Case Study
Kitchen Guru
The Problem
Many people struggle to find recipes that fit their dietary preferences, budget, and time constraints, leading to frustration and wasted food. Traditional recipe discovery platforms often lack customization, fail to account for dietary needs, and don't provide an intuitive, enjoyable cooking experience.
The Goal
To address these pain points, Kitchen Guru offers personalized recipe recommendations, easy-to-follow instructions, and the ability to edit recipes based on specific dietary restrictions. Kitchen Guru will not only inspire users to cook delicious meals but also help them make smarter decisions in their grocery shopping.
My Role and Duration
Lead Designer designing Kitchen Guru from conception to delivery
Responsibilities
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
User Research
To ensure that our app meets the needs of our target audience, we conducted a series of user research activities to gain insights into the challenges people face while cooking at home, finding recipes, and managing their dietary preferences. Target Audience: Our primary users are home cooks ranging from beginners to experienced individuals, ages 18-50, who are interested in healthy eating, saving money, and reducing food waste. These users are tech-savvy and open to using apps to streamline their cooking experience.
User Pain Points
1
Meal Planning
Users frequently express difficulty in planning meals that align with their budgets or that reduce food waste. The lack of tools to track ingredients, manage grocery lists, and match available pantry items with recipes leads to both wasted food and overspending.
2
Dietary Restriction
Many users struggle to find recipes that meet their specific dietary needs (e.g., gluten-free, vegan, low-carb, etc.). This leads to frustration and often results in them compromising on their health goals or spending more time looking for alternatives.
3
Recipe Instruction
Complex or unclear recipe instructions can make cooking feel like a daunting task, especially for beginners. Users often find themselves scrolling through long paragraphs or trying to decode unfamiliar terminology, which diminishes the cooking experience and leads to discouragement.
Sarah is a busy professional working full-time in marketing. She values a healthy lifestyle but struggles with sticking to a nutritious diet due to her food sensitivities (gluten and dairy). Sarah tries to cook most of her meals at home to control what she's eating, but often finds herself overwhelmed with finding recipes that fit her dietary restrictions.
Mapping Sarah’s user journey revealed how helpful it would be for user’s to have a reliable recipe app
Digital Wireframes
As the initial design phase continued, I made sure to base scene designs on feedback and findings from user research.
Easy navigation was key to address in the design, in addition to equipping the app to work with assistive technology
Usability Study Findings
Round 1 Findings
While most users appreciated the
step-by-step instructions with visual
cues, some reported difficulty following
recipes that included unfamiliar
cooking term
Round 2 Findings
Participants found the recipe
discovery process relatively easy,
especially when they could filter
recipes based on dietary needs and
available ingredients.
High Fidelity Prototype
Recipe Selection
Users can input their dietary needs (e.g., gluten-free, vegan, keto, low-carb, dairy-free) during the initial setup or update them at any time in the app settings. Based on these preferences, the app will filter recipes to show only those that meet the user’s dietary criteria.
Recipe Guidance
When users open a recipe, the app presents clear, easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions. Each step is broken down with simple language, making it accessible for both beginner and experienced cooks. This reduces confusion and helps users stay organized while cooking.
High-Fidelity Flow
Accessibility Considerations
Image Descriptions: Provide alt text for all images, such as photos of finished dishes or step-by-step visuals, so users with visual impairments can understand the content through screen readers.
Voice Control Options: Enable voice control for hands-free navigation of the app. For example, users could say “Next step” or “Show ingredients” instead of tapping through the app, helping those with limited hand mobility or dexterity.
Progressive Steps: Present recipes as a series of small, digestible steps. Avoid overwhelming users with lengthy text or too much information at once. Consider breaking down complex tasks into more manageable chunks.