'KitchenMate' is an app designed to help improve users' diets and make them more mindful about the environmental impacts of their food. This was a group project assigned in my Interaction Design module (as part of my MSc in Human-Computer Interaction Design). My group achieved a distinction for this project.
Step 1: Recruitment & User Research
I created a recruitment screener to help the group determine suitable participants for user research. The prerequisites were that the participants did at least some of their own food shopping, cooking and had some awareness of food sustainability/ the environmental impacts of their food.
My group and I then each conducted individual semi-structured interviews and closed diary studies. These were centred around users' eating habits and sustainability practices. In total, the group interviewed/diary studied 10 users.
Step 2: Data Analysis
To analyse the data, I suggested we each construct empathy maps for our users. As a group, we then used these empathy maps to develop an affinity diagram. We used Figma to develop the empathy maps and the affinity diagram.
Image 1. An empathy map I created view PDF version
Image 2. Affinity diagram view PDF version
Key Insights:
Key insights gathered from our user research included:
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Users tend to think that price, taste and time either outweigh/are equivalent to health implications when choosing food.
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Whilst users acknowledge that organic food products are better for health, the price is a hindrance and makes them more reluctant to buy organic
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Health is not a prime consideration for most users when they eat out- it's more about taste (across all age groups)
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Most users have a bad image of calorie counting although some find it useful/can acknowledge the benefits
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When users consider food sustainability, they often refer to recycling of packaging or disposal of food waste
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For some, there is a lack of knowledge when it comes to food sustainability and its meaning, as well as what can/can't be recycled. This may be to blame for their lack of environmental prowess
Step 3: Persona creation
After analysing the data, we then created three personas: Nora, John and Helen. I developed the persona, Helen, a university lecturer and mum who wants to reduce the amount of food waste her family produces.
Image 3. Helen Persona view all personas in PDF
Step 4: Conceptual Design- Define
I then constructed POV statements for all three personas to establish the key goals of our design.
Example POV statement for Helen:
Helen needs to know how long the food she cooks will last because this will help her keep track of the food that needs to be consumed first.
Step 5: Conceptual Design
During the Conceptual Design phase, my group engaged in a variety of activities: brainstorming, user journey mapping, storyboarding and sketching. Ideas we settled on entailed: providing users with healthy, customisable recipes; providing a recycling guide and recycling centre locator (featured under 'Recycling Adviser'); provide food storage guides and expiry countdowns (featured under 'Food Assistant'); and providing users with grocery shop price comparisons, local butcher recommendations and a food miles calculator to learn about the environmental implications of their food purchases (featured under 'Purchase Companion').
Image 4. Brainstorm view PDF version
Image 6. A storyboard I created for Helen
Image 7. A sketch I drew for our 'Purchase Companion' feature
Image 5. A user journey map I developed for Helen view PDF version
Step 5: Conceptual Design (Cont)
The group convened to review the sketches we'd individually completed of different sections of the app. I was responsible for sketching the 'Food Assistant' section and the 'Purchase Companion' section. We refined the sketches and suggested ideas of how to improve the design further.
Image 8. Snapshot of the group meeting where we refined the sketches of our design
Step 6: Detailed Design
Once we were happy with our sketches, I then developed a site-map in Figma with one other group member. This was helpful in determining how the app's features would be structured.
Image 9. Site map created by myself and a group member view PDF version
Step 6: Detailed Design (Cont)
The group then designed low fidelity wireframes in Figma. I developed the Food Assistant and Purchase Companion wireframes as well as the individual Recipe wireframes, and took responsibility for prototyping them.
Image 10. Recipe wireframe
Step 7: User Testing & Iteration
We then carried out user testing on our prototype adopting the 'think-aloud' approach. We were then able to improve our designs based on the feedback. For example, we moved the Food Miles Calculator into the Purchase Companion section; this was previously in the Food Assistant section but users didn't think it fit there and couldn't understand the need for it. By moving it into Purchase Companion, users can assess the environmental impacts of their purchases before and/or after doing a food shop.
Step 8: Vision Video
Finally, the group produced a vision video to communication the vision of our app. This video evolved from a storyboard I created with another group member and was created using Adobe Premiere and Adobe After Effects. Tapping into my (amateur) acting skills, I provided the video's voiceover! The storyboard and video can both be seen below.
Image 11. Vision video storyboard
Video 1: KitchenMate Vision Video