Proxi is a mobile recipe app designed to help selective eaters discover recipes tailored to their dietary needs while encouraging culinary exploration. This three-month academic project aimed to create a seamless, user-friendly experience for individuals navigating dietary restrictions.
Content & Needs
At the start of our process, we explored the challenges faced by selective eaters when searching for new recipes. Our research revealed that these individuals often experience food-related stress as they struggle to find meals that align with their dietary restrictions.
Additionally, we found that many users lack knowledge about ingredient substitutions, making it difficult to modify recipes to meet their health goals. Since every diet is unique, offering flexible ingredient swaps allows users to enjoy familiar dishes while adhering to their dietary needs.
Findings
We identified key pain points experienced by our target users and explored design opportunities to enhance their experience.
User Persona
Based on qualitative and quantitative research, we developed two detailed user personas to better understand our audience’s expectations, concerns, and motivations.
Mia, a full-time student, recently transitioned to a vegetarian diet and struggles to find meals that meet her nutritional needs.
• Taylor, a full-time professional, was recently diagnosed with celiac disease. She finds it challenging to adopt a gluten-free diet due to her limited knowledge of ingredient substitutes.
The Framework
Using insights from academic research and user interviews, we created a sitemap that prioritized key features for an intuitive user experience.
Key Objectives:
• How can we organize large amounts of information into digestible sections? Should we sort by popular recipes or distinct categories?
• To what extent should each page provide detailed content? Should we use full pages or pop-ups for quick access to key information?
• How do we balance exploration with efficient access to relevant content?
The Solution
We developed medium-fidelity mockups and conducted a comparative analysis to refine our designs. Through iterative testing, we selected the most effective design approach.
Key Features:
Ingredient Substitutions – Users can swap ingredients directly within recipes or via search. A pop-up provides quick details, with an option to view full ingredient information.
Recipe Search & Filtering – Users can filter recipes by preparation time, cuisine, and ingredients to refine their search or browse freely.
Personalized Preferences – Users can create an account to set dietary preferences, intolerances, and allergies, ensuring tailored recipe recommendations. Preferences can be modified in the profile tab.
My Responsibilities:
I designed the home page, full recipe page, ingredient page, and filtered search results.
Usability Testing
To evaluate our prototype, we recruited participants from our target demographic—young adults with dietary restrictions who enjoy cooking. Each participant completed the following tasks:
Create an account
Search for a recipe
Use the filtering system
Find alternative ingredients
Bookmark a recipe
View and edit dietary preferences
I conducted a user interview with Kenny via Zoom. Testing remotely introduced challenges, such as communication gaps and difficulty troubleshooting prototype issues without seeing the user’s perspective clearly.
As a team, we analyzed user feedback, identified usability issues, and proposed improvements to enhance the experience while maintaining accessibility and usability.
Reflection
Throughout this project, our team successfully developed a functional mobile application for recipe searching, laying a strong foundation of skills applicable to future endeavors. This experience has been instrumental in my growth, particularly in using prototyping tools like UXPin to explore interaction dynamics in mobile design applications. Emphasizing user experience was pivotal, underscoring the importance of prioritizing user needs and goals to craft an optimal interface. By aligning with user needs and adhering to design principles, we achieved success in completing this project.
References
Shirai Sola S., Seneviratne Oshani, Gordon Minor E., Chen Ching-Hua, McGuinness Deborah L.. (2021). Identifying Ingredient Substitutions using A Knowledge Graph of Food. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, 3, 111. DOI: 10.3389/frai.2020.621766
Henderson, R. (2021, October 8). Study sheds light on the consequences of picky eating in college students. News. Retrieved from https://www.news-medical.net/news/20211007/Study-sheds-light-on-the-consequences-of-picky-eating-in-college-students.aspx
