for hands-free kitchen tasks🧂⏱️
When hands are full, tasks like cooking or carrying items make app use difficult. Users need layouts designed for easier one-handed navigation.
Unsure what meals to make with ingredients 🍽️🤔
Users struggle to find meal ideas based on what's already in their fridge. Most recipe apps don’t sync with available ingredients, requiring manual effort to find relevant meals.
Challenge Statement
To design a platform that enables users to keep track of their fridge contents on the go, while also providing meal recipes based on available ingredients, and supporting hands-free or one-handed use for kitchen tasks when users’ hands are occupied.
The Idea
A smart fridge application that helps to track food items, manage expiration dates and provide meal ideas to reduce food wastage while providing an time efficient platform for users.
The Solution
To create the solution, I identified key features that aligned with the goal of solving the core problem:
Automatic food tracker
Suggested meal ideas
Multi-tasking friendly
Gallery Showcase
Reflection
This project marked one of my first deep dives into UI/UX design, where the focus extended beyond just visuals to the core functionality and accessibility of an application. It was an eye-opening experience that emphasised the importance of user behaviour, seamless interaction, and purposeful design decisions.
While this was a valuable learning process, it also made me realise how much more there is to explore in the world of user experience, interface design, testing, and prototyping. There is always room for refinement, iteration, and a deeper understanding of how design impacts real users.
As I continue to grow, I look forward to expanding my skill set and refining my approach to creating intuitive, meaningful, and user-centric experiences.
