MELTING POT
Designing a community-centric recipe app
DURATION
Feb 2023 (48HRS)
TEAM
Oceana Doan, Quynh Tran
TOOLS
Figma, Figjam, Canva
I competed in a designathon along with 313 other participants from all over the country. We were challenged to create a high-fidelity mockup in two days and our team ended up being selected as one of the top 10 finalists.
OVERVIEW
DESIGN CHALLENGE
Design your own digital application that fosters community and celebrates inclusivity
We decided to make a recipe app that’s a little different from the existing apps to tackle the challenge
BACKGROUND
During our initial brainstorming, where we explored various factors that bring people together, my team and I noticed the recurring significance of food. While it might not be the first thing we think about for building community, food has a way of bringing people together – from Thanksgiving to casual get-togethers.
How might we create a recipe app that fosters community and celebrates inclusivity?
THIS LED US TO THE QUESTION…
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Before diving in, we looked at popular recipe websites and apps to see what’s lacking and how we can make valuable additions
No form of engagement other than ratings and reviews
Merely offering the ability to provide ratings might not create a sense of community for users
"Stories" are essentially cooking tips
Despite being labeled as "stories," there are no actual narratives related to the dish
There’s no context or story behind the dish
The only information available is the list of ingredients and the cooking instructions
Absence of recipes for lesser-known cuisines
As a result, lesser-known yet delicious dishes from various cuisines often go unnoticed, particularly those that aren't widely popular in America
PROBLEM
We noticed several problems...
Lack of appreciation and connection to recipes from diverse cultures
Low engagement in existing recipe apps
Reluctance to venture beyond familiar culinary boundaries
No spoilers here! Here’s a glimpse of our solution
The recipe app fosters a sense of community by connecting users through personal stories and cultural histories tied to food, while promoting inclusivity and culinary exploration.
By incentivizing the exploration of diverse cuisines, it aims to broaden perspectives and eliminate cultural food biases, fostering a more open and appreciative mindset.
We learned from the interviews and survey that people would love to learn more about other cultures through food
RESEARCH
We received 20 responses from the survey
Wants to reconnect to their own cultural roots through cooking
85%
MOST POPULAR FEATURES THAT PEOPLE WOULD LOVE TO SEE ON THE APP
Wants to know the cultural stories behind the recipes
100%
Search for recipes
Cooking videos
Local food related events
Dietary restrictions filter
QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW
“I wish more people knew about my culture’s food”
“I want to be able to preserve my family’s recipes and be able to exchange it with others”
“I used to be so ashamed of bringing Indian food to school”
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
As we went through organizing our features to build out our information structure, it became clear that we should avoid overwhelming users on the homepage.
This insight prompted us to add a new "Community" page to keep things user-friendly.
Time to bring all the features together
We started figuring out the best ways to present our features on each page
DESIGN
ITERATIONS
We created multiple iterations of various pages during our wireframing process
Here's an example of how we improved the account page.
Moved the “create recipe” option to make the nav bar less overwhelming
INITIAL SKETCH
Changed the name of the Community page to "Discover" to better reflect its role in introducing users to new cultural insights.
FIRST ITERATION
Recognized the need for an incentive to get people to try different cuisines, leading to a progress section on the account page.
SECOND ITERATION
Changed it to an interactive map where whenever a user would try out a recipe from a new cuisine, the country that’s associated with that cuisine would light up
FINAL RESULT
Through the interactive map, we hope to motivate individuals to explore cuisines they might not have tried otherwise, fostering a greater appreciation for diverse cultures.
Fostered inclusivity by allowing users to explore and share their personal food stories and cultural histories, strengthening their bond with recipes and traditions spanning diverse cultures.
Exploration
Engagement
Created a section for users to engage in discussions about both the recipes and the stories behind them thereby creating a sense of community
Offered a dynamic interaction by showcasing videos about food from around the world, fostering heightened user engagement within the culinary community.
Promoted engagement by highlighting food-related events that brought people together through their mutual passion for cuisine.
Motivation
Incentivized users to explore diverse cultural cuisines by incorporating a map feature that charts their culinary journey
Encouraged culinary exploration by showcasing lesser-known recipes from diverse cultures on the homepage, prompting users to step beyond their culinary comfort zone
REFLECTION
Looking Back
Through this case study, I learned various key takeaways that shaped the way I approach design and project management. One big takeaway is the importance of user research, like doing interviews and testing with users. I also learned firsthand just how vital good communication and effective task delegation within a team is. Making the most of everyone's strengths played a big role in meeting our goals on time.
Looking ahead, I'm committed to doing more user research into my design strategies. This case study has been an insightful learning experience, revealing areas for development while highlighting the considerable potential for upcoming projects.
