The Analysis of the Effectiveness of 3 Food Applications - Research Paper Example

Evaluation of Eat24, Fooducate and Foodspotting, Food Applications EVALUATION OF EAT24, FOODUCATE AND FOODSPOTTING, FOOD APPLICATIONS In recent years, the use of mobile applications has dramatically increased. These devices are becoming more complex, allowing the user to realize a wide array of activities while on the move. In order to achieve a better world, these applications have been deployed, as a quick guide to help in certain ways. One such activity is healthy living through food. Food applications are abundant in the market. For anyone concerned about where, what, when and who, in terms of food services, these applications are essential for them. For a better food system, one needs to have one of these food applications. Currently, there are a lot of applications with different effectiveness as far as service provisions are concerned. A number of usability issues have also become more prevalent, as the ease with which these applications can be developed and distributed increases. In this paper, three types of food applications available in the market are being reviewed. These are Eat24, Fooducate and Foodspotting. Their effectiveness will be evaluated, while stating their strengths and weaknesses thereafter (Lonczak, 2011). First and fore most is the Foodspotting application. This is a renowned visual guide to good food, where one can find and share great dishes, not only in restaurants. In addition to reviewing restaurants, one can find and share their best dishes using photos. If undecided on what to eat, the application can really help. This feature allows the user to determine the nearest best and latest foods around them. One can find a particular food they really miss, or even look up to a hotel to find out their best delicacy that time. Focusing on its application, Foodspotting has proven to be very beneficial, especially to those who are a big fan of food. It allows the user to locate a new restaurant and interesting food dishes to try in their area. It also permits, the user to share their favorite food dishes with interested parties, so that they can experience such delicacies. That being said, the strength of this application is easy to figure out. One such strength is that is enables the user to locate the best restaurants and dishes in their location of interest. It also enables user to recommend friends and to see their recommended foods and places. The interface is very attractive and easy to use. With this information, you can be able to criticize local food while applauding others. The drawbacks of this application are not many. First of all, it’s known that the user is usually forwarded to Yelp when scarce local restaurant information, is available. Another concern is that, it does not provide full menus for restaurants as well (Lonczak, 2011) The second food application is none other than Fooducate. It’s considered the best food application in iPhone by many. This application is effective among those people who are keen on what they eat. The application contains a wealth of information about the many foods we eat as well as reviews from nutritionist, dietitians and other users. This application is effective because it provides the user with options, regarding what they really want in their diet. It’s very useful for diabetics, allergic, obese individuals, and generally people that watch their diet. For instance, if one wants pure specific diets like whole grains, Fooducate will provide options for the ones you might buy, plus reviews from users and dietitians alike. This option will correspond to those with higher ratings in terms of quality and content. Without a doubt, Fooducate is the only application that looks beyond and helps the user to eat healthy. Thus is enables healthy weight loss, tracking diet and scanning foods. There are various strengths of this application. In summary, the user is able to find vital information on food, in an effortless process. In addition, it has the “replace” feature in the shopping list. This provides an effective way of getting better options in just a few taps, if the ones there are not adequate. The application is also contains regular updates on foods and new ones too. The weaknesses are not many. One significant one lies in the fact that, some searches usually yield unrelated results. (Kazmucha, 2012) The last food application of our interest today is the eat24. This presents the easier, faster and safer way to find just the dish or the restaurant one is thirsting for nearby. The user could be a stranger in a place, and this makes the Eat24 Order Food Delivery and Takeout, the best companion in the phone. This application, allows the user to order their favorite dishes, and even find places where coupons can be used or payments. The user will have all the necessary information so as to make the best decisions, as well as track their preferences. The application is very effective in providing relevant hotels and dishes there in, after auto detecting the user location. The hotels that are currently open at that time will also be shown or even those that accept/ use coupons. The user can also search a specific restaurant or dish in mind, and check out the rating, and the complete menu. This application has several strengths it can boast. First of all, the user can add their best delicacies to the cart, after which they will use it to confirm that the dishes they chose was the right one, and of convenient price. Secondly, the application can search for a particular restaurant, cuisines or a dish, thus making it convenient for the user. Then this information is saved for easy identification next time. The application is also able to securely store the credit card number safely in the system or the user, thus not need of repeatedly entering the values. There are also good offers available, in the VIP program. The only drawback to the use, lies in the fact that, it has limited applicability. There are an immense number of takeout places in many towns though. (Poeana, n.d.) In conclusion, food applications have become part of our everyday life, as the mobile application technology hits new heights. These applications, have proven to save time and money as well as educate the user, enabling them to make informed choices. This paper has reviewed the effectiveness of three food applications, namely, Fooducate, Eat24 and Foodspotting. Their strength and weakness have been determined and compared. Foodspotting and Eat24 enable the users to locate restaurants and dishes of their interest, while Fooducate, is more of a healthy eating guide. All have strength and weaknesses, but some are more appealing than others. Each of them is a valuable asset to carry around, in modern life. Therefore, after careful analysis of these applications, it has come to my opinion that, Fooducate, its the best of the three applications discussed. If the user wishes to be conscious of the ingredients in the dished they eat, this is the application of choice. The application not only helps in reducing weight, but also allow the user to eat that which is beneficial to them as well. People with certain allergies, or who are keen to eliminate certain additives in their diet are able to do so, using this application. The other two applications are not far behind, but I choose Fooducate as the application of choice for now. (Kazmucha, 2012) References Kazmucha,, A. (2012, February 15). Fooducate review: Best food rating app for iPhone | iMore. Retrieved from http://www.imore.com/food-rating-app-iphone-fooducate-review Lonczak, J. (2011, August 31). Foodspotting a Visual Guide to Good Food - you be the Critic! - AndroidTapp. Retrieved from http://www.androidtapp.com/foodspotting/ Poeana, M. (n.d.). Eat24 Order Food Delivery & Takeout iPhone App Review - Appbite.com. Retrieved from http://www.appbite.com/eat24-order-food-delivery-takeout-iphone-app-review/ Read More