Cultural Cuisine Hub
By: Lengiso Hussein
Role: Researcher and Designer
Methods via tool: Initial Competitive Research via job engine platforms, Moderated remote directed storytelling sessions via zoom, Affinity Diagramming via Trello, Low-Fidelity/High-Fidelity Wire-framing via sketchbook, Digitized Prototyping via Axure
Users
Primary Target Audience: Knowledgeable Home Cooks, Culturally Interested Individuals
Secondary Target Audience: Individuals with any cooking interest
Project Overview
The Cultural Cuisine Hub app is a platform where various culturally contrasting dishes come together in an accessible manner. This is a unique interface that reduces the time users spend looking for recipes and also allows users personalization options to cater to their needs.
Design Process
Screenshot of research session
Remote moderated directed storytelling sessions
The challenge was to identify a concept that stemmed from my personal experiences and would have a meaningful impact on other users. Many people either enjoy cooking tasty dishes or the opposite enjoy eating flavorful dishes. The one common problem they share is that the process to recreate a dish you have little to no knowledge about can seem challenging. On top of that, some might feel dispirited by viewing how complex some meals can be, so sometimes they quit before trying. In order to address both the lack of knowledge regarding specific culturally distinct meals and a reduction in the recipe hunt time, the chosen concept was turned into the “Cultural Cuisine Hub” app.
Since many apps and websites with similar concept-based ideas already exist, the first stage in the process was to do some competitive research. This included looking at other websites and applications while taking notes on what features they included.
This information gathered in the first stage was then used during the directed storytelling sessions. Two user sessions were conducted via Zoom. Some context questions were asked to assess what kind of user group interviewees would be classified as. During the sessions, users were asked to talk about a time where they’ve had both positive and negative interactions with similar interfaces. The session was recorded in order to ensure the notes could be fully synthesized afterward. The next stage in the process was to take notes and synthesize them in Trello.
Affinity Diagramming via Trello board
After conducting the moderated research sessions, the recordings were played back in order to take comprehensive notes in Trello. After finishing notetaking, they were synthesized using the Affinity Diagramming method. Notes were grouped by similar themes, which then led to clear insights. These insights were then condensed into specific areas for improvements and rephrased into user goals.
User Goal #1
Simplify the time users spent conducting research on recipes.
User Goal #2
Ability to set preferences in order to ensure a more inclusive interaction with the app.
Finalizing user goals set the groundwork for the designing phase in the process. These user goals would then be sketched and prototyped in the next stage.
Screenshot of Synthesized notes in Trello
View Prototype here
Wireframes & Prototyping
Once user goals were finalized, the first round of low-fidelity wireframes began using a sketchbook. Emphasis was given to the basic features users wanted to see incorporated. Users expressed their need for the inquiry phase to be shortened. They also stressed they wanted an application that felt more personal and catered to their desires and needs. During this part of the process, a brief moment of “designer’s block” presented itself. The sketches had a lot of information and it seemed as if there wasn’t adequate space for the user’s eye to rest. This was a huge deal because it violated usability/accessibility rules and it would lead to user's discomfort.
In order to address this issue, the design was heavily simplified. Certain unnecessary features were removed such as buttons, text, photos, and icons. Only the basic functions needed were kept. After making this change, the sketches were brought to life in Axure, where interactions were added. In Axure, interactions were added for various components ranging from the (navigation bar, preferences page, onboarding buttons, social media buttons, commenting features, etc). After interactions were completed in Axure, the prototype was ready to be presented for critique and feedback.
Next Steps
In order to ensure convenience for users, the next addition in this design process would be to add a page where users could change preset preferences. Currently, the prototype lacks the option for users to go back and alter any choices they made during the onboarding process. This might make users feel stuck or boxed in, so this is an important part of the process.
After the addition of that feature, this prototype would need to go through a usability testing session. Some questions that needed to be answered during this session are:
Does this app reduce the time spent researching recipes? If yes, how so? If not, what made you feel that way?
Was the addition of setting preferences make the app feel more unique to you? If so, then how?
Is there enough room for your eye to rest? Are you comfortable with the visual aspect of the design?
What could use improvements?
How did this app make you feel?
Are you encouraged to try recreating more dishes?