Solving one of the biggest everyday problems with Zepto.

Overview

We all know Zepto as the “10-minute grocery delivery” hero. But while it gets groceries to your door in minutes, there’s still one thing it can’t help with "deciding what to cook". That everyday question, “What should I eat today?” causes decision fatigue, wasted time, and often ends in giving up and ordering food.

As a designer, I saw this as an opportunity.

What if Zepto wasn’t just a delivery app, but your daily cooking companion one that suggests recipes, adds ingredients to your cart, and even helps you plan your week?

So I designed a feature that turns Zepto into exactly that.

Understanding the Problem

While talking to users, I realized something deeper: the problem isn’t about groceries, it’s about decisions. Users often open Zepto with no plan. They scroll, browse veggies, maybe add a few things… and then close the app. No real meal plan. No inspiration. Just chaos.

One of my friend, Riya, a 26-year-old techie from Bangalore, shared something that stuck with me:

“By the time I decide what to make, I’ve lost all motivation to cook.”

And she wasn’t alone. I spoke to students, moms, and young couples all echoing the same feeling:
They wanted to cook, but didn’t know where to start. They needed help before grocery shopping not after.

Designing for Everyday Food Decisions

I didn’t just want to display recipes I wanted Zepto to feel like a smart, personal food assistant. On the homepage, users see a curated feed with categories like:

• Quick & Easy, Trending, and Top-Rated recipes

• Healthy options like Keto, Gluten-free, and Guilt-free meals

• Comfort Meals and Try Something New

• And even “What Others Are Cooking Nearby” to add a local, social touch

Tapping any recipe shows details and a one-click “Add All Ingredients” to cart no switching tabs or second-guessing.

Users can also plan meals for the week and save recipes for later. Smart reminders notify them at the right time:

“You planned Pasta for dinner ready to start cooking?”

To make shopping even smoother, every selected recipe automatically builds a personal grocery list so users know exactly what they need, what they already have, and what to order.

This design encourages a complete loop inspire, plan, shop, cook making Zepto not just a delivery app, but a daily cooking companion.

Zepto Recipe Suggestion Screens

Buy All Ingredients CTA Flow

Save Recipes flow

First-Time Onboarding: Learning Your Taste

To personalize recipe suggestions from day one, I designed a quick and engaging onboarding flow. Users answer a few simple questions about their:

• Preferred cuisines (Indian, Italian, etc.)

• Cooking difficulty

• Dietary preferences (Veg, Vegan, Keto, etc.)

• Favorite ingredients or dishes

This setup takes less than a minute and ensures that every recipe shown feels relevant and curated. It’s a lightweight way to make the experience feel personal without overwhelming the user.

Prototype Walkthrough

I brought the concept to life with a working prototype that showcases the complete user journey — from onboarding to recipe suggestions, meal planning, and adding ingredients to the cart.

Click to see working Prototype.

Reflections and Learnings

This case study taught me how to translate an everyday frustration into a thoughtful digital solution.

One of my key takeaways was how much people struggle with small daily decisions like "What to eat?", and how design can actually reduce that mental burden. I also gained deeper insights into:

• How to conduct user-focused research and extract patterns

• Crafting features that align with real-life routines

• Designing for flow that reducing friction between discovery and action

• Balancing personalization with simplicity

Most importantly, I learned how a small, well-placed feature can bring massive value not by doing more, but by doing less with purpose.