Software development for Mr Prep

Bespoke developed ordering system for a range of healthy meals and snacks.

Mr Prep wanted to sell healthy gourmet fitness food online whilst allowing people to count their macros and choose from a large range of proteins, carbohydrates, vegetables and flavourings to create their own bespoke meals.

The requirements suggested something which our go-to off-the-shelf e-commerce solution (WooCommerce) wouldn’t easily support, so we discussed how a bespoke, tailored product could best address the requirements.

Convinced by the benefits of a bespoke build in this situation, Mr Prep gave us the go-ahead to begin looking at how we might create the right interface for this project.

Mr Prep felt that it was important to allow their clients not only to pick and choose which meals they wanted, but to allocate these to specific days of the week and to understand how their choices affected their calorie and macro counts (protein, carbs & fats).

Some of the menus (breakfast, treats, smoothies, gourmet and ‘build your own’) required a different ordering mechanism to others and as the project developed (and requirements changed over time) it very quickly became apparent that the bespoke route was the right one. Because we weren’t beholden to the way in which an off-the-shelf solution worked, we could develop the most appropriate interface for the job without the software tying our hands or dictating what could and couldn’t be done.

We used (and tested) wireframes extensively to arrive at an interface that fitted the available budget and which also offered good UX to Mr Prep’s customers.

An AJAX-based ordering interface allows customers to choose meals on any day of the week and to see a calorie counter bar growing as more meals are added to the basket sidebar. Entering your vital statistics at the start of the process calculates your recommended daily intake of calories, fats, carbs and proteins and the website alerts you if you go over this recommendation (but doesn’t prevent you from doing so).

The site offers discount vouchers, ambassador incentives, delivery options and a customer dashboard where repeat orders can quickly and easily be placed.

A comprehensive Content Management System (CMS) allows Mr Prep system administrators to add and update meals, process orders, add discount vouchers, tweak delivery dates and options and manage customer accounts.

A label printing and reporting process allows administrators to print reports for the kitchen staff (what needs to be bought and what needs to be cooked) and labels for the prepared meals, tailored for the individual.

We wish Mr Prep all the very best in their new venture.