About
This app is designed to help users learn how to cook and discover new recipes, making it an ideal companion for beginners and seasoned home cooks alike. It combines instructional content with recipe exploration, offering step-by-step guidance, curated collections, and personalized recommendations to support users on their culinary journey. Whether you're mastering basic techniques or experimenting with global cuisines, the app serves as a practical and inspiring tool in the kitchen.
The Reason Why....
I struggle to find recipes that fit my dietary preferences, skill levels, or cooking styles. I found that existing apps often lack features that promote community interaction and personalized experiences. I want to create a community that people could upload their own recipe on it even it is normal. I want this app for normal people who cook for their families, roommates, or just themselves.
Because not everyone is a professional chef—but everyone eats. Most recipe apps are too fancy that doesn’t reflect how real people cook every day. I want it is a place where everyone can share their own creations and tips without needing perfect lighting or high skills. It’s about real food, real kitchens, and building a community around the kind of cooking that happens every day, not just for the social media.
My Working Process
Research
User Research
I am conducting research on digital recipe applications, with a particular focus on Epicurious and NYT Cooking. This study aims to explore the user experience, interface design, and overall functionality of these platforms. As part of my methodology, I have been analyzing user feedback sourced from various channels, including app store reviews, personal blogs, and culinary forums. This qualitative data provides insight into users' expectations, common frustrations, and the features that enhance or hinder their engagement with these cooking apps.
What People Say online....
“Over the past two years the NYT cooking app has taken a turn for the … weird.”
“...become an inconsistent resource which completely defeats the purpose of being a recipe/cooking resource.”
“Might be ok in a regular search but if you go to.... ease of use during a holiday, you should check to see if the recipe fit the category.”
“Food and cooking has limited depth and variation.”
“Cooking steps are too long, no patient to read.”
“ I love many of the NYT recipes, but I don’t care for some from some of the recipe developers that you mentioned.”
competitive Analyze
New York Time Cooking
Pros
- Wide Recipe Selection
- High-Quality Content
- Step-by-Step Instructions for Recipe
- Search and Filter Options
- User Ratings and Reviews
Cons
- No User Recipe Uploads Functions
- Limited Free Features
- Lack of Meal Planning Tools
- Interface Can Feel Cluttered
Epicurious
Pros
- Clean Design
- Recipe Variety
- Professional Food Photography
- Organized Recipe Collections
Cons
- Limited Free Access
- No User-Generated Recipes
- No Video Tutorials on All Recipes
- Lack of function for edit recipe by users own flavor
Problem statement
Challenge
- Some users are not care the famous chief, they are more care about the recipe.
- Some elder can not adapt to the new things - How could the app serve wide user?
- Features are simple that has very little selectivity.
- New York or United State is a world wide place - How could it make all users satisfy?
How Might We...
How might we create a real-time, interactive cooking experience that guides users step-by-step, allows them to ask questions, and fosters a sense of community by enabling them to cook together and learn from one another?
How might we create an intuitive and engaging recipe upload experience that helps users share high-quality, well-formatted content, express their personal style, and connect with a community through feedback and collaboration—while ensuring accuracy and trustworthiness?
How might we empower users to save and customize existing recipes by adding their own flavor, modifications, and notes—turning inspiration from others into personalized creations they can share and revisit?
Low-fi
Interview
Vee
Says
- People reacting, share experience, how make it?
- Cultural sharing motivate me to upload recipe.
- If I am on cooking app I want to share what I want. Try something new cuisine.
Does
- Usually use TikTok short video to cook and read the common on it.
- I do want to make high protein meal for health carbs vegetable.
Thinks
- The cooking steps are simple for user.
- Images, ingredients, Something simple is necessary to include when uploading a recipe.
- Give the on-boarding page to show user how to use the app or recipe.
Feels
- Do not have any negative experience and do not post and common any community.
- Receive negative common But not really care about it.
- The low-fi is already simple. It works.
Jonathan
Says
- Most recipes obviously only have one way of cooking, and so if I want to cook it differently, I would have to search up a different type of recipe.
- I do want to make high protein meal for health carbs vegetable.
- Everything is good nothing missing in low-fi.
- The lo-fi is pretty easy to use.
Does
- I usually google recipes and add it on the notes app.
- Sometimes use Tiktok.
- Do not participate in recipe community.
- Recipe cooking tracker When you star the cook follow the step and time.
Thinks
- Preference easy to make fast healthy.
- Filter based on what you want to cook specific cuisine give you.
- If the recipe could be changed probably save the recipe and change it what you want.
Feels
- On reddit critical questions. If the question is so simple they will not answer it.
- I do not think share recipe with others too important to me.
- I guess my preferences is definitely easy to make, fast and relatively healthy.
Jolyn
Says
- But personally, what I would like to see is a video with the instructions along the videos too.
- I would honestly just go straight to the inputting of the title and ingredients and instructions and then have the photo as like, a optional.
Does
- I'm cooking, I don't really think about the community.
- There's a lot of Facebook groups, and there's a Facebook group that Cooking or something like that.
- I guess like, what motivates me is just like sharing with people that are also really into cooking and really into food.
Thinks
- I think the community is nice for simple things, but when it comes to like more complicated, I guess meals, it's a little difficult to get a consensus.
- I think that's just like a nice way to be among the community, while having my cooking interests and like, specifically Vietnamese.
Feels
- I feel like online has a very harmful presence. There are like moderators, like streaming platforms.
- I don't really have any follow that. I don't really care.
- Just having something to engage people, could be it is spicy and it's super spicy, or something like a fan favorite, and the heart, emoji.
Bee
Says
- I want a clear labels on the nutritional facts of each foods that I am seeing on the app, like how much calorie, how much like, carbohydrates, vitamins.
- I want to learn to cook more, and I especially want to learn to season my food well in a healthy but also delicious way.
Does
- If I have questions, I ask some of my friends who can cook well.
- There's a lot of Facebook groups, and there's a Facebook group that Cooking or something like that.
- I follow balanced diet, meaning I try to eat as much vegetables, roots, protein, and I try to eat less carbs and how would you like them to be addressed in the recipe app.
Thinks
- Perhaps, like videos of people talking about food sharing their favorite recipes in the video forms also having forms where you can just anonymously talk about foods in general.
- I think the recipe of close experience seems like it works fine, but when it comes to following certain people, I didn't see that.
Feels
- I think it feels easy to upload recipe. I just press on the Add button. The only thing is if I'm on the subway and then I want to upload a recipe, I would want pick images to be generated for me if I don't have images myself.
- I would like personally, probably use it more to browse people's recipes than to share mine.
Features
Our Live Cooking feature lets you join real-time cooking sessions led by influencer or users who like to share their cooking. Watch step-by-step demonstrations, ask questions, and interact directly with the instructor as you learn to prepare delicious dishes from various cuisines. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned cook, live sessions provide an engaging and hands-on way to improve your cooking skills and discover new recipes.
The Upload Recipe feature allows users to share their own cooking creations with the community. Easily add step-by-step instructions, include photos, set preparation and cooking times, and write a description to tell the story behind your dish. You can also customize ingredients, add helpful tips, and enhance your recipe with image filters to make it visually appealing. Whether you're a home cook or a food enthusiast, this feature makes it simple and fun to share your recipes with others.
The Recipe Page provides a complete overview of each dish, starting with a cover image and key details like preparation time, cooking time, and serving size. Users can scroll through step-by-step instructions, each supported by visuals to make cooking easier. Ingredient images and clear measurements help users know exactly what they need. The page also allows users to rate the recipe, leave comments, and save it to their personal collection for future reference.
From the recipe collection, users can personalize saved recipes to match their own taste and preferences. Whether it's adjusting ingredient quantities, swapping ingredients, or adding unique cooking steps and tips, this feature lets users make each recipe truly their own. It's a great way to experiment, adapt dishes to dietary needs, or simply put a personal twist on favorite meals.
