milli

selected work

x-tra

self

HomeMade

Case Study

Overview

Role

HomeMade is a case study exploring the possibilities of exploring cultural and historical backgrounds of food through the medium of a responsive web food editorial platform.


Researcher

Designer

Competitive Analysis

Interviews

Usability Testing

Features Matrix

Information Architecture

2 week sprint

Figma / Figjam

Canva

Optimal Workshop

Zeplin

Mid-Fi

Hi-Fi

Research Methods

Timeline

Tools

Prototypes

Exploring Community,

History, and Authenticity through Food

About the Project

The design intent of this project is to create a responsive platform that enables users to expand their culinary skills and knowledge of different cuisines while promoting cultural understanding, experimentation, and authenticity in cooking. The platform will have a special focus on highlighting the cultural and historical origins of different cuisines and promoting authentic ingredients and cooking techniques.

How might we provide a resource for people to expand their culinary skills, while also providing cultural and historical origins to different cuisines around the world?

Challenge

What do our target audiences need?

Target Audience

"colorful backgrounds matter a lot for people's stories, especially if it's a recipe passed down in the family"

"After experiencing something new, it builds a curiosity, and then I go home and research more"

Home Cook

5 Interviews

6 Insights

In conducting research, we utilized interviews as our primary form of qualitative research. We pared down potential users through utilizing a screener survey which questioned users what their cooking habits were, their food preferences, and how their cultural background influences their eating practices.

In conducting research, we utilized interviews as our primary form of qualitative research. We pared down potential users through utilizing a screener survey which questioned users what their cooking habits were, their food preferences, and how their cultural background influences their eating practices.

In conducting research, we utilized interviews as our primary form of qualitative research. We pared down potential users through utilizing a screener survey which questioned users what their cooking habits were, their food preferences, and how their cultural background influences their eating practices.

What were the design

informing insights?

Research Synthesis

We collected the emerging trends from interviewing 5 home cooks and and translated the findings into insights that informed the design of our website.

People frequent multiple sources for accessing food related information

Resources

People value experimenting with different flavors and cuisines

People gravitate towards food that is familiar with their cultural upbringing

Experimental

Cultural

Background

People don't always have access to the resources necessary for cooking authentic recipes

Food is a form of personal expression and art

Ingredient

Sourcing

Food as Art

Cooking Activities

People engage with visual entertainment while cooking

Personifying the insights

Research Synthesis

Jenna is a humanization of all of the research team's gatherings. She serves to provide grounding for the design and envision a user's desires/goals.

What does Jenna need?

Journey Map

We mapped out how Jenna would move through the process of cooking and finding recipes in order to visualize the steps, pain points, touch-points with websites, and her emotions throughout the process. These findings ensured we were designing a product that solved our users’ challenges.

How might we create a platform that aligns with Jenna's values to expand her culinary skills, knowledge of cuisines and prioritizes cultural understanding, experimentation, and authenticity in cooking?

Designing for Jenna

Where did our research lead us?

Key Features

Flavor Map

A Day in the Life

Cultural Recipes

Archive

Prototyping & Iterations

How did we arrive at our final design? view prototype

A more clear outline of where the featured recipe is showcased, along with the information presented

Analyzing our success and shortcomings

Usability Test

Feature 1 | Featured Recipe

Find the history of today's

featured recipe

Users' first instinct was to look at the navigational bar

Mid-Fi Insight

Hi-Fi Takeaway

Feature 2 | Spice Map

You want to try cooking Indian

Food, find out what seasonings

are usually used in this cuisine

"Ingredients" page stood out to

users more than the Flavor Map, when looking for seasonings

Users will be able to recognize the map visual is interactive, before clicking "spices" option

Mid-Fi Insight

Hi-Fi Takeaway

Feature 3 | Past Recipes

Look for a plant-based recipe featured a few weeks ago

Users didn't associate the word "Archive" with past recipes featured on the website

"Archive" has changed to "Past Recipes" along with showing the full filter options on the secondary menu

Mid-Fi Insight

Hi-Fi Takeaway

To better cater to users with specific dietary preferences, we will continue to prioritize providing filtering and search options on the website. Additionally, we plan to highlight past featured recipes on the top of the website for easier navigation and less confusion.

Sharpening the tools for the Home Cook

Final Takeaways

Highlight Spices and Ingredients

We understand that some users may have specific dietary preferences or ingredient requirements, so we plan to include a search function or highlight certain spices and ingredients more prominently on the website.

Highlight Cultural and Historic Origins

We believe that the cultural and historical aspects of the featured recipes and ingredients are valuable and appealing aspects of the website for users. As such, we plan to continue highlighting this aspect and providing educational content about the featured food.

Display History of Featured Recipes

We recognize that users may be interested in learning more about the history of the featured food. To make this information more accessible, we plan to include it in a more visible location on the website or use more intuitive language to describe it.

Improve Filtering and Search Options:

say hi! get in touch