01 — CONSUMER SOCIALiOS App
By the Bite
Ranking food by the dish, not the restaurant
Problem
Restaurant ratings answer "is this place good?" Users actually need "what should I order?" A single score averages dozens of dishes, so two people can have opposite experiences at the same restaurant depending on what they pick.
Solution
Built a logging app centered on ranking dishes against each other instead of reviewing restaurants.
Key Decisions
- Photo-first content to make the feed inherently engaging and scannable instead of numeric ratings
- AI dish categorization to remove tagging effort and keep logging lightweight
- Instant onboarding feed showing real dishes so users understand the product immediately
Validation
Interviews + observation before launch showed: people store meals in camera rolls, recommendations are dish-specific, users avoid writing reviews but make quick choices easily.
Iteration
Post-launch behavior drove product changes: shifted from reviews → comparisons, promoted rankings to homepage, reduced input friction. The product evolved from review app → personal taste history.
Outcome
Usage came from tracking identity over time, not single visits. Learned that consumer retention grows when users organize themselves, not content.
Tech
SwiftUI · Supabase (Postgres + Auth) · Edge Functions · Push Notifications · Built using AI-assisted workflow (Cursor + Claude)