Interview about Kinmuni Nutrition Management Interface, winner of the A' Interface, Interaction and User Experience Design Award 2025
Limited nutritional awareness and a lack of meal flexibility often make dining out for specific diet goals a challenge. Kinmuni solves this by offering a smart, user friendly platform that allows meal customization, nutrition tracking, and direct restaurant integration. Designed with real user insights, it simplifies decision making, reduces wait times, and promotes healthier eating habits. Through a clean and accessible interface, Kinmuni transforms how people interact with food and dining services.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsI began the research with contextual inquiries, short on-site discussions with busy café-goers and local entrepreneurs in Vientiane to uncover four core pain points: limited nutrition information, inflexible ingredient options, overwhelming menu choices and tight time constraints. I used affinity mapping to group feedback into those themes and created personas and problem statements that drove low-fidelity wireframes around four pillars: full nutrition transparency, ingredient customization, smart menu guidance and streamlined workflows. I mapped each persona’s ordering journey to pinpoint friction such as hunting for calories or juggling dining decisions, then conducted two rounds of usability testing on clickable prototypes. Each round led to targeted tweaks in information architecture, visual hierarchy and micro-interactions (for example, real-time nutrition updates when adjusting ingredients), alongside accessibility audits for icons, contrast and scalable text. Although Kinmuni remains a concept, it’s structured design process ensured the final interface directly addresses real user needs and supports effortless, on-the-go nutrition management.
I began with a half-day ideation session and research interviews that uncovered three critical observations. Diners juggle tight schedules and need reliable wait-time estimates. Café owners often discard prepared items when they cannot track incoming orders. Generic nutrition databases like MyFitnessPal misreport local dishes, often leaving consumers with inaccurate calorie counts, frustration, and discouragement to continue tracking nutritions.To address these needs, I sketched mind maps and simple user flows. Those flows paired live order statuses “queued,” “preparing,” “ready” with nutrition data calculated directly by chefs and restaurants. After letting the ideas sit overnight, I refined the core concept into a single interface that delivers both accurate timing and source-verified nutrition information to ensure win-win for both the business and customers. Conversations with café owners then confirmed that precise timing and accurate nutrition would reduce waste and speed up service.
The three Google UX techniques that proved most crucial for Kinmuni were empathy mapping, Crazy Eights ideation and structured usability-study planning. Empathy mapping guided me in turning raw interview notes into clear themes. I organized users’ actual words, thoughts and feelings around each step of their journey. This early insight made it easier to build accurate personas and journey maps, and to write problem statements that did not rely on guesses. Crazy Eights ideation pushed me to sketch many ideas in a short time and focus on our core pain points. Laying every concept on paper without judgment led to the breakthrough of combining live order tracking with chef-verified nutrition data.Finally, Google’s usability-study planning helped me set up repeatable tests. With clear instruction cards and step-by-step protocols, each round of prototype testing revealed new user needs, confusion spots and motivation factors. Those findings shaped our information layout, notification timing and accessibility checks.Together, these methods kept me anchored in real user feedback at every stage. The result was a Kinmuni interface that truly reflects the needs of health-conscious diners.
The loyalty program idea arose during user journey mapping, when I saw that diners had no incentive to return after their first healthy meal, especially given the café’s premium pricing. To address this, I studied apps like Grab, FoodPanda and AEON to learn how they reward repeat visits. Most cafés in Laos lack any digital rewards, so I designed a points system linked to each logged meal. As customers track their nutrition, they earn discounts or free add-ons. This approach reinforces healthy habits and keeps users engaged, while giving cafés a clear reason to welcome returning customers. By tying nutrition tracking to loyalty rewards, the feature delivers value for both diners and café owners.
I applied my years of visual communication and my knowledge of UX principles and design psychology to guide every pixel toward user goals. My work building complex Notion workflows trained me to value speed and efficiency. I mapped every interaction to eliminate unnecessary actions to streamline flows that align with users’ needs.Beside from my design experience, growing up in Vientiane showed me how little attention people pay to nutrition and how often health is compromised. That motivated me to make transparent nutrition data central to the design without adding friction. Users immediately see what they eat and understand the impact of their choices. The result is an intuitive interface that lets diners customize meals and track progress conveniently, so they focus on their own healthy habits and goals rather than trying to navigate an app.
Although Kinmuni is still a concept, I prioritized accessibility and visual consistency by following WCAG guidelines and Nielsen’s usability heuristics. I chose clear icons to communicate button functions and features so that users understand at a glance. I ensured strong contrast between background colors, images, and text to support users with varying visual abilities. I designed flexible layouts that adapt to different text lengths and language settings, preventing truncation or overlap. Finally, I consider error prevention in the design through real-time validation and confirmation prompts, guiding users and reducing mistakes. This approach maintains a minimal, cohesive interface on both iOS and Android.
I began by reviewing international nutrition-labeling guidelines, including WHO recommendations and EU Regulation 1169/2011, and studying how leading recipe apps display nutrient information. Then I spoke informally with potential users to find out which metrics they check when grocery shopping. Those conversations revealed that calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, sugar and sodium matter most to them. Finally, in post-usability interviews, testers confirmed that allergens, calorie count, protein, carbohydrates and fat are their top concerns.
After six rounds of usability testing, I made four major pivots to sharpen Kinmuni’s interface. First, I fixed calorie and macronutrient details at the top of each customization screen so diners always see nutrition information as they edit their meal. Second, I introduced a full-order preview that displays every item, customization, and nutrient total before users reorder. Third, I streamlined the reorder process by reducing steps and clarifying button labels to make repeat orders faster and more intuitive. Finally, I restructured the home screen, grouping related features together and adding sections for meal categories and current promotions to create a more engaging entry point. These changes keep Kinmuni focused on real user needs and everyday speed.
Over time, I see the integration between Kinmuni’s interface and kitchen systems growing into a truly personalized and engaging experience. First, I could layer in gamification elements that reward users for meeting nutrition goals, encouraging long-term healthy habits. Next, by combining AI-driven suggestions with guidance from subject matter experts, I can offer meal recommendations tailored to each diner’s longevity and overall wellness. A subscription offering could connect users with certified nutrition coaches on site, providing real-time support as they place orders. On the design side, we can introduce subtle micro animations and a richer visual language to make interactions feel more immersive without sacrificing clarity. Together, these enhancements would strengthen operational efficiency in the kitchen while deepening user engagement and satisfaction.
I see Kinmuni growing into a universal tool for any health-focused restaurant, anywhere. By building a flexible nutrition database and customizable filters, the interface could adapt to local cuisines and dietary traditions from Mediterranean and South Asian to West African or Nordic menus. Transparency would remain central, with clear ingredient lists and nutrient values for every dish. I would also streamline the system so it works for both premium establishments and everyday cafés, ensuring health-conscious options are available to all diners. In this way, Kinmuni could respect cultural differences while delivering a consistent, user-centered experience across regions.
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