We were tasked with designing a recipe app that allowed users to input ingredients either from their own kitchen or from the supermarket, and get recipe results based on their input. I for one often find various ingredients in the fridge but don’t know how I can put it together to make a meal. We set out to see if we could design an app that could go an extra step further than others on the market.
Branding
User Research
User Flows
Wireframing
Prototyping
Figma
Illustrator
Photoshop
As well as some competitive analysis, we conducted some user research to find out what people want from a recipe app, and what pain points they have with ones currently on the market, or if they use recipe apps at all.
Based on the people we interviewed, I created some User Personas, and compiled some key points from the feedback we received.
"I don’t have much time to spend cooking"
Kate Gregory, HR Manager
"I never know what to make with the ingredients in my fridge, I throw a lot away"
Ellie Williams, Graphic Designer
"I can't afford to spend a lot of money on lots of different ingredients"
Rebecca Foster, Head of Customer Relations
"I struggle to find recipes that accommodate my gluten intolerance"
Holly Wilson, Success Executive
I put together our user 'Kate' as a representation of our target audience to truly understand our focus.
We started brainstorming some potential features based on the feedback.
We need to design a way to categorise recipes according to the individual user without overwhelming them with too many options. From the research, people want recipe options that are quick, cheap, different vegan options, healthy/low calorie, and recipes that allow for allergies/intolerances.
After putting together the user flow for the app, we started exploring potential names and branding. We brainstormed a variety of cooking related words and phrases, but eventually we settled on Chop. It was quite a catchy name and there was nothing else on the market currently that is similar. We decided to combine text and some simple illustration so the logo was still easy to read but also had fun element.
I worked up some screens to show how a user would navigate through the app to find quick recipes. These recipes are then categorised by times from low to high. All recipes are also given a difficulty rating and overall rating out of 5 stars, based on feedback by other users.
Design guidelines were created to make a consistent product and increase time efficiency.
Overall the app managed to accommodate most users wants and needs, by accommodating different dietary requirements, such as vegan and gluten free, and offering quick recipes that are split into different time brackets.
The next steps would be to focus on recipes that require fewer ingredients / recipes that are as cheap as possible to make. Due to the ongoing cost of living crisis, this is a big issue for a lot of people.