Immediately is fairly thrilling as a result of months of arduous work and intercontinental collaboration with my buddy from throughout the pond, lastly come to life. Cheers to the longer term of meal prep –MealPrepPro.
I’m excited to supply an app answer that’ll give you a weekly meal plan suited to your energy and macros.
BUILDING THE APP
Constructing MealPrepPro has been altogether thrilling, with the standard moments of feeling annoyed and being humbled – all of the issues that make a profitable mission. It has pushed me and the Nibble Apps group to our limits, however seeing the top product now…it was price each sleepless evening.
I’m proud (and of course barely anxious) to share this app with you.
Consider it or not, YOU performed a reasonably vital half within the launch.
Behind the scenes of the MealPrepPro shoot. Credit score: Jason Nelson
Though we didn’t have the tens of millions in funding that many Silicon Valley startups boast, it didn’t matter. We had our concepts and passionate and enthusiastic group that traditionally has supported our concepts.
We determined a exercise app could be the right praise to the FitMenCook (FMC) App. FMC App for meals and the brand new app for exercises. Excellent.
We even reached out to prime private trainers that work with blockbuster movie actors and comedians. After many discussions, we drew up plans to maneuver ahead.
We instantly set issues in movement and start engaged on design and improvement whereas additionally setting filming dates to create the brand new content material.
All this momentum but one thing didn’t really feel fairly proper…
That Intestine Feeling
After a pair of months, we observed that the mission started to stall. I had my reservations in regards to the mission however I by no means shared them with Andreas as a result of it appeared like such a logical development for the FMC App portfolio.
Then, it hit me (relatively it hit each of us as a result of I later found that Andreas was wrestling with the identical reservations).
We realized we wished to construct a exercise app, however what did the FitMenCook viewers need?
All of these plans to make an unbelievable app for a group we by no means engaged; one thing we really did do with the primary profitable FMC App.
The Age Previous Debate – Consuming Wholesome vs Working Out
Behind the scenes of the MealPrepPro shoot. Credit score: Jason Nelson
We drafted a survey and requested a number of questions relating to the kind of exercises individuals have been doing and discovering difficult. Then, we requested this profound – but fairly apparent in hindsight – query:
- What do you discover most difficult – maintaining a healthy diet or figuring out?
We acquired practically 5K responses from individuals fairly shortly and found…
74% of survey respondents stated that maintaining a healthy diet is a much bigger problem than figuring out. Is that what you answered in your head? No worries – you might be positively not alone.
The outcomes have been an actual “get up and scent the espresso” second.
We’d spent the previous two months constructing the “incorrect” app that aspired to handle the precise wants of the group.
One specific piece of suggestions stood out to me:
“I simply need an app that from the second I get up, to the second I fall asleep, will inform me precisely what I must do with the intention to attain my health objectives”.
It was time for us to alter course.
It was irritating to seemingly begin again at sq. one, as soon as we acquired going, every part began falling into place a lot, a lot sooner, an indication that we have been again on observe. Listed below are three key learnings from the survey:
The Match Couple
From the survey we additionally discovered that many individuals need to prepare dinner as a pair. Beforehand we have been solely fascinated with meal prep planning from a person perspective.
Ease of Use
We additionally discovered that individuals actually need one thing that’s extremely simple to comply with. Apps like MyFitnessPal are nice for logging data, but nonetheless create quite a bit of work for individuals in terms of meal planning.
Match & Busy
We heard from those who lead busy lives – choosing up the youngsters, getting time in for the fitness center, commuting, socializing, and so on. Any wholesome consuming app we might launch would should be delicate to time spent within the kitchen – getting ready practically every week’s price of wholesome meals in beneath two hours was our purpose.
These have been nice insights to have transferring ahead and every of them offered its personal set of challenges.
As an example, what have been we going to do with the present repository of recipes on my web site and within the FMC App?
Whereas I’ve an enormous catalogue of FMC recipes, not all of them would match the objectives of the brand new app. So, we’d must create some new content material for the app and tweak them to make them manageable to prep in bulk in a lot much less time. Fast recipes, few elements, shorter cooking durations.
We approached every problem individually and made certain to “carve a path ahead” to mitigate these challenges in future releases of the app.
App Design & Content material
Credit score: GoMan Productions.
We selected a reputation –MealPrepPro – created a emblem, wrote new recipes, employed a neighborhood movie crew and collaborated with nutritionists on the meals.
We met in Dallas to movie the brand new recipes over three intense days. This was when every part began to develop into and really feel actual.
First day of filming was fairly chaotic. Since I used to be the one particular person there that does movie pictures and videography persistently, half of my process was directing set, managing ingredient lists, making final minute enhancements to the recipes and directing total movement.
However, by the second day we had caught our breath and issues began actually coming collectively.
On the third day of filming we targeted making preview movies through the use of an early demo of the app, in addition to filmed a video for customers of the FitMenCook app to re-guarantee those who the brand new app doesn’t represent a shift away from the unique FMC App. That we’ll hold engaged on enhancing each apps.
We shared an early edit with Apple and…they have been impressed and wished the app prepared for a demo alternative! We have been ecstatic to say the least. Apple is specific and discerning when evaluating app and choosing any for promotion.
The Launch Date
We initially set a launch date for early July however when it got here all the way down to it, we knew it simply wasn’t fairly there but. Whereas I do imagine there are some situations during which it’s okay to launch a mission when it’s not 100% the place you’d prefer it to be, this wasn’t one of these occasions.
We doubled down and stayed affected person to verify we have been proud of what we have been placing out in to the FMC group and to the world.
DOWNLOAD NOW
The app is out now and now, greater than ever, I welcome your suggestions.
Search Apple AppStore for “MealPrepPro“
Moreover the performance and simple to comply with content material that the app boasts, I’m most proud that it genuinely got here from you, the group. Usually occasions, in our common “9 to five” jobs, it may be tough to see the worth you might be creating on this planet (or in your firm). Not right here. I (we) hearken to your suggestions and concepts to tell new recipes and work on initiatives that can assist all of us world wide to not solely obtain our wellness objectives, but in addition stay more healthy, happier lives. Your contribution issues.
Thanks for making this attainable – I’m assured MealPrepPro will inch you nearer to these health objectives.
Keep in mind, your objectives are inside attain – simply hold stretching.
Remark under along with your reactions to the app and different questions RE the app improvement course of.
Maintain it wholesome, however by no means, ever boring!