Chef Share
Project Description
Problem
Many home cooks and food enthusiasts struggle to find a dedicated space to share their recipes, connect with like-minded individuals, and engage in interactive cooking experiences. While social media platforms allow for some recipe sharing, they lack the community-driven features that foster meaningful engagement, such as hosting virtual cooking parties or organizing interactive classes. Chef Share addresses this gap by providing an all-in-one platform where users can easily curate, share, and experience cooking together in a more interactive and social way.
Role
UX Research, UX Design, UI/Visual Design
Methods
User Interviews, Journey Mapping, Wire-framing, Prototyping, Usability Testing
Need Identification
Research Goal: To understand how home cooks and food enthusiasts currently share recipes, interact with others online, and participate in virtual cooking experiences.
What emotion/feelings are we trying to provoke in the user when they first download the app? What changes would help better those emotions/feelings?
How can we design the app to best benefit our target users’ lifestyles and better their daily life and routines?
How can we make the app as easy as possible to use while simultaneously including useful features?
Who are our competitors and how can we design the app so we stand out and better our
value proposition?
Research Methods
Cognitive Task Analysis
This method helped us understand how users perceive and interact with sensory elements like images and videos. By observing user attention and decision-making patterns, we aimed to refine the app’s content recommendation algorithm—ensuring users receive personalized, relevant recipe suggestions based on their preferences and past interactions.
Scenarios
We developed character-driven storylines to simulate real user experiences and workflows within the app. This method helped us visualize user emotions, behaviors, and expectations, allowing us to craft an intuitive and engaging user journey.
Card Sort
By asking potential users to rank and organize app features, we gained insights into their priorities and expectations. This method helped us design a user-friendly interface that aligns with natural user behavior—ensuring essential features like posting, commenting, and searching are easily accessible while streamlining the overall app experience.
Research Findings
User Needs
- A centralized space to save and organize recipes.
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A platform that makes virtual cooking sessions seamless.
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A way to connect with like-minded food lovers beyond just sharing static recipes.
Pain Points
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Users struggle to keep track of saved recipes across different platforms.
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Virtual cooking experiences are often unstructured and difficult to coordinate.
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Finding trusted, high-quality recipes from real home cooks is a challenge.
User Personas
User Journey Map
User Testing & Iterations
Methods
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Google Surveys
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User Interviews
Results & Revisions
Simplified Navigation
We streamlined the interface by removing unnecessary complexity in folders and making features more straightforward and accessible.
Improved Profile Editing
Users found the profile access and editing process confusing, so we adopted familiar layouts from platforms like Instagram and Facebook for easier usability.
New Feature Additions
Based on user feedback, we are exploring live streaming and video chatting to enhance social interaction.
Successful Features
Posting and video/photo uploads tested well, confirming their ease of use.
Final Outcome & Impact
Impact:
Chef Share redefines how people engage with cooking by blending social interaction with curated recipe discovery, making it easier to find inspiration and share culinary experiences with others.
Takeaways & Next Steps
This was my first UI/UX project where I applied user research methods to inform design decisions. Conducting Cognitive Task Analysis, Scenario-Based Research, and Card Sorting helped me understand how user insights shape a product’s functionality and usability. Additionally, this project was my first time using Adobe XD, allowing me to gain hands-on experience with wireframing, prototyping, and interactive design. Overall, this experience strengthened my user-centered design approach and gave me valuable insights into creating intuitive, research-driven interfaces.