A Step-by-step Cooking Assistant For Everyone

Problem Statement
Today Do It Yourself concept has become very popular in the world. Urban Indian consumers are wildly drawn to the idea of cooking meals
from the comfort of their homes. Nowadays people are so busy with their professional lives , they hardly have time to cook and manage their
homes. Youngsters are generally living away from home to build their career. Due to this pandemic it is important for the people to stay at
home and cook on their own.

After getting the problem brief I followed this

double diamond method approach.
Dissecting the Brief
Since the project was a time-bound task, I came up with a combination of design thinking & lean UX approach that enabled problem
solving through design in faster intervals. 
My research and strategy were aimed to focus on user experience surrounding how users conceive current scenario of cooking , and
identify what can be done to make the customer journey more simpler , efficient & delightful.
In this time as the pandemic is still on a rise, and people are too cautious to order from the restaurants and eateries, no matter how many
times they guarantee to maintain safe environments there.

Discovering Challenges
Understanding the current user experience

To help design solutions for encouraging users to cook on their own in this pandemic , I  first
needed to understand the current constraints users encounter with available platforms for
cooking , recipes , ingredients available , quantities. For this purpose I started the project by
engaging in Secondary Research to get the holistic knowledge of this issue.
Secondary Research Insights
Text-based recipe channels

Video-based recipe channels

The challenge?
● Difficulty in deciding and then finding apt recipes
online, with all the recipes with available ingredients
at home.
● Unavailability of recipes according to desired
irregular quantity.
● Pausing and playing video recipes while cooking is Competitive Analysis
a hassle for many.
● A lot of options for the same recipe all over the
same platform (ex - YouTube, Facebook)
Primary Research Tools Questionnaire

After doing secondary research and

exploring the problem brief I started with
my Primary research.

Primary research can’t be done with zero

knowledge of the issue , therefore I
always start with primary research after
conducting secondary research.

The tools that I used for Primary research

are:

• Questionnaire & Online Surveys.

• In depth User Interviews
• Delphi Method

Pilot Interviews
Gaining insight and
Defining problem
statement Story Board

Upon conducting affinity mapping ,

I was able to identify several issues
that users had while cooking a
particular recipe. Choosing recipe ,
customizing quantities and
selecting ingredients already
available. In-order to define
customer profiles who would make
the most use of these services,
I created three personas which
reflected the commonality in goals,
frustrations and personality of the Affinity Mapping
interviewees.
User Personas
The personas were created by identifying who my users
are and the characteristics that the users of this app will
have. I came to know the goals , aspirations and
frustration points of the personas along with the
demographics.

I created 3 persons based on the commonality in goals,

frustrations and personality of the interviewees.
After creating the personas I mapped the journey of the
personas , as every user has a different journey. This
customer journey mapping gave me insights of how the
user feels while following the current scenario of cooking
with videos.

Then I started with the empathy mapping , this is the

hardest thing to do as it involves the user emotionally.
I listed down the says , feels , does , hear.
While cooking a persons faces a lot of challenges that
need to be addressed and explored .
Debunking point-of-view
challenge statements

There are no 'right' or 'wrong' answers when arriving at

a solution that is subjectively-driven. That importance
lies in asking the right questions as designers, which
will enable us in addressing the right challenges
that will benefit users the most. I framed statements
which reflected the persona's goals and motivation to
continue using the app; which set the context for a
constructive brainstorming session.  
Empathy Mapping

Questions that could be asked and answered during the

project to better understand and reframe the problem
statement.
Customer Journey
Questions for the potential users
Questions for the team
Who are the customers?
How can they be Creative & Productive ?
What distinctiveness differs us to our competition?
Key findings
Once the challenges that needs to addressed were identified, I set out a UX strategy to outline the findings against expected outcomes,
approach and areas of focus in the project that needs to be followed.
Brainstorming for Solutions
With the ideas from brainstorming session, I started to frame user delight against features that would benefit their prime need. By ideating
multiple possible solutions based on user data, I wanted to showcase the magnitude of design thinking capability and the value of user-centered
design approach that is integral to crafting good user experiences.

▪ The core problem that this product would address is one’s question about what to cook for a meal or snacks with what they already have at
their home, after a busy day at work or school.

The app can be connected

Assist the user Show serving to the IoT induction cooktop
Let people Select from the wide Then it would let the throughout the cooking
select/enter the range of easy Indian users select the number suggestions for a better (sold separately), for
process, with real-time experience. automatic timer and
ingredients they have (mainly) and other of people they want to progress of step-by-step
at home. homemade recipes. cook it for. temperature settings
guidance. control.

.
Features Segregation & Card Sorting
The brainstormed features were then segregated as per priority and different
categories were made and sorted.

Story Board
 Concept Explorations

Now once the features were decided I started

with the design exploration part , the application
name and logo.

A blueprint for the digital system was designed

keeping in mind the important features of the
application.

Logo Explorations

Information Architecture
Wireframing
Created Wireframes and
Low Fidelity tested the user flow once
Medium Fidelity before proceeding to the
User Flow final prototypes.

Using the developed flow , I started to create

wireframes of the user journey pages.

I went on to create a final user flow that was simple & interactive.
UI Elements
UI elements such as color palette and typography were decided.

Color Typography

Orange is a combination of yellow and red and is Micro interactions.

considered an energetic color. Orange calls to mind Minimalism
feelings of excitement, enthusiasm, and Fonts (friendly)
warmth. Orange is often used to draw attention. Color scheme : Black,
Yellow and orange are colors that make people feel Grey & Yellow Orange
hungry. Flat Design
 Software Used :
Figma
High Fidelity Wireframes Adobe XD
Adobe Photoshop
I decided the color palette and fonts which would provide a fluid experience through the design transition.
 Home Screen

Connecting with induction

Software Used :
Figma
Adobe XD
Adobe Photoshop
Cooking Steps