Specs
Specs
Making Recipes Easier to Read and Write
Making Recipes Easier to Read and Write
Year
Year
2023 - Present
2023 - Present
Role
Role
Sole contributor
Sole contributor
Activities
Activities
UX Design, Product Design, UI Design
UX Design, Product Design, UI Design
Introduction
Introduction
I frequently browse recipes online and find the process of reading and using these recipes frustrating. On social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, it's often cumbersome to refer to the comments for a recipe's ingredient list or instructions. On publication sites, recipe pages are plagued with ads and are seldom optimised for mobile usage.
So as a personal project, I set out to fix the user experience of reading recipes online.
I frequently browse recipes online and find the process of reading and using these recipes frustrating. On social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, it's often cumbersome to refer to the comments for a recipe's ingredient list or instructions. On publication sites, recipe pages are plagued with ads and are seldom optimised for mobile usage.
So as a personal project, I set out to fix the user experience of reading recipes online.
Personas
Personas
I spoke with 12 participants of varying cooking proficiency levels to understand their relationship with recipes. It was important that each participant had recently gone through the process of discovering, selecting, and using recipes.
Based on the responses gathered, I constructed 2 personas.
I spoke with 12 participants of varying cooking proficiency levels to understand their relationship with recipes. It was important that each participant had recently gone through the process of discovering, selecting, and using recipes.
Based on the responses gathered, I constructed 2 personas.
Adventurous Explorers
ABOUT
About
Adventurous Explorers have cooked the exact or similar recipe in the past and are looking either for a refresher or new ideas to experiment with.
Adventurous Explorers have cooked the exact or similar recipe in the past and are looking either for a refresher or new ideas to experiment with.
BEHAVIOURS
Behaviours
Open to incorporating new and unfamiliar ingredients
Open to incorporating new and unfamiliar ingredients
Likely to deviate from the recipe's instructions if they know a different method works just as well or better
Likely to deviate from the recipe's instructions if they know a different method works just as well or better
Adventurous Explorers
Cautious Followers
ABOUT
About
Cautious Followers have not cooked a similar dish in the past and are evaluating how successful they might be in executing the recipe.
Cautious Followers have not cooked a similar dish in the past and are evaluating how successful they might be in executing the recipe.
BEHAVIOURS
Behaviours
Follow recipes strictly
Follow recipes strictly
May only incorporate new and unfamiliar ingredients if necessary
May only incorporate new and unfamiliar ingredients if necessary
Likely to reject a recipe if they do not have the necessary ingredients or expertise
Likely to reject a recipe if they do not have the necessary ingredients or expertise
Cautious Followers
Research Insights
Research Insights
Through the research, I was also able to uncover what was important to users.
Through the research, I was also able to uncover what was important to users.
01
01
Users want to be able to plan ahead
Users want to be able to plan ahead
Cooking can get hectic, especially if there are multiple components.
Helping users plan their time makes for a more enjoyable cooking experience.
02
02
Users do not want to have to scroll around
Users do not want to have to scroll around
Users find it frustrating to scroll up and down to find what they are looking for, especially when they are in the midst of cooking.
Everything is smoother when information is presented where it is required.
03
03
Users want recipes they trust
Users want recipes they trust
Users select recipes based on ratings, or whether they trust the person who wrote the recipe.
Giving users the metrics they need and recipes from creators they trust reduces the work required to sift through the noise.
Users select recipes based on ratings, or whether they trust the person who wrote the recipe.
Giving users the metrics they need and recipes from creators they trust reduces the work required to sift through the noise.
Process
Process
I started by prototyping a recipe layout with the features I wish I had and showing them to participants. I wanted to get base validation that the features made sense before I started adding complexities to it.
I started by prototyping a recipe layout with the features I wish I had and showing them to participants. I wanted to get base validation that the features made sense before I started adding complexities to it.
After my early participants validated the approach, I created mock ups of moderately complex recipes with multiple components and concurrent steps. I also selected recipes that my participants intended to cook so that my design could be compared to the original presentation of the recipe.
The feedback gathered allowed me to refine the design iteratively, and after 12 sessions, I arrived at a design that participants had a clear preference for. That design included all but one of the features I had on my wish list.
After my early participants validated the approach, I created mock ups of moderately complex recipes with multiple components and concurrent steps. I also selected recipes that my participants intended to cook so that my design could be compared to the original presentation of the recipe.
The feedback gathered allowed me to refine the design iteratively, and after 12 sessions, I arrived at a design that participants had a clear preference for. That design included all but one of the features I had on my wish list.
Designs
Designs
01/03
The Recipe
An improved format providing users with information they needed to plan ahead and to execute in the moment.
Features:
Creator's notes
Servings calculator and measurement converter
Ingredient substitutions
Recipe overview
Improved step clarity
02/03
Creator Home
A home for a creator's recipes that features ratings, pictures, and timings, key items users look for in deciding which recipes to explore.
03/03
Recipe Writing
The idea here is to take the pain of formatting out of the recipe writing process for creators.
Creators need only input their unformatted content and media, letting the platform take care of the rest.
The Recipe
An improved format providing users with information they needed to plan ahead and to execute in the moment.
Features:
Creator's notes
Servings calculator and measurement converter
Ingredient substitutions
Recipe overview
Creator Home
A home for a creator's recipes that features ratings, pictures, and timings, key items users look for in deciding which recipes to explore.
Recipe Writing
The idea here is to take the pain of formatting out of the recipe writing process for creators.
Creators need only input their unformatted content and media, letting the platform take care of the rest.
Results
Results
In usability and readability, participant feedback suggests that my design outperforms existing designs.
In usability and readability, participant feedback suggests that my design outperforms existing designs.
Conventional Design
Conventional Design
2.8 / 5
2.8 / 5
Average participant rating
Average participant rating
My Design (WIP)
My Design
(WIP)
4.1 / 5
4.1 / 5
Average participant rating
Average participant rating
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the consensus was that an improved recipe format was "nice to have" and not presently a need. Participants have been making do with existing recipe designs for a long time and an improved recipe design on its own was not something they would pay for.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the consensus was that an improved recipe format was "nice to have" and not presently a need. Participants have been making do with existing recipe designs for a long time and an improved recipe design on its own was not something they would pay for.
What's Next?
What's Next?
During the research process, I also spoke with 2 recipe creators who shared that writing and managing recipes on a personal website was time consuming and challenging.
It made me realise that if I could help recipe creators write better recipes more conveniently, that could be where I create real value, and possibly a small part of the internet where cooks could find better-designed recipes.
During the research process, I also spoke with 2 recipe creators who shared that writing and managing recipes on a personal website was time consuming and challenging.
It made me realise that if I could help recipe creators write better recipes more conveniently, that could be where I create real value, and possibly a small part of the internet where cooks could find better-designed recipes.
I have developed a website to demonstrate my solution of an enhanced and efficient writing experience and begun the process of reaching out to prolific recipe creators.
I have developed a website to demonstrate my solution of an enhanced and efficient writing experience and begun the process of reaching out to prolific recipe creators.
Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
If I can improve the recipe writing process for content creators, maybe I'll be able to achieve my goal of having better-written recipes. That way, content creators can save time and effort and fewer cooks will have to stress out scrolling through their phones with greasy fingers while making sure their chicken doesn't end up burnt.
If I can improve the recipe writing process for content creators, maybe I'll be able to achieve my goal of having better-written recipes. That way, content creators can save time and effort and fewer cooks will have to stress out scrolling through their phones with greasy fingers while making sure their chicken doesn't end up burnt.