Anyone Can Cook
A responsive app designed to encourage users to learn kitchen techniques through skills-based recipes, so they gain the confidence to create delicious meals at home instead of ordering take-out or delivery!
The Project
My Role
All UX responsibilities from conception to final delivery, as part of the Google Certification program
Timeline
September, 2022 to November, 2022
Deliverables
User research interviews
Personas and User Journey maps
Competitive Audit/Report
Paper and Digital Wireframes
Usability studies
Low and high fidelity Mockups and Prototypes
Accessibility standards
The Problem
Demands on time and a lack of cooking experience of most users prevents many from preparing meals at home. Instead, many choose more expensive and unhealthy take-out and delivery.
1/2 hour for prep and cooking is best...31 minutes is too long! I cooked a frozen pizza once! A balanced meal includes a plate, fork, knife and a drink?! Healthy food doesn't taste as good as take-out! Being a cooking novice....something I've got to change!
Foundational Research
Supermarket News survey:
40% of participants find home cooking challenging
Insufficient cooking skills
Time management
Don't know what to cook on a daily basis
Bureau of Labor Statistics reports:
56% of participants eat out 2-3x/week
10% eat out 4-6x/week
The average household spends over $3,000/year eating out
Interviews: 7 participants
Attribute their propensity to eat-out due to:
No time to cook (100% of participants)
Lack of skills/practice (71%)
Lack of confidence in the kitchen (71%)
Convenience (71%)
# of times per week participants report eating-out/ordering take-out:
29% 2-3x/week
57% 4-5 or more times /week
Participants who expressed a positive attitude or opinion of home cooking-71%
Research Insights
Challenging
Significant # of participants in both surveys report home cooking to be challenging
4-6 times a week
Significant # of participants in both surveys report eating out 4-6x/week
Positive attitude
More than 70% of interview participants have a positive attitude toward home cooking
Cooking feels like me time. I can cook how I want the dish, to accommodate for my tastes and preferences! Cooking is enjoyable, relaxing, fun! If I cook at home, I can save money and I can make the things I like! If I keep it simple, I can actually cook at home instead of eating out!
Personas: Emily and Michael
"Eating out is the reality of my schedule!"
Emily, Registered Nurse, 28
"If I could get some help in cooking fast and easy meals, then I can make it part of my routine!"
Michael, Engineering Student, 21
User Journeys
Emily's User Journey
Goal: Simplify meal prep, cooking and clean up process in order to minimize the time and effort it takes to cook at home v. take-out/delivery
Michael's User Journey
Goal: Help novice cooks to quickly and effortlessly learn kitchen techniques to make a home meal preferable to take-out/delivery
Competitive Audit revealed
Lack of branding across direct competitor apps
Video usage inconsistent and not welcoming
A formal and stale tone across apps
A lack of accessibility features across all competitors
The Challenge
Leverage the positive attitude regarding home cooking and design an app that simplifies the home cooking experience, so users will want to create fast and convenient meals at home more frequently.
Low-Fidelity
Ideation:
Ideation exercise to develop a homepage layout that includes user needs, as well as addressing opportunities highlighted in the competitive audit report.
Wireframes:
Initial homepage design begins to address
Branding: inclusion of logo in top nav bar drives brand recognition
Video usage: inclusion of video element on homepage for user support
Accessibility: labels aid with screen readers
Tone: fun, more relaxed language reduces intimidating formality
Low-Fidelity mockups present a primary user flow: Choose a video from the Beginner recipe category, and add the necessary ingredients to a shopping list.
Usability Study
Type: Unmoderated
Participants: 5 adults between 21 and 50 years old, 3 women and 2 men
Location: USA, remote
Length: 15-20 minutes each
Insights Gained
Progression
Users requested a more personalized experience to make individualized tracking easier
Features
Users requested easier access to the shopping list feature
Video
Video option available with each recipe to include
recipe ratings
time required to complete
number of likes
save capability
High Fidelity Mockup revisions
Tracking individual progress easier with a dedicated page
Easier access to shopping list feature with separate CTA button
Shopping list can be modified for more/less items, as needed
Recipe page includes informational features users requested
Responsive design-Mobile, Tablet, Desktop
Measures of Success:
# of unique subscribers to the app
# of repeat visits to the app
# of referrals from existing users
Additional Opportunities
Add CTA button for suggesting substitutions for recipe ingredients not on-hand
Provide links to delivery options for missing ingredients so they can be ordered and on-hand in time for meal prep
Provide CTA button to increase # of meals prepared so that leftovers can be available for another meal during the week as another time-saving opportunity
Determine how to incorporate educational information in order to promote healthy eating habits
Impact
Users expressed appreciation for an app that could help them with one of the most basic of functions-cooking-while also having the opportunity to learn or increase their kitchen skills. They also enjoyed the social impact that sharing their cooking could mean: dining with family and friends is so basic to our culture!
Key Takeaway
Throughout the design process, the ability to remain focused on user needs is key. A solution which answers the problem is far superior to a splashy presentation that forgets the user.
Details matter, regardless of how insignificant they may seem.
Test, test and test. Not only do users discover pain points which exist, they also uncover and highlight designer biases.