Wellness and fitness services
Increasing mobile planning efficiency by ~30% for Jenny Craig’s menu builder
Jenny Craig is a global leader in weight management, known for its structured meal plans and one-on-one coaching.
Jenny Craig is a global leader in weight management, known for its structured meal plans and one-on-one coaching.
Project Overview
Jenny Craig set out to simplify meal planning for users in the Oceania market with a mobile-first app tailored to their dietary needs. I led the full UX redesign of the Menu Builder, shaping the product vision and delivering one of the app’s most critical and challenging features.
~30% faster menu planning
Meal selections were quicker with the new experience.
Team: Product designers • Jr. UX designer • Product manager • Devs
Tools: Figma, Photoshop, Jira
Skills: Strategic UX leadership, Mobile-first design, Interaction design, Design strategy, Accessibility (WCAG/A11y), Feature prioritization, Assumption mapping, Prototyping, Lean UX, Stakeholder alignment
Note: The work shown reflects my role as the Lead Designer on the Menu Builder experience. Due to implementation constraints, the final developed product differed from my intended experience. The designs shown here were created post-project ended to better represent my original design vision.
~30% faster menu planning
Internal teams completed meal selections faster in the redesigned flow
Challenge
The menu builder wasn’t connecting with users in Oceania. It looked outdated, felt unintuitive, and didn’t support common meal-planning tasks. Meanwhile, the team faced tight constraints. We had to move quickly, stay focused, and bring clarity to a project that was still taking shape.
​
What we were navigating:
Our team was redesigning the full web app, but my focus was on the Menu Builder. It was a key feature with a lot of complexity, and we had to move quickly. There wasn’t time for deep research or multiple testing rounds, so I had to make every design decision count. I drove the Menu Builder redesign from definition through delivery, prioritizing ruthlessly and modeling how to lead with clarity under pressure.
The team had big goals, but the direction wasn’t always clear. Priorities shifted, feedback changed, and we had to stay flexible while keeping the project on track.
The U.S. version had useful features but felt dated and hard to use — especially on mobile. The customization flow was unintuitive, and users were left doing more work than necessary.
Solution
The Lean UX approach helped us stay nimble and focused. I ran assumption mapping, shaped the strategy, and helped the team align quickly. Every design decision tied back to what users needed, even as the project evolved rapidly under tight constraints and shifting timelines.
What helped the work take shape:
Instead of spending time on documentation, I focused on fast feedback. We used assumption mapping, prioritized features, and leaned on Baymard’s UX research to guide design decisions.
Through weekly check-ins, we built trust and refined the project vision together. The client extended the timeline not because we asked but because they began to understand the full complexity of building the app.
From simplified flows to mobile-friendly filters, the new menu builder made it easier to plan meals, adjust preferences, and build a personalized experience with less friction.
How we approached the work
The Double Diamond model gave us a way to explore widely, focus quickly, and stay aligned as the project evolved. It was especially useful under tight constraints.
Step One
Understanding the problem
User insights â—‡ Heuristic audit â—‡ Persona development
Laying the foundation
Before jumping into design, I needed to understand what wasn’t working. I reviewed feedback from Jenny Craig’s U.S. customer surveys, synthesizing themes around friction points and unmet needs. To supplement this, I analyzed UX best practices from Baymard’s e-commerce research, using both sources to shape data-informed personas that guided early decisions and design direction.
What users said
The same pain points came up again and again:
There isn’t enough information. I need more than just names, pictures, and a swap option to make choices. It's a hassle to use.
Trying to get around in the menu builder is a pain. It's not clear how to use and it's hard to read on my phone.
The app looks really old and not up to date. It's not what I'd expect from a modern app, and it just doesn't grab my attention.
There's a lot to choose from, but no way to filter the meals. It's frustrating having to scroll through everything to find what I want.
What was uncovered
After going through the data, a few big issues stood out:
The interface lacked modern polish. It didn’t match the quality users expected, especially for a health-focused brand.
Menus were hard to scan, filters were missing, and the experience on mobile made it even harder to make selections.
Users needed more context. They wanted to see tags like gluten-free or vegetarian, and they needed help understanding what they were selecting.
Validating insights
I did a UX audit using Baymard’s research¹. Their meal plan and subscription benchmarks gave me clear direction, highlighting how elements like smart filters, visual hierarchy, and progressive disclosure could help users feel more in control.
Grounding the work with personas
To keep the experience focused and human, I created three simple personas based on early insights and client data. These quick snapshots helped shape priorities and keep user needs top of mind. By grounding the team in real scenarios, I helped align efforts around shared user goals.
Personas
Sarah: A time-strapped professional looking for convenient, healthy meals
David: Managing diabetes and seeking reliable, health-conscious options
Ella: Balancing a fast-paced career with a goal to eat well and stay on track
Step Two
Shaping the strategy through design thinking
Problem statements â—‡ Hypothesis statements â—‡ Assumption mapping â—‡ Feature prioritization
Framing the problem
Before jumping into solutions, I took time to synthesize early insights and define the core challenges we were solving for. These problem statements helped focus my design efforts around what users actually needed and not just what the business wanted to build.
Problem statements:​
1
Users need a more intuitive and personalized Menu Builder experience to easily plan their meals amidst their busy schedules.
2
The existing experience felt outdated, especially on mobile, making it harder for users to take action without frustration.
3
The business needed a streamlined, flexible solution that could launch quickly and evolve with changing dietary needs and priorities.
These statements became the starting point for a more focused, user-driven design approach.
Starting with a hypothesis
To guide my design decisions, I framed a set of working hypotheses based on what I knew at the time. These helped me stay focused on delivering value in a short timeline while remaining flexible as new feedback came in.
Hypothesis statements:​
We believe that by offering region-specific meal options and preferences in the Menu Builder web app, we can cater more effectively to the unique tastes and dietary habits of the Oceania clientele.
We hypothesize that by optimizing the user interface of the Menu Builder web app to be more intuitive and user-friendly, users will have a more seamless experience, leading to increased engagement and satisfaction.
We assume that by integrating personalized meal recommendations based on user preferences and dietary needs, we can encourage more users in the Oceania region to customize and order meal plans, leading to higher user retention.
Assumption mapping
Before locking in features, I led a working session to surface assumptions with the broader team. We outlined what we knew, what we believed, and what we needed to learn. This helped us align early around shared risks, opportunities, and gaps.
​
What surfaced during this session:
-
Users were more likely to complete their meal plans if they could filter by dietary needs
-
Mobile users needed a faster, more intuitive flow to stay engaged
-
Oceania audiences had different preferences that weren’t reflected in the U.S. experience
We prioritized quick wins like improving mobile flow and adding filters, while deferring complex features that required more stakeholder clarity.
Impact vs Effort Matrix
To move from ideas to action, we prioritized assumptions using an Impact vs Effort Matrix. This gave us a quick way to identify which ideas would create the most value with the least lift, and which ones to hold off on for the time being.
This step helped us:
-
Get stakeholder alignment on what really mattered
-
Define a focused and achievable MVP
-
Move faster without losing strategic clarity
This matrix helped us spot our riskiest assumptions and align early on MVP features.
Step Three
Developing potential solutions
Flow diagram â—‡ Hi-fi wireframes â—‡ UI kit â—‡ Internal feedback loops
I owned the mobile-first UI for the Menu Builder, leading high-fidelity prototyping and bringing cross-functional input into a cohesive and user-centered design. This phase was all about designing practical, scalable solutions that made the Menu Builder simpler, smarter, and easier to use.
Flow diagram
To make sure we had the right foundation, I mapped out the user journey through the Menu Builder. This helped the team visualize key decision points and see how users would move through the experience.
UI kit
I created a foundational UI kit aligned to Jenny Craig’s brand guidelines. As the design evolved, I continued to build it out for broader application across the app.
Hi-fi wireframes and prototyping
I led the design of key mobile screens, focusing on clarity, accessibility, and ease of use. Features like smart filters, swap options, and meal detail views were designed to feel effortless, even for busy users on the go.
How we validated
With no time or budget for formal user testing, we leaned on tight collaboration and internal feedback to stay aligned and make confident decisions.
-
Design critiques
Weekly sessions with other designers helped us review flows and UI choices for clarity and cohesion.
-
Feasibility checks
I worked closely with developers to walk through key screens, flag complexity, and simplify interactions when needed.
-
Stakeholder reviews
We presented iterative updates to stakeholders and worked quickly to align design decisions with business priorities.
This approach helped uncover edge cases, improve usability, and keep momentum despite limited resources.
Step Four
Building it together
Developer collaboration â—‡ Annotations â—‡ Handoff support
Once the high-fidelity prototype was in place, I shifted focus to close collaboration with developers. I proactively partnered with devs during implementation, translating designs into specs and surfacing trade-offs to keep the build efficient and on-brand.
​
We held regular working sessions to walk through flows, answer questions, and adjust interactions based on technical feedback. This helped us move quickly while keeping the experience smooth and scalable.
What this looked like in action
-
Flagged complexity early
Developers surfaced areas like conditional logic and filter logic that could slow the build. We simplified flows and removed friction where possible.
-
Adjusted for performance
I tweaked interactions and visual details based on platform limitations, making sure the final experience was stable and accessible.
-
Scoped with intention
Together, we made thoughtful tradeoffs to keep the MVP focused on what mattered most to users, delivering on time and within budget.
Supporting devs with clarity
To reduce ambiguity and keep momentum high, I created detailed annotations for each interaction. These notes helped minimize back-and-forth during implementation and made expectations clearer, so the team could move forward with more confidence and fewer blockers.
Conclusion
Reflection and lessons learned
The reality
The client was enthusiastic and motivated, but this was their first time navigating a digital product build. With limited experience and evolving priorities, communication often proved challenging. After I delivered the final designs, Jenny Craig filed for bankruptcy and halted operations. It was later acquired by Wellful, the parent company of Nutrisystem, and relaunched as a digital-only brand².
​
While the work never launched, it still served as a valuable design exercise. It strengthened my ability to stay focused, adapt under pressure, and deliver meaningful work even in uncertain environments.
What I took away
Not every project ends the way you expect. But even without a launch, this work taught me a lot. It reminded me how important it is to lead with clarity, work within constraints, and stay flexible when things shift. Great design is not only about what goes live, but about how you show up throughout the process.
-
Baymard Institute, UX research for e-commerce and meal planning best practices, https://baymard.com
-
Wall Street Journal, New Jenny Craig Owner Plans to Bring It Back, https://www.wsj.com/health/new-jenny-craig-owner-plans-to-bring-it-back-1d422e01