Joe Simmons
Case Study | ZOE | Mobile App
Reinventing meal logging with AI and gamification
The challenge
Meal tracking can be tedious and high-effort.
Existing ZOE users found meal tracking tedious and high-effort. ZOE’s original program was powerful but complex, only the most dedicated stayed on track and kept logging. We decided we needed a new app that made healthy eating effortless, fun, and sticky. One that focused on changing behaviour of everyday people, not just the most engaged.
The solution
Zero to launch in 3 months, 190,000+ installs in the next 3.
In a bold move, we threw out the old app and started from scratch. We harnessed new AI technology to let users quickly snap photos of their meals, and applied the science of behaviour change to make logging fun and engaging.
We focused on making food logging effortless, then rewarding users with points, levels, and bite-sized lessons. It’s nutrition tracking that feels more like Duolingo than a food diary.
My role in the alpha launch
AI food logging, rapid testing, shipped ahead of target.
- Led design on the meal-logging experience (one of two designers on the core app).
- Designed for weekly user testing and iterated fast.
- Owned the AI meal scanning, meal logging page and scanning animation.
- Started in October and launched on the App Store by January 11th.
- Shipped ahead of target.
Alpha results
Shipped the alpha in 3 months. 27% still active a week later.
- Shipped a brand-new app to the App Store in under 3 months.
- 27% still active after 7 days. Strong early retention signal.
- I owned the first half of the habit loop: photo, AI scan, and log. 527 users completed it.
- User feedback: “Taking a photograph of your meal and it telling you what’s in it was absolutely brilliant.”
3
Months to launch
27%
Active after a week
527
Completed the habit loop
My role in launching the beta
Scaling, raising quality, driving metrics.
- Refined and expanded the product for Beta, as one of three designers.
- Designed around 50% of the Beta app’s screens by launch.
- Drove key metrics, raised design quality, and built a design system for consistency as we scaled.
- Shipped new features like the Readiness Score, UPF warning, Level Tracker, Meal Details, Food Details for barcode scanning, and more.
- Optimised onboarding and shipped AI upgrades like quick swaps.
Beta app results
From prototype to real business in 6 months.
By the time we launched the Beta in April (just six months after starting) the app was already showing strong traction:
- 192,498 installs in 3 months.
- Day 1 retention at 25%, showing strong first-day engagement.
- Day 1–7 retention reached 43% before introducing the paywall.
- Early monetisation: 500 free trials and 346 paying members, generating around £40k revenue.
- Clear product-market fit signals with >40% on the Sean Ellis test.
192,498
Installs in 90 days
43%
Day 1-7 retention
£40k
Early revenue
