Project Overview

Sous Chef was created as an exercise during my Google UX design course with the prompt to create a website that allows users to learn a new skill. Since I have experience with cooking and baking professionally I naturally lead into what I know and developed a website that shares videos to teach the users new cooking techniques and recipes.

the problem:

Most cooking tutorials do not elaborate on the necessary skills required to create a specific recipe.

the goal:

Create a source that links videos teaching kitchen skills to recipes in which they are utilized.

User Research Summary

To learn more about potential users and what their wants and needs may be for this specific project I ran usability studies on my lofi prototype, looking for both issues with the layout and also features that may be desired that I have not thought to include in the original idea. I spoke with three friends of mine who all have varying degrees of culinary experience. Some features that came back as desired by all included a place to favorite and save their most used recipes and techniques videos. Other mentions were that of categorizing the videos so when looking to learn a new skill for example you only see skill videos and not recipes thrown in the mix. Some other fun mentions were about the video creator profiles with links to their additional videos in case you find a content creator you like, you are able to see what other videos they offer.

‍

User pain points

Process: Failure to go from recipe video directly to a tutorial demonstrating a specific skill.

Organization: Users are unable to save videos to access later.

Time: Users want to jump right into the videos they are looking for.

Wireframes

When getting started with the wire-framing I did some reflection of when I first started cooking and asked myself what type of online services would have been helpful to me. What came to mind was the millions of recipes out there that include culinary terms with no explanations of that actually means. Terms such as mince, sauté, julienne, blanch may be known by those who have experience cooking or you have heard in passing, but when asked to do that not everyone can do so without googling the term quickly. That is how I came up with the idea for a platform that is separated by recipes, skills and techniques. Each recipe links to videos demonstrating the necessary skills and techniques while simultaneously, when you learn a new skill there are videos linked to recipes in which you are required to use your new skill. Overall creating an experience that allows the user to not just copy and paste a recipe, but learn something new while doing so.

‍

Protoypes

I started designing the high fidelity prototype by creating the initial style guide as mentioned before. Keeping colors bright and fun to keep the user engaged and encourage a positive experience. I based a lot of the visual aspects off of the purchased graphic designs that met well with the overall concept for the brand.

When reviewing the user journey I knew I wanted it to be simplified and have the user able to jump right in to the videos. Since this is likely the type of website users are likely to pull up when they need it rather than just to browse I did not that them to be misdirected away from the reason why they are here. Upon log-in they are prompted directly to choosing what type of video they are looking for.

usability findings

I conducted two rounds of usability studies. Findings from the first study helped guide the designs from wireframes to mockups. The second study used a high-fidelity prototype and revealed what aspects of the mockups needed refining.

Finding 1

1. Users wants to have a place to return to their favorited videos. 2. Users wants videos organized by whether a recipe or skill is being demonstrated in the video. 3. Users want to have profiles on the instructor so they can view additional videos by the creators they like.

Finding 2

1. Users want a written transcript to follow along to the video. 2. Users want a list of necessary tools needed for the video.

Refining Design

Going into this design I knew I wanted it to be female focused since the world of culinary as a profession is mostly a male-dominated industry. Therefore, when working on the branding I picked out bright and fun colors for the sticker sheet that would create a positive, cheerful viewing experience. I wanted the overall design to be straightforward with a user profile that allows the users to save their favorite videos to view again later as found was desired in the usability study. The overall design is broken down into three categories based on what type of video you are searching for, but are all ultimately linked together with the appropriate videos that each one corresponds.

Also, it was important to make a design that would be easily modified to fit on a mobile format. Since it is much easier for a user to bring their mobile device into the kitchen rather than a desktop or laptop this was crucial. Size-ability was important and has been taken into consideration and one of the reasons for choosing a simple tiered layout for the website.

Final Solution

Accessibility Considerations & Takeaways

Design systems are important. Considering the scenario when a user will be mostly likely trying to access your creation is very important. When downsizing the website to a mobile display I noticed many inconsistencies at that start that needed correction. When given the time I will need to conduct additional usability studies to ensure that all inconsistencies were fixed.

Your users are the priority. When starting the design I was missing some key concept that I have not even thought of because they were not high priority to me compared to the users I showed the design to.