Post #2 – Web/Mobile App Critique

 

MyFitnessPal is a popular fitness and nutrition tracking app that helps users keep track of their daily food and exercise intake. This exercise and diet-tracking smartphone app can also be accessed on a browser website. Here's my evaluation:

Usability: MyFitnessPal is relatively easy to use, with a user-friendly interface that allows users to easily log their meals and track their exercise. The app offers a large database of food items, making it easy for users to find the right items to log in. However, there are a few usability issues that could be improved, such as the difficulty of editing past entries, especially if you need to make changes to multiple entries.

Design: MyFitnessPal has a simple and straightforward design, with a focus on functionality over aesthetics. The design is not particularly visually appealing, but it gets the job done. The app offers a range of customization options, including the ability to set daily calorie goals and track macronutrients, which is a nice touch.

Functionality: MyFitnessPal offers a wide range of features, including a food database with over 6 million items, the ability to log exercise and water intake, and social features that allow users to connect with friends and share progress. The app also offers a range of premium features, such as personalized meal plans and recipe suggestions, for a fee. Overall, the functionality of the app is solid, although there are a few bugs and glitches that can sometimes affect the user experience.

Based on my evaluation, here are three recommendations for improving the app:

1. Improve the editing functionality: Make it easier for users to edit past entries, especially if they need to make changes to multiple entries. This could be achieved by offering more powerful search and filtering options or by streamlining the editing process.

2. Enhance the visual design: While functionality is the most important aspect of a fitness app, an updated and more visually appealing design could enhance the user experience and make the app more engaging to use.

3. Increase the database of healthier food options: Although MyFitnessPal offers a large database of food items, many of them are unhealthy options. Expanding the database of healthier options and highlighting them in the app could encourage users to make healthier choices and improve their overall health.

While the app does a lot of things well, It can use some polishing and fine-tuning here and there to create an even better user experience. I included a couple of screenshots of the home page that you are greeted with as soon as you open the app (after creating an account). The second screenshot is the page where you can modify and create meals that you eat regularly in order to make it easier to input. 

Using my recommendations, MyFitnessPal could greatly improve its usability, design, and functionality.