currentform | Simon King, Interaction Designer
The homepage is personalized for each user, showing previous recipes they have tried and suggesting others.
Search results are always visual because photographs are the single most important reason people choose a recipe.
On the recipe page ingredients are shown visually so shopping is easy even if something is unfamiliar.
The steps of the recipe are also shown with photos so that people can compare to their work at each step.
Illustrations show what cooking equipment is used in the recipe and clicking the substitute link shows alternatives that also work.
After making a recipe people can report how well it went, which influences the recommendations given to them.
The print version is designed to be used as a checklist in the grocery store and kept handy in the kitchen during preparation.
Beyond the Box
Description
There are lots of recipe websites, but few focus on beginning cooks. For this project our team designed for an audience that wants to start cooking with recipes instead of boxes, but feels a little intimated by the process. We began our research phase by interviewing aspiring cooks to find out what resources they use, why they want to learn more about cooking, and what experiences they have had. We also evaluated competitor websites and looked to see what was being offered in bricks and motor grocery stores.
Beyond the Box is a website for aspiring cooks that provides recipes without assuming the knowledge of how to prepare them. To accomplish this we used explanatory photographs, process hints, cooking equipment substitutions, and a helpful printout. Additionally the site recommends new recipes to try based on the person’s feedback of how well they were able to make a particular recipe. In this way learning happens by building knowledge on top of past experiences.
Team Members: Simon King (Interaction Design), Carson Lutchansky (Interaction Design), JJ Soracco (Design), Emily Tong (Design)