Project overview
The product:
Cook Healthy is an organization which focuses on helping people learn how to cook healthy meals at home. Tools are needed to teach people how to cook, provide resources on healthy eating habits, and offer recipes. Cook Healthy’s target users are families and individuals seeking a healthy lifestyle while saving money.
Project duration:
July 2022 - August 2022
The problem:
According to the CDC, 41.9% of the adults in the US were obese in 2017. This is commonly attributed the lack of physical activity but more to unhealthy eating habits. Also, with the recent inflation, the cost of food and living in general has gone up.
The goal:
Design an app and responsive website that would teach users to cook and provide them with healthy recipes and tips, so that they can adopt healthier eating habits and save money.
My role:
UX designer and UX researcher for the app and the responsive website design.
Responsibilities:
Conducting user research, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, creating mockups, conducting usability studies, and creating information architecture.
UNDERSTANDING THE USER
User research: summary
I conducted research which then turned into user journey maps and personas to better understand the target users and what they need. Research revealed that most participants want to eat healthier and save money but just don’t know how. The feedback made it clear that tools and resources are needed to provide guidance to those who are eager to learn to cook, eat healthier, and cut down on their bills especially with the inflation.
Persona 1: Alejandra
Problem statement:
Alejandra is a busy professional who can’t cook. She needs to learn how to cook healthy meals at home because she wants to save money and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Persona 2: Jim
Problem statement:
Jim is a foodie who wants to eat healthier, learn how to cook, and learn about healthy nutrition because he wants to lose weight and save money.
STARTING THE DESIGN
Digital wireframes
My initial designs focused on creating an image based easy-to-identify layout. I wanted to simplify the design with clickable images so that the user can easily access the resource options.
Low-fidelity prototype
I created a low-fidelity prototype that connects the user flow of finding a recipe with nutrition info and shopping.
Usability study: parameters
Study type:
Unmoderated usability study
Location:
USA, remote
Participants:
5 participants
Length:
25-30 minutes
Usability study: findings
These are the main findings from the usability study
Prioritize
Most people clicked on the ‘Cook’ and ‘Recipes’ more than the other main options
Search Feature
People looked for a search feature when looking for recipes
Images over Texts
Users showed a preference for clickable images over buttons with text.
REFINING THE DESIGN
Mockups
Based on the insights from the usability study, the most clicked options were given a larger image and prominence, so that the are easier to locate at a glance.
The text buttons in the middle were created for visual diversity, but the usability study showed that images of food groups were preferred over text. The search bar was also added based on the usability study findings.
Key Mockups
High-fidelity prototype
The high-fidelity prototype added a few screens for the profile feature but otherwise follows the user flow of the lo-fi prototype.
Accessibility considerations
Icons with text labels were used for easier navigations
Used images to help users better understand the designs.
Language options being considered.
RESPONSIVE DESIGN
Sitemap
When planning for the responsive web design, this sitemap was created to provide structure and guidance throughout the user experience across different sized devices.
Responsive designs
The responsive website was designed for mobile, tablet and desktop. The layout was adjusted by taking into consideration how users interact with different screen sizes.
GOING FORWARD
Takeaways
Impact:
Users shared that the Cook Healthy App and website would be a valuable tool in cooking more healthy foods at home. One user observed “I mean look at how much people spend on lean cuisine or other diet foods.
Learning how to preplan, cook, and portion is so much better”
What I learned:
I learned that bringing all the information together and organizing it in a way the makes it helpful in achieving a certain goal is so important. There are so much resources out there that can be so much more impactful if well organized.