Protein Habit: From research to a working app.

Protein Habit is an end-to-end project in which I designed and built a mobile app that helps people reach their daily protein goal. I took it from user research and UX/UI design in Figma all the way to a working, coded prototype.

Hit your protein goal.

Build the habit.

Learn More

Protein Habit

Hit your protein goal.
Build the habit.

A simple way to track your protein and stay consistent.

Get Started

I already have an account

MILESTONE UNLOCKED

Two weeks strong.

You hit your protein goal 14 days in a row. That’s a habit forming.

7143060100

Keep going

The Problem

People aged 18–45 who try to reach a daily protein goal discover that it's more complicated than it seems. Online recommendations contradict each other, so they aren't sure how much protein they actually need. They struggle to add variety and get stuck with the same protein sources. They have to balance protein against calories and cost. And sometimes eating itself starts to feel like a task to check off.

Research Method

To understand the challenge from the users' perspective, I conducted desk research with the help of Claude. I reviewed discussions on Reddit and in fitness and nutrition forums, reviews of existing tracking apps, and studies on how people use nutrition apps. From this material, I identified recurring pain points and mapped them to product opportunities.

What people struggle with

6 complaints4 patterns1 underlying problem

ONE UNDERLYING PROBLEM

Getting enough protein shouldn’t be this hard.

01COMPLICATED

How much do I need?

Advice ranges from 0.8 to about 2.2 g per kg, so people don’t know which number to trust.

02COMPLICATED

Calories add up

Protein rarely comes alone. People on a cut struggle to hit their target without overeating.

03REPETITIVE

I’m tired of eating

Big protein targets feel too filling, and meals start to feel like a task to check off.

04REPETITIVE

Same meals, again

Chicken and eggs on repeat get boring fast. Users keep asking for new high‑protein ideas.

05EXPENSIVE

Protein is pricey

Rising meat prices push people toward cheaper cuts and frozen fish.

06HARD TO TRUST

Can I trust powder?

Bloating complaints and a 2025 report on lead in some powders fuel doubts.

Signal shows how often a theme recurred across threads. A qualitative read, not a count.

Sources: r/fitmeals, r/powerlifting, r/vegan, r/fatlogic, Barbell Medicine and Cronometer forums, Consumer Reports (2025)

Key Findings

The confusion starts with the goal itself. The recommendations users come across range from 0.8 to about 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
Protein comes with extras. People trying to watch their calories struggle to reach their goal without going over.
Boredom and eating fatigue. Users describe being sick of chicken breast and eggs, and say that eating has become a chore.
Existing tools count, but they don't help. Most tracking apps focus on logging, and users abandon them quickly. According to a figure cited in an academic study, only about 3% of food-diary app downloads led to more than a week of use.

The Opportunity

Most existing solutions focus on tracking: how much protein have I already eaten? But tracking alone doesn't solve the real challenge, which is knowing what to eat to make up the difference. The opportunity is to move from Tracking to Guidance: not just showing users how much they're missing, but helping them get there in a way that fits their lives.

How Might We: How might we help people reach their daily protein goal without it feeling like another task?

The Value

An app that turns the daily protein goal from a task into something simple and achievable. It answers three questions: How much do I need? How much have I eaten? How much is left? It also suggests practical ways to close the gap, based on the user's preferences, budget and constraints.

Business Goal

To build a product that becomes part of users' daily routine. In the first phase, the goal is to build an active user base and prove repeat usage. Later, a Freemium model could be explored: the core (tracking, goal calculation and barcode scanning) stays free, while advanced features such as personalized recommendations, meal planning and nutritional analysis are available by subscription.

Success Metrics

How I’ll know it works.

IMPACT

TRACKING

Retention at day 7 and day 30

Do people come back after the first week, and after the first month?

HABIT

Logging days per week

How often logging becomes part of the routine, not a one-off effort.

GOAL

Days the goal is reached

Whether the app actually helps people hit their protein target.

THE KEY METRIC · IMPACT

Use of gap‑closing suggestions

The share of users who add food straight from the coach’s suggestions. Metrics 01–03 show that people use the app. This one shows that the idea works.

LEFT TO GOAL

28g

132 of 160g

SUGGESTION

✦ Coach suggests

Chicken breast

~90g · 28g protein

Finishes your goalAdd

GAP CLOSED

160 of 160g ✓

Measured as: users who add a coach suggestion ÷ weekly active users

Charts are illustrative. They show the shape of each metric, not real data.

Work Process

I followed the Design Thinking methodology, which starts with understanding the user rather than the solution. The process wasn't linear: each stage sent me back to questions from earlier ones. I also built an in-app survey designed to close the loop and bring user insights back into the Define stage.

1. Empathize: Understanding the users

I started with desk research: discussions on Reddit and in fitness and nutrition forums, reviews of existing tracking apps, and studies on how people use nutrition apps. The goal was to hear how people describe the problem in their own words, not how existing products define it.

2. Define: Framing the problem

I mapped the recurring pain points: confusion about the goal, boredom, calorie and cost considerations, and the feeling that eating had become a chore. From this map, I framed the How Might We question: How might we help people reach their daily protein goal without it feeling like another task?

3. Ideate: Exploring directions

The key insight was that most solutions stop at tracking: they show users how much they're missing, but not how to close the gap. This led to the product's direction: a shift from Tracking to Guidance. For each pain point, I looked for a feature that addresses it directly:

"How much protein do I need?" → The onboarding calculates a personal goal and shows the reasoning behind it.
"I'm short and don't know what to eat" → The protein coach suggests three ways to close the gap, based on foods the user already eats.
"I'm tired of the same meals" → Discover offers high-protein meal ideas by meal type, prep time and diet.
"One off day ruins all my progress" → Forgiving streaks: reaching 90% of the goal still counts, and a weekly flex day keeps the streak going.

I also dropped features that weren't grounded in a real need, such as full macro tracking, to keep the app focused on one number.

4. Prototype: Building

I designed the first version of the screens in Claude Design. This let me move quickly from an idea to a complete user journey: onboarding, a daily screen, adding protein, guidance for closing the gap, history, meal ideas and notifications. From there, I transferred the screens to Figma using an AI agent.

In Figma, I moved on to the design work itself. I refined the screens, built components and styles for colors, typography, icons and buttons in different states, and improved the UI and the typographic hierarchy to keep the whole journey consistent. At this stage I also added the survey feature, which replaces the premium upgrade offer and makes it possible to learn from users from the very first version.

Using AI tools significantly accelerated the build. Work that would have taken me weeks as a designer was cut down to a few days, which let me spend most of my time on design decisions and on refining the experience.

DESIGN DECISIONS · HOTSPOTS

Tap a number to see why it’s designed this way.

5. Test: Testing and learning

Instead of offering a premium subscription in the first phase, I added a short in-app survey. Its purpose is to validate the research findings with real users and to refine the next features before investing in building them.

A AlexDaily goal 160g

Help us to improve!Take a quick survey and get early access to our new features.

Start Survey

MY GOALS

Daily protein goal160g

PREFERENCES

UnitsMetric (g, kg)

Notifications4 on

Diet preferencesNo restrictions

PROGRESS

Current streak18 days

Best streak32 days

Today

History

Discover

Profile

1 OF 6

What is your main goal when using the app?

Reaching my daily protein goal

Tracking how much protein I eat

Eating more balanced meals

Building / maintaining muscle

Managing my overall nutrition

Other:

Type your answer here

Continue

2 OF 6

How easy is it to understand your protein progress for the day?

Very easy

Easy

Neutral

Difficult

Very difficult

Continue

Thank you for helping us improve!

Your feedback helps us build a better way to reach your daily protein goals.

Here’s your exclusive access code:

PROTEIN20

Enter your code in your Profile to unlock early access to our new features.

User-Centered Design in Practice

Every screen answers a pain point from the research:
Not knowing the target: onboarding calculates it and shows what it’s based on.
Logging as a chore: four ways to log, plus one-tap recent foods.
Knowing the gap, not how to close it: three suggestions built from foods users already eat.
Nagging and guilt: at most four reminders a day, and encouraging, neutral language.
Trust: protein values are marked as approximate.
The Survey: Learning Before Monetizing
Phase one is about building an active user base, not revenue. So instead of a premium upsell, the profile screen offers a short six-question survey. It validates the research pain points, leaves room for open feedback, and rewards participants with early access. The answers feed back into the Define stage and shape what to build first.

Try live
prototype

Next case study

Why SubscriptionReturn Empty CylinderManage Subscription

Enjoy a effortless way to keep your favorite cocktails fully stocked without any hassle. Subscribing gives you the ultimate flexibility- you can easily pause, skip, or cancel your plan at any time with complete freedom.

Plus, it’s the most cost-effective choice: members automatically save on every order and unlock exclusive perks.

subscribe and save

Why customers love subscriptions

4.6

I’ve been loving my cocktail kit! I’ve recently gotten into making cocktails at home and love how easy it is to create something that feels special.

Daniel M.

Naama MannProduct Designer

Selected Work