T. Trinh

rinh

astify

In a world full of cooking apps, many bombard users with dense text and make it difficult to find the desired recipe. Recognizing the absence of user-friendly cooking apps, our project aims to address this gap by creating a social media platform tailored for novice to intermediate cooks.

With a focus on accessibility and inclusivity, we seek to provide a solution to the challenges users face, such as unclear recipes and uninspiring interfaces, while fostering a sense of community and collaborative learning within the cooking sphere.

Skip to the Reflection

Role

UX/UI Designer

Duration

November - May 2023

Tools & Skills

Figma, User Research, User Testing,
Wireframing, Prototyping

Worked with

Dawson Jen, Mai Nguyen,
Soomin Lee and Grace Yu

Back

User Research

Initial Thinking + Lo-Fi

Hi-Fi Prototype

Reflection

ser

esearch

Acknowledging how overwhelming cooking platforms can be, we conducted interviews with individuals of varying cooking skill levels to gain insights into their challenges with finding and following online recipes.

Our group then created user personas based on those interviews, delving into the concrete tasks and challenges faced by our interviewees.

nitial Thinking +

o-Fi

Through analyzing our responses from the interviews and brainstorming iterations, we created an overarching goal:

Create an accessible community for cooking and recipe sharing

During prototype creation, we grappled with layout challenges on recipe and community pages, emphasizing clarity and hierarchy. Refining these designs, we emphasized user intuitiveness and simplicity to address the issue of information overload, a key challenge highlighted in our user research.

Our group then conducted cognitive walkthroughs involving predefined tasks not disclosed to users. These tasks were categorized into two primary objectives: firstly, assessing users' ability to open a recipe from the homepage, and secondly, gauging their proficiency in filtering through recipes.

While successful overall, we identified three main areas for improvement, alongside several other minor changes:

Group search filters into broader categories
Move the “community” tab for better alignment
Redesign the login page with toggles and clearer forms

i-fi Prototype

eflection

Finding the balance between creative exploration and brand consistency is essential.

The heuristic evaluation revealed the importance of considering user perspectives, as details overlooked by creators became apparent. Key learnings included the necessity of integrating community aspects, as well as adding features like videos, reviews, and hashtag functionality for improved user engagement beyond what the ‘final’ design had to offer.
Additionally, incorporating a diverse range of users, from novices to seasoned UX/UI design experts, to test the application enabled a comprehensive evaluation of its usability and effectiveness. This diverse testing pool ensured that feedback encompassed perspectives from various skill levels and backgrounds, facilitating a more thorough understanding of user needs and preferences.

The ‘final’ design will never truly be the final copy.

With designing UI platforms, there is an ongoing nature of refinement and improvement, even after reaching what seems like completion. Despite conducting numerous user tests at every stage of prototype development, a continuous stream of feedback highlighted areas for further enhancement or refinement.
While it's crucial to acknowledge that catering to every individual preference is unrealistic, I found that this principle holds true across all design endeavors. Design is inherently subjective, and what works perfectly for one user may not resonate with another. Therefore, the goal should be to create a design that satisfies the needs and preferences of the majority while still being flexible enough to accommodate diverse user perspectives. By embracing this diversity and continuously seeking feedback, designers can create more inclusive and user-friendly solutions that better serve the needs of a broader audience.