Cocook
Sharable cooking app for cooking engagement
Project Overview
UX Project
Case Study
Mobile App
Project Type
My Team
My Role
Timeline
Class oriented project focus on men's diet
UX Designer &Product Designer
UX Designer (1), Project Manager (1), Graphic Designer (3)
14 weeks (Feb 2023 –May 2023)
This project aims to address the ongoing problem of daily diet that has been troubling young adults who have just entered independent living. The issue of healthy diet has received little attention from non-profit and commercial organizations. However, many young professionals have shown a strong demand for healthy and efficient eating habits, but they need more motivation to fulfill these needs. This situation may lead to deeper social issues, such as men's physical and mental health. For the reasons above, we decide to work on an app to help young professionals maintain a healthy life.
Outcome
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Created an online marketplace that connects people who want to rent out their kitchens with people who are looking for a place to cook and eat together while provide ingredients and clean service.
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Encouraged young men to cook and eat healthy.
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Overthrowing the traditional thought and value system that cooking is women’s innate skill and responsibility.
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Made men more involved in the cooking process and form a habit of cooking. Promote gender equality
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Promoted the in person emotional communication between young people during cooking.
Process
Highlight Features
View the kitchen details
See your saved kitchen
Use filter to find the kitchen
Problem Spaces
According to bostonplans.org, Boston has the highest concentration of young male adults (age 20-34) among the 25 largest cities in the U.S. 18% of Boston’s population is male between 20-34 years old. Among them, only a few percentage of people are able to cook daily because of busy schedule, inadequate living experiences, and lack of access to kitchen.
The "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025" emphasize that the Adult life stage (ages 19-30) is characterized by independence, opportunity, and responsibility. However, balancing work/school with personal commitments poses challenges to maintaining a healthy diet.
Research Goal
Research Methods
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Understand the current practices and attitudes toward diet management among the young men.
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Identify the barriers and challenges that the target group experience involving diet.
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What needs and expectations do they have for their diet? What needs aren't being met?
We did 37 electronic questionnaires and 7 online interviews with young men who live independently in Boston, including 21 college students and 23 workers.
The survey questionnaire gathered personal information from respondents such as their cultural background and eating habits. Interviews revealed deep understanding of the young men's attitudes and their pain points about diet management.
Key Takeaways
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Insights from Interviews and Surveys
Value Proposition Canvas
Ideations
Based on our research, we have found that many young men lack the time to prepare and enjoy meals. In addressing this issue, the leisure time outside of work and studies provides a good opportunity for young men to step into the kitchen. During this time, they have the chance to cook and indulge in a good meal. As for motivation, social gatherings with friends serve as an incentive for young men to cook and have a satisfying meal. If there is a place available to them at any time, suitable for gatherings, cooking, and dining, along with provisions for ingredient preparation and cleaning services, this would solve the issues of kitchen access and the time-consuming nature of cooking. Young men would be willing to use their leisure time to cook, enjoy their meals, and even exchange culinary and dining experiences with friends. We recognize that the internet serves as a great medium for locating individuals who possess suitable kitchens meeting these criteria and are willing to share them.
HMW Statement
How Might We encourage young men to cook with a development of their habits of cooking and eating healthy?
How Might We provide kitchen access while save young men's time in cooking?
What is Cocook？
Cocook is an online marketplace that lets property owners rent out their kitchen to people looking for a place to cook and eat together
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For multiple people to share
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A shared space with a private dining room and entertainment facilities
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Multiple kitchen themes and unique styles
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a per-person basis self service Ingredients area & healthy recipe service
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Clean service
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Work Flow
Product design and concept
How It Works:
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User Profile Setup: Personalized profiles with cooking preferences and kitchen sharing options.
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Kitchen Search and Booking: Explore shared kitchens, book preferred times for cooking.
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Secure Payment and Ratings: Trustworthy transactions and user reviews for reliability.
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Cocook app combines cutting-edge design, accessibility, and user-centric functionalities for an exceptional kitchen sharing experience.
Key Features:
Advanced Filters and Sorting: Robust filtering by location, amenities, and more for tailored searches
Detailed Information Display: Comprehensive details using fly-out panels and expandable cards.
Easy Food Style Scheduling: Convenient option to schedule the type of cuisine you plan to cook.
Final Prototypes
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Current Design: Features and Functions
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Kitchen Search and Booking:
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Users explore shared kitchens and select preferred dates and times for cooking.
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Easy Food Style Scheduling:
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During the booking process, users choose the type of cuisine they plan to cook.
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Option to save food style preferences for future bookings.
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Secure Payment and Ratings:
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Users complete secure payment transactions for confirmed kitchen bookings.
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Both hosts and guests can rate and review each other for a reliable community.
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Community Engagement:
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In-app messaging and social interactions enable users to connect with like-minded individuals.
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Users can discuss ideas, share recipes, and plan cooking events based on shared food styles.
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Scenario: Cocook app reshapes the way people connect, share, and enjoy culinary experiences, making it a valuable tool for anyone seeking convenience, community engagement, and memorable cooking moments. The app's convenience and user-centric design contribute to a thriving sharing economy community, transforming traditional cooking plans into delightful culinary gatherings.
Before
Storyboards
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After
Participants found the app's interface intuitive and easy to navigate.
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The kitchen search and booking process was straightforward with positive feedback on filters and sorting options.
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The new "Easy Food Style Scheduling" feature was well-received for its convenience.
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Detailed kitchen information using fly-out panels and expandable cards was appreciated.
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In-app messaging and social interactions fostered a sense of community.
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Secure payment and ratings contributed to a reliable experience.
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Suggestions for improvement included real-time kitchen availability and personalized recommendations based on past preferences.
User Testing
Overall, Cocook app received positive feedback for its usability and features, with user input guiding future updates and enhancements.
The final deliverable impressed Toast stakeholders, and they plan to use the prototype design and research findings to guide their kiosk interface direction.
Takeaways:
Positive Stakeholder Response: Stakeholders were satisfied with the prototype, indicating successful project alignment.
Research Utilization: Research insights helped create a user-centric kiosk interface design.
Next Steps:
Evolving Prototype: Continuously improve the prototype based on user feedback.
Engage with Stakeholders: Gather interests and concerns from restaurant managers and patrons.
Execute a Pilot: Validate the interface's effectiveness with additional restaurants.