A 14 week project for Visual Interaction Design 3. Summer 2020
What if a recipe app could be more social?
Current recipe apps have limited interconnectivity and flexibility for users to discover truly unique recipes or share their own creations.
A recipe app that features a social media component
Discover
Users may explore all of the wonderful community generated content and dive further in with the ability to see the recipe and cook it for themselves.
Plan
The app includes a meal planning feature that combines recipes for cooking and calculates the time and ingredients according to any overlaps.
Cook
Step-by-step guides which include hands-free voice operation so users don't have to touch their device while prepping ingredients.
Connect
Providing the ability to connect with and send messages, compliments, or recommendations to others.
Promotional Clip
Created in Adobe After Effects. Soundtrack by MorningLightMusic.
"Meals usually consist of more than one recipe."
-Interview Participant
Research and process
The problem statement
"Young professionals and college students are using apps and websites to guide them in the kitchen, but they are limited when browsing and sharing their creations in a social setting."
Initial Research
59%
of 25 to 34-year-olds head
to the kitchen with their
tablet or smartphone.
Google Consumer Survey, Jan 2015, n=550
76%
of survey participants rate
their own cooking ability
to be at or below average.
Independent Survey, June 2020, n=112
234.5M
#foodporn posts
Instagram, July 2020
78%
of survey participants turn to websites to discover new recipes.
Independent Survey, June 2020, n=112
Comparative Analysis
User Interviews
Mapping the Responses
The User Persona
Branding and mood boarding
Initial Sketches
Prototyping - Low to High Fidelity
Final Iteration
The User Journey
MuSCoW Chart
Leveraging existing patterns used in social media gives familiarity to the users.
A user insight reminded me that meals are never just one recipe, so the system should be designed around this notion.
Visual demos are hugely popular for any instructional type of information.
Other recipe apps did include a liking or rating feature, but what if there was more to it?
The comparative analysis focused on recipe apps and revealed none had a complete system for interpersonal communication.
A mix of at-home and professional chefs revealed the differences and overlaps in their processes.
Affinity and empathy mapping exercises gave a clearer understanding of who my user is.
A clear primary user surfaced: tech savvy, busy bodied, and resourceful.
I landed on Clove which represents part of a garlic bulb the same way recipes are parts of a complete meal!
Inspiration came from looking at both social media platforms and cooking apps.
By the last week, it was all slight revisions for easier navigation and a clearer user interface.
