Ready to build a diet & nutrition app? In the new Elinext article, we explore key features and integrations needed to build the bestselling diet & nutrition app.
Learn how to create a diet and nutrition app with the newest step-by-step guide from Elinext. Understand the stages of mobile app development, essential features, and challenges to building a successful app.
How to create a diet and nutrition app in 2023: A step-by-step guide
More and more of us are hoping to get healthier and happier by utilizing our mobile phones and trusting them to change our lives for the better. Diet and nutrition apps are a popular category within the ever-expanding mHealth. They allow users to track their food intake and set nutrition goals, provide them with access to helpful information and resources, and motivate them to eat healthier and lead a better lyfestyle.
According to Statista, the revenue from nutrition apps is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2027) of 11.28%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$7.60 bn by 2027. They are right there at the top of popularity with unhypocritical weight loss apps, sports and fitness activity tracker apps, and well-being apps. If there is ever a time to create a diet and nutrition app, it is now.
In this guide, we will walk through the stages of mobile app development, key features to include in the app, and challenges to be aware of.
What are the stages of mobile app development?
Planning and research
Before beginning the development process, it’s important to conduct thorough research on the market and your target audience. This includes:
- identifying your app’s unique value proposition (i.e. how it’s different from all other diet and nutrition apps out there);
- understanding user pain points;
- competitor research;
- creating a project plan, including timelines and budget.
Design and development
This stage starts with creating wireframes and mockups to guide the visual design. Then, of course, it’s time to code the app ― there is no way to postpone this part any longer.
User experience is the most important factor of this stage. You need to make sure the app is easy and even enjoyable to navigate. During this stage, it’s also vital to implement data privacy and security measures to protect user information.
Testing and deployment
Before launching the app, it’s crucial to thoroughly test it to ensure it functions properly. Once testing is complete, the app can be deployed to app stores for everyone to install and enjoy your hard work!
Maintenance and updates
Once the app is live, the work doesn’t stop. It’s important to continue to maintain and update it to address any issues that arise and to add new features as needed. This includes monitoring user feedback, analyzing app usage data, and implementing updates accordingly.
What features should a diet and nutrition app include?
User account and profile
This feature allows users to create an account and set up their personal profile with relevant information such as age, weight, and diet and nutrition goals. This information can then be used to personalize the app’s recommendations and tracking features.
Meal and exercise tracking
The ability to track meals and exercise is a crucial feature of the users of a diet and nutrition app. This includes tracking food intake, calories, and macronutrients, as well as logging exercise and activity levels.
Nutrition information and tracking
Providing users with access to accurate and reliable nutrition information is one of the many points of a diet and nutrition app. This can include information on different foods and their nutritional value, as well as the ability for users to track their nutrient intake.
Progress tracking and analysis
Users need to be able to track their progress toward their goals, whether it be weight loss, muscle gain, or any other. This can include tracking measurements such as weight, body fat percentage, BMI, or other related statistics. This is a perfect place to create engaging visualizations of the progress to give users a clear picture of how they are doing and motivate them to do better or stay just as healthy as they are.
Social and community features
Social and community features could add a sense of community and motivate users to both adhere to their goals and simply spend more time with the app. This can include the ability for users to connect and share information with others, or even join groups or challenges. This can be done in different exciting ways: for example, a period tracker Flo has “secret chats” that facilitate discussions around sex and female health, which has skyrocketed the app’s popularity. At the same time, the step counter Sweatcoin allows users to challenge their friends directly and rewards the winner with in-app currency.
What tools should you integrate your app with?
Wearables and fitness trackers
Integrating your diet and nutrition app with wearables and fitness trackers can provide users with more accurate and detailed tracking information. For example, a wearable fitness tracker can provide information on steps taken, distance traveled, and active minutes.
Recipe and meal-planning apps
Integrating you app with recipe and meal planning apps can provide users with a wider variety of meal options and make meal tracking more convenient, and cooking at home less daunting of a task.
Health and fitness apps
Integrating with other health and fitness apps can provide users with a more comprehensive view of their overall health and fitness. For example, integrating with a sleep-tracking app can provide users with more information on the quality of their sleep and its effect on their diet and nutrition goals.
What are the challenges of creating a diet and nutrition app?
- Data privacy and security: Ensuring user data is protected and secure is crucial for any app, especially for one that deals with sensitive information such as personal health information.
- Accurate and reliable information: Providing accurate and reliable nutrition information can be a challenge, as there are often conflicting studies and opinions on what constitutes a healthy diet.
- User engagement and retention: Keeping users engaged and coming back to the app can be a challenge, as maintaining motivation and consistency is key to achieving diet and nutrition goals.
In-house or application outsourcing services?
So you’ve decided to create a diet and nutrition app. You know the process and you are all set. What are your next steps? You can either develop the app in-house or hire application outsourcing services.
The in-house option allows for more control over the development process. However, it also requires a significant investment in terms of time and resources.
Outsourcing development involves hiring a third-party development company. This option can be more efficient in terms of time and resources, as the development team already has the necessary expertise and experience. However, you might have less control over the development process.
Ultimately, the decision of in-house vs outsourcing will depend on the specific needs and resources of the company.
Conclusion
The mHealth app market is constantly growing, and the demand for diet and nutrition apps is on the rise. mHealth app development that meets the needs of users and stands out in the crowded mHealth market isn’t the easiest task. However, with the right team and the right process, the rewards are high and almost certain. 2023 is all about living healthy and trusting the right technology to help you do that, and it’s only logical to jump on that bandwagon and create an app that acts as the most knowledgeable, intuitive, and attentive friend who also happens to be a diet and nutrition expert.
