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From concept to scalable experience

🏆 Second Runner-Up
User Interface Design Category

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A Women Empowerment Initiative

Who
are
we
​

Founded by two NID alumni, Desi Aroma is a community-driven initiative that empowers housewives in Gandhinagar by transforming their love for home-cooked food into a source of income and recognition, while serving affordable, wholesome meals to students.

Our Approach

Gandhinagar was analyzsed to identify systematic gaps

DEFINE

A service was designed to bridge these gaps

DESIGN

A service prototype was run as a POC with scaling plan

DEPLOY

Primary & Secondary Research •  Focus Groups System Mapping • Insights Articulation • Opportunity Mapping

System-Level Analysis of Gandhinagar
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One-to-one interviews with potential customers

  • Limited time to cook → dependence on restaurants and mess food

  • Carrying home-cooked food leads to cold, soggy meals

  • Strong need for fresh, homemade food

  • Existing services lack authentic “home-style” taste

Food tasting workshop with students

  • Willingness to pay ₹100–₹150 for non-veg meals

  • Cost sensitivity; preference for simple, homely packaging

  • Quantity transparency expected in online menus

  • Demand for personalization and portion options

  • Interest in multiple meal sizes and special meals

One-to-one discussions with homemakers

  • Family approval is critical for homemakers’ participation

  • Homemakers’ schedules revolve around family needs

  • Retired individuals seek meaningful engagement

  • Stored homemade snacks fit anytime consumption needs

Insights from Food Business Owners

  • Cook selection is key to consistent homemade taste

  • Limited local market → right customer targeting needed

  • Importance of tracking customer preferences

  • Loyalty requires assurance and stability for home chefs

Insights from Interviews &

Group Discussions

A comparative study was conducted to benchmark existing services, understand gaps in homemaker recognition, and identify best practices in community-driven food initiatives.

Comparative Analysis
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 Stakeholder Mapping 

Mapped stakeholders to understand roles, influence, and interactions

within the service ecosystem.

Two key journeys—of the chef and the customer—were mapped to identify pain points, gain points, and critical touchpoints.

Journey 
Mapping

An app-based platform was envisioned as part of the scaling strategy, and a prototype was developed to demonstrate its functionality and potential.

A service blueprint was developed to align user interactions with operational processes and dependencies.

Service
Blueprint
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Brand Strategy • Identity Design • Promotion & Advertising • Social Media Campaigns • Marketing Collaterals • Packaging Design • Sourcing • Brand Awareness

Brand
Building
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A concept video was created to explain the service clearly to stakeholders, helping them understand the vision, features, and benefits.

Concept
Video
Key Service Metrics

6

Home Chefs

135

Total Orders

81

Total Customers

62%

Repeat Customers

4.4

Rating

 UX Research • User Persona • User Flows          • Wireframing • Design System • Prototyping

Interface
Design

Service to interface

An app-based platform was envisioned as part of the scaling strategy, and a prototype was developed to demonstrate its functionality and potential.

An app-based platform was envisioned as part of the scaling strategy, and a prototype was developed to demonstrate its functionality and potential.

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