A free, easy way to create and share allergy lists, ensuring clear communication in any language.
Category
Project
Published
Jan 16, 2025
Status
Active
Food allergies can be life-threatening, yet communicating them effectively is surprisingly difficult… something I learned the hard way (but you're not here for that story). Whether ordering at a restaurant, traveling abroad, or explaining allergies to new people, the risk of miscommunication is always present.
Solutions today rely on verbal explanations, paper allergy cards, or mobile phone notes, but these have limitations:
Verbal communication is unreliable – details get lost resulting in frequent mistakes.
Custom paper cards are lacking – they don't work when dealing with language-barriers and are often forgotten.
Mobile phone notes aren't shareable – food service employees are unable to share these notes across the entire food operations team, requiring transcription into there system.
With these pain points in mind, I built AllergyList, here's why it helps:
Universal Understanding – AllergyList translates allergies into 10+ languages and includes high-quality images to prevent misunderstandings, even in edge cases.
Digital Sharing – A link or NFC scan makes allergy info instantly accessible, ensuring seamless communication between individuals and food service teams.
Fully Customizable – Users can edit, add, or update allergies anytime, ensuring their list is as accurate as possible.
With over 800 users and 4 million impressions in just a few months, AllergyList stands as a clear, measurable success. The rapid adoption confirms the demand for a globally accessible, easily shareable, and fully customizable solution, validating the need for a better way to communicate allergies in everyday life.
AllergyList was designed to be universally accessible across both mobile and desktop devices, ensuring that users can create and access their allergy information from anywhere. The onboarding flow is optimized for speed and simplicity, allowing users to sign up, select allergens, and generate a shareable list in just ~2.5 minutes.
A key design challenge was balancing comprehensiveness with ease of use. While a predefined database covers common allergens, edge cases required a solution for less common or highly specific allergies. To address this, users can add custom allergens and notes, ensuring their list accurately reflects their needs. The UI prioritizes clarity, using high-quality allergen images and multilingual translations to remove ambiguity and improve understanding in any setting.
AllergyList remains completely free, so monetization had to add value without limiting access. NFC-enabled Allergy Cards offer a seamless way to instantly share allergies while keeping the digital list available to all users.
Each card arrives pre-programmed with a unique UUID. Users scan it in the app to link it to their profile, allowing the card to instantly redirect to their AllergyList with a tap or scan.
This keeps monetization non-intrusive while providing a practical upgrade for users who want even faster access to their allergy information. A huge win-win.
AllergyList’s landing page was designed with conversion in mind, ensuring visitors immediately understand its value and take action. Since the solution is unique in the sense that it requires minimal explanation, the goal was to reduce friction and drive quick sign-ups.
One of the most important design choices was the placement and wording of the first call-to-action button. Positioned in a mobile click hotspot zone, it is strategically located where users naturally tap, making it easy to engage. The button text, "Create your free allergy list," was carefully chosen to be explicit and action-driven, reinforcing that the process is fast, free, and rewarding. This phrasing eliminates uncertainty and encourages immediate interaction by clearly stating the benefit upfront.
By focusing on clarity and speed, the landing page has achieved a ~17% conversion rate, demonstrating that users quickly recognize the need for a better allergy communication tool and are willing to adopt it.
In Conclusion
I built AllergyList to solve a real, overlooked problem with speed, clarity, and accessibility at its core. With over 800 users in just a few months, the demand for a universal, shareable, and customizable allergy solution is clear. The product's success validates key design choices, from its fast onboarding process to the high-converting landing page and optional NFC cards that provide value without restricting free users. As it continues to grow, AllergyList stands as proof that simple, well-designed solutions can have a meaningful impact.
Connect
Reach me at @chipherndon or cherndon@ucla.edu