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A digital product that shares with users Afro-Caribbean vegan recipes.
A UX design team at Pratt Institute is designing a digital product for meal prepping . Working in a team of two, we designed and prototyped an Afro-Caribbean Vegan recipe application. From January to May 2020, I established the user research, design layout, and comparative analysis. Mainly designed for vegans, I wanted the design to be educational towards Afro Caribbean culture. Our team decided our user group would include vegans, and people transitioning to vegan. This project was completed during the peak of COVID-19.
Can we create an application that is able to help anyone who wants to either start or explore a vegan lifestyle?
Ital is a recipe app structured to help people find vegan recipes that are both easy and fun to make. People who are also looking to explore other vegan dishes they haven’t heard of and wiling to try.
For the first part of user research we asked users questions about their methods on finding/navigation recipes. The second part of research was more of gathering our findings, and grouping common thoughts. The user research helped us to understand our users and their needs.
Project Details
User Research
User Insights
Persona
Comparative Analysis
Final Design
Takeaways & Next Steps
Problem
Solution
Ital
Team
Brendon Gabriel
User Research
Figma
January, 2020 - May, 2020
Liza Cynthia
User Interface Design
My Role
Software
Time
How often do you look for recipes?
When looking for a recipe where do you search for it? (the web/app/book/magazine)
Where do you find vegan recipes?
How often do you go grocery shopping?
What kind of cell phone do you have?
Do you prefer video or a list of instructions, when cooking a old/new recipe?
Do you find recipes to be helpful?
Whats the most frustrating thing when it comes to recipes?
Participants
Would use an app
created for
vegans
Prefer a video and list
Look for mainly dinner recipes
Use smartphones
(iPhone & Samsung)
Location: New York
26, Grad Student
Sticking her big toe into the vegan world, Kaya is exploring the diversities of vegan dishes. She enjoys going out to brunch with friends and cooking for her family/friends. Being knew to the egan world Kaya can’t help but notice that she also misses her culture’s meals. When cooking for her family Kayla likes to follow exact instrutionsz given in the recipes she finds. She currently struggles with finding recipes that afro caribbean and vegan friendly. Kaya wants her family to experience her vegan lifestyle and to show them that she can still enjoy her cultures food.
Tends to struggle with finding recipes that are step by step instructions.
Difficult to find recipes that offer an alternative/substitute options or diet restriction options
When cooking, having messy fingers and unable to swipe to the following step.
Increase her meal diversity
Have recipes that show step by step instructions
Cleaner cooking experience when using devices in the kitchen
Seek recipes with alternatives for vegans
“Sometimes I just crave for my traditional caribbean Sunday dinner. It’s apart of my soul, its who I am!”
Yummly is a mobile app that assists individuals in finding new recipes and provides detailed instructions on how to make these cuisines. The app recommends recipes based on personalized user tastes, recipes searches, and much more. Also available on both android and iOS, it is also praised for it attractive interface and graphics.
Takeaways
Personalization: the app uses social media integration to offer personalized recommendations. Ex: Google, Facebook,& Email. It also allows users to “um” recipes they like to also personalize recommendations.
Recipes: recipes are provided and organized into three sections: Just for you, Explore, and Store.
User Interface: provides a visual of the recipe in a Material Design-inspired animation along with instructions and nutrition facts in a slick animation.
Tasty, which is also an online publication, is a smartphone app which houses unlimited amounts of recipe tutorials along side-by-side visuals and instructions. Available on the both iOS and android, the app allows users to filter their recipe selections by ingredients, cuisine, and social occasion while also allowing personalization to dietary restrictions.
Takeaways
Personalization: once starting the app, users can indicate food preferences such as vegetarian, gluten free, etc. Recipes: includes a section of special cloud stickers to increase recipe discoverability. It also allows creating a favorite recipes sections.
Step by Step Instructions: recipe tutorials are available in full-screen videos or written instructions, depending on user’s preference.
This project was a great learning oppurtunity. Also great for breaking my design boundaries. Before this assignment I wasn’t able to use the programs I needed to, to create a prototype app. The challenges I faced for this project were new to me, through those challenges I was able to learn new things. I loved that I was uncomfortable! I learned about user research, comparitive analysis, which I wasn’t aware of before. I was able to develop a digital product.
For my next steps I would like to ncheck the functionality of this product, by conducting user research. The user research feedback would help me understand the needs and wants of my users. This will help me to improve the products interface. Digital Product Design was an amazing class at Pratt Institute have opened many new doors for me and opportunites.
Brendon Gabriel
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