Overview
Case Study, Mobile App Design
Amidst the steep surge in food price index outside our homes, Remy is a recipe app that yields its users the most convenience when cooking at home. Not only this app saves the users from reading fruitless contexts to arrive at necessary, important recipe directions, it also enables them to change the portion size in seconds and proportionally calculates each ingredients needed for. a dish. Moreover, in Remy, users can select the ingredients left in their refrigerator and receive recommendations on what they can make from given ingredients. Remy even tells the users what they could make if they have just a few more ingredients.
Role
Duration
Skills
Tools
Context
According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, during the past year from November 2023, the price index for food from restaurants rose 5.3% while food at home index rose merely 1.7%. More specifically, it is notable that index for limited service meals(fast food) rose 6% and index for full service meals(restaurants) rose 4.3% during this period. There is a drastic change in inflation of food indexes away from homes that motivates Americans' eating-out behaviors.
According to AlixPartners, consumers are more likely to cut back on their restaurants visits to preserve their budgets. Considering the steep 6% increase in index for fast food chains, households encounter daily challenges regarding what and how to eat their meals. Furthermore, AlixPartners states that with the long-lasting influence of Coronavirus, 60% of participated consumers are still concerned about the safety of eating out in the public.
Problems
Deciding what/how to eat meals
Having to navigate overstimulated online space for the right recipe can be a frustrating experience. Websites and blogs with unnecessary anecdotes and confusing directions on how to make a dish was a draining experience for my family, when we were simply looking for a straightforward, trusted recipe.
Being efficient with what you buy
Buying groceries often lead to excess of ingredients. As one of the main reasons for cooking is to prevent unnecessary expenditure, it would be ideal to be efficient with all the groceries before they go bad. But when ingredients begin to accumulate, it's hard to figure out which dishes could be made from them.
Tedious calculations for portions
My family consists of 5 people, so we are lucky that we are an ideal portion for ingredients & recipes. However, if I am cooking for myself only or if I want to make a bigger batch for the future, calculating how much of each ingredient I need can be an overwhelming experience. From this, I might decide not to make a dish I originally wanted to.
How might we...
1. Provide convenience & ease when looking for recipes online?
2. Enhance meal prepping experience for varying portions?
3. Build credibility of recipes and encourage people to explore more recipes?
Solutions
No sweet-talks, just what you need
A recipe platform that provides straightforward, trustworthy recipes that are delicious without unnecessary stories or complicated explanations. Like a social media post, not only will the users be able to share their own recipes, but they will also be able to express their love towards good, simple recipes. Recipes & chefs with good reviews will automatically have some credits.
Algorithm for creative dishes that helps you go through your leftovers
An algorithm will suggest several dishes of various cuisines that can be made from your leftover ingredients. Additionally, the algorithm will also provide some possible dishes that can be made with a simple addition of 1~2 simple ingredients. You will be pleasantly surprised with new exciting dishes that you've never thought of.
Automatic setting upon selection
Once the user fills appropriate information to desired portion size, the whole application will set the given size as the standard for the everything on the app. Of course, users can always change the portion size when viewing any recipes, and changing would adjust the ingredients list accordingly. But by hard-wiring the portion, they don't have to always calculate for yourself.
Information Architecture
Focusing on the user flow, I created an information architecture that shows the overall structure of Remy.
Features
1. Main
After filling in their informations and preferences/restrictions, users can begin to explore various recipes. In addition to recommended "for you" recipes based on individual preferences, users can view viral recipes that others have expressed their love and trust in. Moreover, they can delve into specific categories dive deeper into each cuisine.
2. remy's specials
Remy's Specials is a unique feature of Remy, where its algorithm will calculate and recommend possible dishes from users' own ingredient lists. Moreover, Remy provides a few more recipes that users could make with simple additions of ingredients.
3. easy portion calculations
When viewing a recipe, users can change the portion size by simply selecting the right serving size. When measure changes, entire ingredient list adjusts appropriately so that the right amounts are provided for the intended portion size.
4. publish your own recipes
If you know a better way of making certain dishes than existing recipes, you can publish and share their own recipe. By filling in the necessary information such as cuisine, ingredients, and steps, the created recipe becomes public for others to see. Essentially, Remy isn't just a recipe book, but it will be for chefs to record their own recipes for future references also.
Final Prototype
Final Thoughts
As a second solo project, Remy taught me the importance of the ability to concentrate for a duration of time to deliver a final product. Over the winter break, I was invested in starting and finishing something, and being dedicated to accomplishing my goal for the past 2 weeks was truly a motivating and growing experience.
Also, as I have tackled this project with lessons and knowledges I learned from my previous project <Pawsible>, each step of the journey had a clearer path and vision. Figuring out the more efficient way of problem-solving thinking led me to find an appropriate answer by being more flexible, and brainstorming and navigating through a problem encouraged me to think from a user's perspective rather than from a designer's. Constantly pushing my perspective away from me, away from biased to unbiased, is a mesmerizing procedure and is the core essence when approaching a product and user's experience.
Upon finishing up this case study, I was discussing with my friend, and I was very excited for it because I thought nobody has tried this kind of thing with algorithm that recommends you what you could make. However, though it has much room for development, I saw that Tasty has a similar implementation. This was a good learning moment for me, as Steve Jobs said "ideas are just a multiplier. Ideas are worth nothing unless executed." I will strive to grow into someone who is always seeking for trends in the world and is ready to execute things faster than others!