Introduction

SmartPlate Topview is the world’s first plate to use AI and photos to weigh and analyze everything a person eats. Used in conjunction with the SmartPlate app, users can monitor caloric intake to assist in weight management and control a variety of health issues such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

Challenge

SmartPlate needed an application for a product that wasn’t developed yet.

The owner of Fitly Inc. initially hired Dignitas Digital to design the Fitly company website. When he needed help with his new concept SmartPlate that raised $100,000 through a Kickstarter campaign, naturally he contacted us again. SmartPlate didn’t have an actual plate yet, but the company wanted us to build the phone app first, which was a difficult task for anyone to complete successfully. The app was the most crucial part of the product because it would show the users the calories they were consuming.

CEO Dhawal Sehgal of Dignitas Digital said, “The biggest challenge was the fact that we did not have the actual weighing scale device with our team in India who was building the app. We had to rely on the documentation to make Bluetooth connectivity possible with a device we did not have. It was like shooting an arrow while blindfolded. The best part was, we hit the bullseye with our first attempt.”

Aside from not having the SmartPlate device because it was in prototype mode, this was the very first IoT (Internet of Things) project for Dignitas Digital. There was also a learning curve to integrate with third-party APIs used for developing many features of the app.

Solution

A successful application was built based on documentation and the idea of a product.

Dignitas Digital built a minimal viable product (MVP) phone application that connected weight sensors on the SmartPlate, took photos, and sent images. Using an API, the results were collected so the number of food calories was visible on the user’s smartphone. In addition, we helped SmartPlate to program their online food store using Ruby on Rails and Stripe, while also managing their website and providing data analytics and metrics. Dignitas Digital also helped SmartPlate create an interactive prototype for the first version of their current application utilizing Flinto.

Benefit

SmartPlate had a new phone app to attract investors and product orders.

Despite the SmartPlate appearing on the popular investment T.V. show Shark Tank in 2016, the startup company could not secure investors because they did not have a phone app to demonstrate. The MVP app was the main component of the product that Dignitas Digital developed in three months. Once we completed the app, SmartPlate was able to demonstrate how the SmartPlate and SmartPlate phone app worked together. As a result, SmartPlate was able to secure investors and get a long list of pre-orders. The later versions of the app have health monitoring services and connect to smartwatches such as Apple, Garmin, and Fitbit.

Results

Product popularity and continued success.

SmartPlate Topview is considered an Intelligent Nutrition Tool that has been featured in many magazines, popular television programs, and online platforms. The Philadelphia-based startup continues to see success and fulfill product orders.

For more information about building a custom phone application for your business and getting a free consultation, please contact us at hello@dignitas.digital.