sous chef

Google UX Design Certification // Summer 2022

💼 A Case Study

The SousChef website is designed for all platforms, exhibiting features of a responsive design that fits the modern user's expectations of mobile and desktop usage. Providing quick, video based instructions allows users to quickly make healthy, affordable meals in the comfort of their homes, all without compromising their busy schedules. By implementing streamlined functions, SousChef strives to provide an experience topping the norm of traditional recipe sites.

{ THE CHALLENGE }

How do you design a user experience that defies the common lack of personalization, lengthy recipes, and a cluttered feel seen in traditional recipe sites?

{ THE SOLUTION }

Create a responsive website that strives to uphold user friendly, accessible, and clear features, providing users with recipes fit for their needs. 

01. Research

I conducted user interviews for my research phase. The results of the interviews and empathy maps showed that most users struggled with overwhelming recipe choices, not having the time to scroll through recipes, and feeling as if the websites were not personalized nor inviting. 


USER PERSONA:

02. Ideation

I started the ideation phase by sketching different versions of the homepage. I then placed all of the sketches in front of me and started to create a structured final form of the homepage. I initially designed my paper wireframes to fit a desktop screen size, but keeping with the responsive design, I went on to also create paper wireframes that would fit a mobile screen size. 

PART 2: digital wireframes


Digitizing the paper wireframes made it easy to understand common user pain points and design constraints. Prioritizing cohesive visual elements and implementing accessible navigation were key focuses for my design.

PART 3: usability study 🔎


After I finished creating digital wireframes and a low fidelity prototype that displayed the interactions, I conducted an unmoderated usability study with 7 participants. 


Overall, the findings of the study showed users wanted a way to filter recipes, an account that would save their shopping list, meal plans, and saved recipes, as well as confirmation messages when a certain task was completed (ie adding recipe to shopping list). 


03. Refining the Design

Based on the insights from the usability study, I made changes to streamline the website’s flow and ideated on the previous designs to enhance the user experience. 

🎥 view the walkthrough here

04. Reflection

What was the design impact? My target users shared that the design made it easier to manage a busy schedule without having to compromise on eating healthy. They found that by tailoring the design to their needs, it was easy to discover a connection with the design's overall features and feel. 

What's next? Conduct another round of usability studies to uncover problem areas with the design and eventually iterate on these new findings.