Recipe Savr

Day 1 - Map

Customers of Recipe Savr have been frustrated with the beginning to end process, feeling like complex recipes are hard to get right without any help. When interviewing current customers a lot of similar frustrations toward complexity of recipes were mentioned. User feedback focused on the lack of enjoyment when recipes are hard to understand or go wrong with no explanation why. If the dish does not turn out correct this causes stress and frustration on the user side, feeling that their time has been wasted on the recipe and thus losing customer interest. 

Research

Common user frustrations were the lack of knowledge toward certain cooking techniques/skills, as well as of planning foresight. Without knowing what to expect multiple users became frustrated with wasting time or not having enough time to prep before the next step. Time management was a big issue for many users, causing some dishes to be undercooked and rushed or some users to be stressed when surprised with the next step. Because of poor time management and surprises without explanation many users became stressed which was not what our users wanted. 

Day 2 - Sketch the Solution

Customer Map

My customer map started off with choosing a recipe from Savr, confirming the materials needed (both food and utensils) before reading the recipe in its entirety. At the end of reading a step, information is provided regarding how to prepare for the coming steps so that no surprises occur. In addition the user is encouraged to compare their dish with images throughout beginning, middle and end. At the end of preparation an explanation is provided as well as common mistakes and how to fix them- this results in a no stress delicious and fun meal. 

Competitive Analysis

Going through demos was extremely important for development, all recipe applications had the same presentation format; beginning with an image of the completed dish, ingredients, instructions w/ time estimate and an ability to scale serving sizes. At the end of each recipe was an area to allow for footnotes as well as user notes, an important feature for first time chefs. Outside of this universal approach applications varied their inclusion of visual aides. One application KaptnCook offered step by step imagery of each recipe, breaking down the instructions into an easy to follow process. AllRecipes offered video walkthroughs on some of their recipes, allowing users to check their work real-time. A visual walkthrough of the instructions is clearly a user priority, doing so while clearly breaking down the steps minimizes stress, and entices the user. 

Crazy 8’s

To get some ideas going, I quickly mocked up 8 potential screen layouts that could work for my Recipe Savr revision. I chose the 3rd iteration (top) because of its visual-first approach. Because of the initial confusion reported by users it seems intuitive to show the steps of each recipe accompanied by the text they would normally read. In addition there are reviews and notes on the bottom of the screen so that if any issue during preparation the user has reference points. To minimize stress each step will preface the next through both images and text. 

Day 3 - Storyboarding

Expanding on the chosen 3 panel sketch, I displayed how all recipe results would be displayed for the user to choose. From there the ability to read reviews and the ingredient list before starting the recipe should prepare the user for the rest of their recipe. Afterward the would user decide they are ready, press the CTA button to enable each step displayed one by one with a picture attached, allowing them to follow along. In addition when finished the chef can submit their own user notes as well as reading notes on potential issues or pre-explanations before beginning cooking.

Day 4 - Prototype

My prototype focuses on making sure all necessary information for the meal is provided to the user so that no issues with time management or stress occur throughout. My testing goals for the prototype were focused around maintaining minimal confusion around understanding a new recipe. I wanted to learn from testing if the way information displayed throughout the recipe pages helped achieve confidence, or instead complicated the situation. 

Day 5 - Validate

Prototype

A link to my working prototype can be found here- 

https://miloselchaif207347.invisionapp.com/console/share/JX2W9NGCR8

Interviews/Testing

Overall testing went very well! The 5 users interviewed all had varying skill levels when it came to cooking recipes. Some cooked at home 4-5 days a week while one only cooked 1-2 times a week. The testing and interview process went seamlessly with a lot of the same features mentioned and appreciated.

Many users appreciated the change in text color depending on how the ingredient correlated to the recipe (sauce vs meat). One user found it confusing to have the text in brighter colors but otherwise there was no issue. Another user, Marcello widely appreciated having time estimations next to each cooking step so that he felt fully prepared.

The critical feedback focused on fine tuning functions, as one user said “making sure the images are not just pretty, but also teaching the chef.”
Another issue was finding a way to present a unit change function when deciding the serving size, my offering was appreciated but hard to locate. 

Next Steps

Continuing with suggestions from testing I would move my focus toward improving and finalizing the product design, with some ideas below;

-Users wanted to make sure images held value to the recipe, showing the action transpiring and not just showcase pretty imagery.

-Make the serving size adjustability more visible, users were unclear that they could alter proportions

-Conduct A/B testing with text color variations to see what works best with users, since there was an even split appreciating ingredient text coloring during testing

-Create a better introduction to Recipe Savr, fully go into functions (maybe offer a tutorial?)

-Expand the community aspect, many assumed the organization of reviews was based on status- this needs clarification as well