Turning recipe confusion into cullinary confidence
We simplify cooking with visuals, guidance, and community support.
Project Overview
This project was part of the Fundamentals in User Experience course at the iSchool (University of Toronto). The challenge is focused on addressing the common frustrations of users who want to learn to cook.
Through extensive user research and iterative design, we developed a mobile app prototype that simplifies the cooking experience by providing visually-supported step-by-step recipe instructions. The solution integrates features like ingredient substitution options, concise instructions, and community support to empower users to build their culinary confidence.
This case study showcases the research, ideation, design process, and usability testing conducted to create a user-centric platform that transforms cooking apprehension into a seamless and enjoyable journey.
Project Summary
Design Challenge
Design a solution that would enable individuals to learn to cook using online recipes.
Project Goal
Create a platform that makes cooking easier by simplifying recipes by providing clear, visually supported instructions with personalized step-by-step guidance and community support.
Project Scope
Project Duration: 3 Months
Team Size: 4 Members
Tools Used
Figjam - Brainstorming Sessions
Figma - Wireframing & Prototyping
Canva - Slidedeck for Storytelling
Team Members
Cynthia Huang - Our Storyteller
Jiajia Zhu - Our Visual Designer
Princess Parris - Our Content Editor & Researcher
My Role (UI/UX Lead)
Led the Problem Refinement session during W03 of the project phase.
Contributed to Primary Research by conducting User Interviews and contributing valuable insights from the coded data.
Conducted Secondary Research and contributed supporting evidence to one of the main challenges within the problem statement.
Contributed to writing and editing various sections of the slide decks, especially for the iteration sections based on expert and user feedback.
Designed low-fidelity wireframe designs which the group decided to use for the final mockups with some minor modifications.
Led high-fidelity mockup design and prototyping with Jiajia.
Conducted User Testing of our low-fidelity prototype with peers and collected valuable insights for iteration.
Contributed and devised design iteration and improvements based on feedback to create a more user-centric solution.
The Problem
Home cooks struggle with unclear instructions and time constraints when following recipes. This often results in poor-tasting or incomplete dishes, leaving home cooks feeling frustrated and dissatisfied with their meals. This makes it difficult for home cooks to prepare dishes at home!
Key Pain Points From Our Research
Solution
Our solution is a mobile application that ensures home cooks can execute recipes successfully in the kitchen.
Key Features
Visually-supported step-by-step recipe Instructions & Substitute Options
Community Support
Personalized Guidance
Behind the Scenes
Understanding user needs, challenges, and behaviors was the foundation of our design process. Through rigorous research, ideation processes, user testing, iterations, and user feedback, we explored and refined our solutions to address the key pain points of our users. This section provides a detailed look at the steps we took to design a solution that empowers and enhances the cooking experience.
Details of our Process
Process Outline
Let’s start from scratch!
Discovery
The Discovery phase set the foundation for our project by identifying and understanding major challenges faced by home cooks. We began by exploring possible pain points of users who struggle with learning how to cook.
I led the the initial brainstorming session to define the scope of the problem and outlined key questions to guide our background research.
Provide individuals who often find following recipe instructions too long and complicated, easy-to-follow steps with visual ais to guide them through the process.
Problem Space
Key Questions:
Research & Analysis
Building on the insights from the Discovery phase, we conducted in-depth research to better understand the behaviors, challenges, and preferences of home cooks. Each of us were assigned one key question to conduct in-depth background research through journal, articles and other platform reviews. We also led solo user research by conducting interviews to help us gather insights about our potential users. This combination of primary and secondary research methods allowed us to explore the challenges, motivations, and opportunities of our problem space.
Foundational Research
Background Research
To deepen our understanding of our problem space, we conducted background research, focusing on journals, articles, and reviews relevant to our key questions. This research allowed us to explore existing studies and helped us gather valuable insights into how our product can address pain points of recipe platforms, such as improving clarity, accessibility, and encouraging engagement. These findings provided a strong foundation for our design decisions and ensured that our solution was informed by existing research.
Highlights From Our Findings
To gain firsthand insights into the experiences and challenges of home cooks, we conducted user interviews as part of our primary research method. These interviews allowed us to explore the pain points, preferences, and motivations of individuals who frequently use recipes to cook at home.
User Research
I interviewed 2 of the 8 students. I contributed to the interview scripts which were used during the interview process and recorded the interviews. The findings from these interviews were later transcribed and coded to highlight key themes.
As a group we gathered our code data and found recurring themes that would help provide valuable insights into our problem space
Themes and Insights
Motivations & Goals
User Persona
Although you were already introduced to her name, you must be wondering who Lilian is and what her story is?
Lilian’s story
Who is Lilian?
Lilian is a student who enjoys cooking, she wants to attempt to cook a steak recipe for an upcoming family dinner but she need a recipe that is able to guide her as it is her first time cooking steak. She also needs to find a recipe that will allow her to substitute ingredients because her grandfather has dietary restrictions.
User Journey Map
The following user journey map follow’s Lilian’s process of cooking the perfect medium rare steak. It highlights her pain points, goals, feelings and outcomes at each stage of the process.
Lilian’s Journey
Design
Problem Statement
Homecooks struggle with unclear instructions and time constraints when following recipes. This often results in poor tasting or incomplete dishes, leaving home cooks feeling frustrated and dissatisfied with their meals. This makes it difficult for home cooks to prepare dishes at home.
Ideation
Defining the problem
To translate our research insights into actionable solutions, we engaged in multiple rounds of Crazy 8’s ideation sessions. This rapid sketching exercise encouraged us to think creatively and explore a diverse range of ideas in a short amount of time.
Each round focused on addressing specific user pain points, such as simplifying instructions, integrating visual aids, and offering ingredient flexibility.
Our group had a lot of fun during the activity and it was exciting to see what everyone’s approach and thought-process for potential solutions were.
The collaborative nature of the sessions allowed us to generate and iterate on innovative concepts, ultimately we were able to narrow down our ideas.
Results
We were able to agree on the following ideas that stood out to our group the most
Low Fidelity Hand Sketches
Low Fidelity Wireframes
My designs contribution for the flow above (except for the Directions and Selected Step Instructions screens) were selected by team.
User Testing
Low Fidelity Prototype Evaluation
While two of our teammates presented our low-fidelity prototype to an expert, I led the evaluation of our prototype by our peers along with another team member. We conducted a 5-Second Screen Test where users were shown the app’s home page for 5 seconds, then asked to describe what they saw
Task prompt: Using the prototype, users had to attempt to locate the categories function and find the recipe instructions for a one-hour vegetarian chickpea tikka masala
Think-Aloud: users were asked to think aloud while carrying out the task prompt.
Feedback From Experts & Testers
Revisions
Design Iteration
The following iterations and improvements are based on our user testing evaluation and the feedback we received from the experts and testers.
1. Home Screen and Filter Screen
2. Recipe Result Screen
3. Ingredients & Substitute Screen
4. Recipe Directions Screen
5. Comment Screen
6. Steak Test Screens
I contributed the idea of adding test options for users to check their steak’s doneness.
Reflections & Learnings
Research! Research! Research!
Our users should be at the heart of everything we do. Throughout our design process, all the research, interviews, testing, iterations, and designs we created were conducted with the user in mind. By prioritizing user-centric design solutions, we were able to create a solution that resonated with the users pain-point. During the final presented, one of the experts pointed out and expressed that he could tell that we really went into depth when thinking about our solution from the user’s perspective.
Know How To Tell A story!
Telling a story is a form of art. From our first session with our experts, it was evident that knowing how to tell your story in a way that resonates with users is the best way to bring attention to your solution. No matter how great your solution is, if you cannot tell its story, then users will not grasp its value -- they will not remember it.
No Idea Is Ridiculous
Studio activities always began with the reminder tha “no idea is ridiculous”, every idea deserves to be heard. We were encouraged to think out of the box, experiment with as many new ideas and embrace creativity. This thought-process allowed us to explore a wide variety of possibilities an helped us get into the flow of creating as many Crazy 8’s as possible! (which was extremely fun and exciting!)
Keep it Concise!
Say the most with the least amount of words!
From our weekly studios and feedback sessions from professional experts, professor, and Ta, we realized the importance of keeping things concise. We developed our ability to shorten lengthy sentences by focusing on concise and clear communication. Doing this not only reduces the risk of misinterpretation but also gets straight to the point.
Put Users First
Before we started working on our project, our team already had assumptions about what we thought recipes had. However, after conducting background research, primary user research, and interviews we were able to solidify and gain valuable insights crucial for understanding users needs, pain points, and opportunities - backed by evidence.
Enjoy The Process
And the team you work with
Although each of our deliverables had deadlines and grading rubric attached to it, the process was met with excitement and passion from our team members. We were able to foster a supportive and collaborative working style and were able to overcome challenges and celebrate our accomplishments at each stage. It reminded us that it is the people and not the destination that matters during the journey.