PlateSmart Initiative: Reading Nutrition Labels

Project Overview

New clients at PlateSmart Initiative were spending significant coaching time learning how to read nutrition labels instead of diving into their personalised health plans. Coaches needed clients to arrive at sessions already comfortable with the basics; serving sizes, daily values, and how nutrients connect to their specific conditions like diabetes or hypertension.

Design Challenge

Create an onboarding module that teaches clients to interpret nutrition labels and evaluate food choices based on their health goals, reducing coaches’ time spent on fundamentals while building practical decision-making skills.

Learning Solution

I built an interactive Intellum Evolve module that walks clients through real nutrition scenarios using characters managing different conditions. The module puts learners in decision-making moments where they compare foods, evaluate meals, and practice swaps.

The Design Approach

The module introduces label components through a hotgraphic interaction, then immediately applies that knowledge through sorting exercises for specific conditions and scenario-based decisions with realistic characters.

Visual Design and Brand Implementation

Working with the provided PlateSmart brand assets including logo variants, typography specifications, and hex codes, I built a cohesive visual identity throughout the module. The brand’s teal and green palette reinforces the health focus while maintaining a professional, approachable feel.

For photography, I sourced fresh, vibrant food images from Pexels that aligned with the PlateSmart aesthetic.

Prototyping with Lovable AI

I used Lovable AI to prototype interactions and test different approaches before committing to the full build in Intellum Evolve. This let me experiment quickly with layout options, interaction patterns, and feedback messaging to find what felt most intuitive for learners.

Building Practical Skills Through Scenarios

The sorting activities for diabetes and hypertension require comparing actual foods against condition-specific thresholds. The Heart-Smart Recipe challenge lets learners modify a real meal by selecting which ingredients to skip, showing how small changes add up.

The character scenarios present realistic meal decisions with nutrition breakdowns, so learners practice the exact thinking they’ll need when choosing their own meals. A progressive snack-building interaction walks learners through how individual ingredients combine to impact daily totals showing that healthy eating isn’t about eliminating foods, but understanding how they work together.

Bringing It Together

The module is designed to give PlateSmart coaches what they need: clients who show up already comfortable reading labels and thinking about nutrients in context. It’s still being refined as I continue tweaking interactions and adding scenarios based on how learners engage with the material.