Cooking Family
Unite through the art of cooking
Role → Product Designer
Timeline → September 2021 (Revised in 2023)
01 Context
Creating connections via cooking
In a post-pandemic world, we’ve seen both the positives and negatives of staying at home. With friends and family spread all over, how can we create meaningful experiences without being in the same room?
The goal of this project was to create a user-friendly app that fosters a family-oriented atmosphere, allowing everyone to cook together as if they were in the same room.
02 The Problem
Developing for everyone
The primary problem we wanted to solve was how to help users create bonds despite physical distance. In today’s world, there are many ways to connect remotely; for example, gaming is one of the top activities people can enjoy together without even being in the same country.
Users were feeling the effects of staying at home. Developing bonds has become harder as we continue to advance in the technology era.
This is where cooking came to mind. Cooking is one of the most effective ways to build relationships, improve mental health, and even reconnect with precious memories.
So, how might we build an experience that fosters bonding while making it easy for all skill levels to enjoy?
03 Research
A cooking experience
There was a lot to consider for this app. We asked multiple questions, such as the skill level of users, how to avoid making it a stressful experience, and who might want to use it.
After research and user interviews, the best approach seemed to be designing it as a cookbook with a social twist, incorporating learning elements from popular apps.
The solution included a “cooking session” feature, where users could invite friends after selecting a recipe. Before the session begins, we show all the prep items needed. From there, users can cook at their own pace or sync with friends by checking off completed steps to view the next one.
The app needed to be fast and easy to follow—after all, you don’t want to burn your culinary creations.
04 Refine
Cooking with ease
After asking for multiple reviews on this project, I realized that many of the choices I made in the first iteration were mostly focused on visuals. I wasn’t really designing for the user or achieving my initial goals. So, after some growth as a designer, I decided to start from scratch. The essence and some UI elements are still there, but now the journey users would embark was given a lot more protagonist.
I’ll be showing some of the original work (on the left) alongside the revised versions (on the right) to show some of the design decisions and revisions that were done.
Outcomes & Learning
Cooking Family was a fun side project I developed while still learning user centric design. As one of my first projects, I had to keep iterating as I learned, so while the idea was interesting, the design was the best I could manage at that time.
Now, with some experience under my belt, I took the opportunity to redesign this experience. Seeing the old and new versions side by side, it really hit me how much I’ve grown as a designer.
It’s been rewarding to see my progress, and I plan to revisit Cooking Family again in a few years to reflect on my growth and see how much further I’ve come.