The Challenge
Existing health and nutrition apps focus on calorie counting — not health intelligence. Families with different dietary needs have no platform that adapts to each member individually while keeping everyone on the same meal plan.
- No existing platform supports multiple dietary approaches within a single household
- Current tools lack educational depth — they track numbers without teaching the science behind them
- Most apps use shame-based compliance instead of building sustainable habits
- Building a complex, multi-feature SaaS as a solo founder requires a fundamentally different development approach
The AI Development Story
NourishIQ isn’t just a platform I designed — it’s a platform I’m building using AI-augmented development. This is the section that makes this case study unique: no other instructional design or change management professional has a case study about directing AI agents to build production software.
How I Build with AI Agents
I orchestrate parallel AI agents — multiple simultaneous development sessions, each focused on a different component — to architect and build a full-stack application. This isn’t “asking ChatGPT for help.” This is systematic, context-managed software development.
“I don’t just recommend AI adoption — I’ve lived it. I direct AI agents to build production-grade applications, which means I can design realistic adoption strategies because I understand the actual capabilities and limitations firsthand.”
What I Built
NourishIQ is a comprehensive health intelligence platform designed around how families actually eat. Rather than just tracking calories, it combines personalized dietary support, health education, and family coordination into a single experience.
Multi-Member Architecture
Designed a system where each family member has individualized settings while sharing a unified household experience.
Health Intelligence Layer
Built data visualization and tracking systems that go beyond simple logging to surface meaningful health insights over time.
Integrated LMS
Designed and built an education platform within the app using instructional design methodology — not just features, but a learning system.
Dynamic Theming Engine
Engineered a UI system that adapts content and visual design contextually — demonstrating advanced front-end architecture.
Tiered SaaS Model
Architected a multi-tier subscription system with progressive feature access — from free to premium family plans.
Behavior-First Design
Applied instructional design principles to gamification — celebrating consistency over perfection to drive sustainable adoption.
Integrated LMS
NourishIQ includes an integrated Learning Management System built from the ground up using instructional design methodology. This isn’t a bolted-on FAQ section — it’s a structured education platform with tiered content delivery.
- Applied instructional systems design principles to create progressive learning pathways
- Designed tiered content architecture that maps to the platform’s subscription model
- Built evidence-based educational content using multimedia learning best practices
- Structured curriculum around competency-based progression, not just information delivery
This directly maps to my Master’s coursework at UCF — EME 6613 (Instructional Systems Design) and EME 6507 (Multimedia for Education & Training). I’m not just studying instructional design systems. I’m building one.
Key Takeaway
“Technology adoption isn’t a slide deck problem — it’s a build problem.”
Applied here: I didn’t just study AI adoption. I adopted AI to build a production platform.I’ve spent 25 years building things — trade schools, software systems, training programs, marketing campaigns, operational workflows. NourishIQ is the latest, but the pattern is the same: identify a gap, learn the domain, build the solution. AI-augmented development didn’t change what I do. It accelerated how fast I can do it.