Info

Solo project

Timeline

June 2024 - September 2024

Role

Research, visual design

Conceptual mobile app design

Cook right, eat healthy

In a nutshell...

Freshly Dropped, a health-focused recipe box delivery service, allows users to discover healthy recipes, offering the flexibility to either purchase ingredients independently or have fresh, precisely portioned components delivered straight to their door.

The problem is...

We’re so busy that we can’t cook!

I’ve noticed young adults these days have little time to cook home meals. Lack of confidence in cooking skills also make us repeat a short list of easy and usually unhealthy food. People prefer grabbing a quick meal at fast-food restaurants or preparing instant food. In extreme cases, some folks just skip meals altogether!

So what do we do?

Make cooking less intimidating and more rewarding

Looking into this problem, I’ve discovered that people often do have the desire to seek out new recipes and cook for themselves. To bridge the gap between inspiration and actual results, we could streamline the process of finding easy-to-follow recipes and getting fresh ingredients to cook with.

Designed for you

Enjoy recipes that fit your lifestyle and dietary needs

Freshly Dropped recommends recipes that align with your specific needs—whether you’re lactose-intolerant, vegan, pescatarian, or managing high blood pressure.

Enjoy effortless meal planning

Have full control of your recipe box deliveries

Tired of meal planning stress? Why not plan entire weeks in advanced? Freshly Dropped’s easy scheduling feature takes the hassle out of meal planning, helping you maintain a healthy diet even with a busy schedule.

Let’s Cook Together!

Discover real cooking results from your peers

Dive into our special section featuring reviews with videos and pictures from fellow home cooks. See how others have enjoyed their recipe boxes and vote for the most helpful reviews.

JUMP TO PROTOTYPE

Research

I started by figuring out how to frame the problem.

Understanding the Challenge

This conceptual project began from a fictitious client brief that required the following:

design an app to accompany the food delivery service Freshly Dropped
show the users complete recipes
allow users to either order ingredients or do grocery shopping themselves
provide useful filter and search functions
let users mark their favorite recipes
use light green color to fit the fresh theme

Despite this reference, I figured it would be useful to do market research, define user problems, and consider the feasibility of innovative features, such as ingredient customization.

Competitive Analysis

I first wanted to learn about the existing market in order to identify gaps and unmet needs.

❌ Cannot view recipe before ordering

❌ Minimum of 2 boxes per week

❌ Lacks recipe information

✅ Offers one-off orders (2-5 boxes)

✅ Shows user rating

✅ Offers alternative ingredients

❌ Heavily subscription-based

❌ Minimum of 3 boxes per week

❌ No one-off options

✅ Shows full recipes before ordering

✅ Beginner-friendly instructions with
pictures

❌ Higher starting price

❌ Cannot view recipe before ordering

✅ Offers one-off orders (2-5 boxes)

✅ Focused on healthy recipes

✅ Emphasizes organic ingredients

❌ Users must source fresh ingredients

❌ User reviews are too concise

✅ Offers one-off orders (min of 4)

✅ No immediate rush to cook

✅ Shows full recipes before ordering

✅ Lower overall costs

✅ Shows recent customer reviews

❌ Does not prioritize healthy options

❌ Does not highlight potential allergens

✅ No minimum orders

✅ Flexible delivery options

✅ Subscription is optional

The following are my key takeaways:

These recipe box services are all subscription-based while some offer one-time orders.
HelloFresh and Gousto offer alternative ingredients but still require users to order the full recipe box.
Uber Eats, which is a food delivery service that users turn to for convenience, do not require subscription nor have minimum weekly orders.

Prioritizing User Needs

Considering the time constraints, I figured the quickest way to understand users is by exploring online forums of existing popular recipe box services. I delved into a few subreddits to identify common complaints and assess the demand for ingredient customization, as outlined in the initial brief.

Problem 1: Bad deliveries

One of the main complaints I’ve found on these forums are the untimely deliveries, where packages arrive too early or too late. Some packages that take too long in transit even tend to arrive spoiled.

There could be several reasons for bad deliveries, including courier mishandling, unsafe packaging, and unrealistic scheduling. Changing into more reliable couriers and optimizing packaging for longer transit and better shelf life— such as vacuum-sealing perishable goods— could reduce the amount of bad deliveries.

In this case, however, an operational solution that we can focus on is limiting the orders per schedule dates. This approach would improve quality control and facilitate better shipment planning to help prevent overcommitting.

Therefore, our scheduling approach should allow users to choose realistic dates that the company can reliably meet, so customers have clear expectations for arrival.

Problem 2: Lack of customization

HelloFresh and Gousto have limited ingredient customization, where some recipes offer alternative main proteins or sides. Discussions on various subreddits indicate a growing demand for more flexibility, particularly from people with specific dietary restrictions or those concerned with potential delivery issues that lead to wasted food.

Some customers deal with unwanted ingredients simply by giving them away to friends or relatives while others choose to keep them for future dishes. This excess presents a challenge for both customers and the business.

Our approach to customizability should focus on providing greater flexibility, giving users more alternatives and allowing exclusion of certain ingredients. This also aims to improve operational efficiency and boost customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Key User Characteristics

To better visualize potential users, I created general user personas derived from the target audience of existing services while considering the gap that these services leave.

Design goals

For this project, I’ve settled on the following core features:

Browsing personalization

Design a short questionnaire about users’ dietary preferences.

Protective Filters

Provide option to show or hide recipes that the user strictly avoids. If the user has a nut allergy, only nut-free recipes will be visible to them.
Show dietary alert when users view recipes that do not align with their preference.

Beginner-friendly instructions

Provide images and video references to make the recipe easy to follow.
List the necessary kitchenware to ensure that users are equipped to make the dish before they commit to the recipe.

Open recipe database

Allow users to browse recipes without signing up or ordering a recipe box first.

Flexible order scheduling and Plan Ahead option

Allow users to schedule when to receive their recipe box.
Plan Ahead scheduling enables users to set different delivery dates and times for multiple recipe boxes within a single checkout session.

Customizable recipe box

Give users the flexibility of choosing ingredients to include in their order.
Show prices of each ingredient during customization.

Favorite recipes and reviews

Allow users to add recipes and reviews to Favorites.
Ensure users can easily access their favorited recipes and reviews in the Favorites tab.

Let’s Cook Together

Create a browsing mode that allows users to effortlessly view other users’ reviews, showcasing real cooking results.
Link the recipe featured in the review so users can quickly access the full recipe and order page.
Include a voting feature that lets users upvote the most helpful reviews.

Elaborating on Feasibility

Before settling on the core features listed above, I’ve researched the feasibility of each, focusing on those unique in the existing market. By assessing the feasibility, I gathered valuable information on specific requirements and compromise necessary for the features to be effective.

Why make subscriptions optional?

In analyzing customer opinions of existing recipe box subscription services, I’ve discovered mixed customer experiences, with many users loving the features but frustrated with certain limitations.

The following are key pain points:

01

High churn rates

Up to 50% of subscribers cancel within six months due to issues with cost-effectiveness and convenience.

02

Delivery timing issues

Vague delivery times can lead to food sitting out if customers aren't home.

03

Unwanted default recipes

Minimum order requirements can force customers into recipes they don't want, risking food waste.

While strictly-subscription models offer operational benefits, such as stable income, convenience, and lower production costs, they also present significant drawbacks, including the lack of user flexibility and being too reliant on user acquisition rather than retention.

Why recipe box customization?

There’s two main user benefits to allow ingredient customizability:

01

To discover and enjoy a variety of healthy meals safely

People with food allergies learn to adapt recipes by swapping out allergens for safe alternatives. This flexibility helps them try out new and different kinds of food despite their dietary restrictions.

02

To keep costs in check and use what they have

Showing the price of each ingredient during customization gives users full control over their recipe boxes. This transparency helps users manage the total cost and allows them to use items they already have at home.

To understand better the requirements to make customization possible, I’ve looked into some solutions considering the feasibility:

Offer recipes on a rotating menu

Providing seasonal and rotating recipes keeps customers engaged and excited. However, this would mean smaller weekly menus and limited stocks for each recipe on it's available week. To prevent customers from feeling that there’s less options, we should allow them to pre-order for the next week’s menu.

This would also be beneficial to the business as it gives us more lead time and helps avoid gaps on each menu cycle. This approach allows customers to have more personalized experiences while simultaneously give us more time for production and delivery.

App requirements:

Display the current week menu date.
Allow the user to view and pre-order for upcoming next weeks.
Show number of stocks left for the week.
State when the box would be available next to allow customers to anticipate and be able to order earlier.

Implement choice blocks for more feasible customization

A key issue to address is how open the customization will be. With choice blocks, we can balance user flexibility and operational feasibility.

Providing users with alternative ingredients will also lower the chances of users not ordering anything for the recipe box. This is so users won’t have to find ingredients by themselves. It makes ordering easy for them and also increase revenue.

App requirements:

Offer alternative ingredients to make excluding recipe elements entirely less desirable.
Show prices for each alternative.

Why Let’s Cook Together?

Many people turn to social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest to discover new recipes. These sites are perfect for finding and sharing recipes thanks to their engaging and fast-paced content.

400 M

Instagram posts with #Foodie and similar hashtags

2 B

Pinterest searches monthly related to food and recipes

14 B

YouTube views monthly in the Cooking category

33 B

TikTok views on posts using the hashtag #Food

Recipe videos and cooking tips often attract millions and billions of views monthly. Creators focusing on recipes and cooking tutorials often have millions of subscribers, reflecting high demand.

However, the lack of quick access to the full recipe often leaves users inspired but unsure how to proceed. As a result, users could feel demotivated to try cooking as they struggle to find detailed instructions and gather ingredients.

The "Let's Cook Together" feature is designed to addresses this gap.

It allows users to:

This streamlined approach would make it simple and enjoyable to turn recipe inspiration into real cooking experiences.

To summarize,

The focus will be on providing a seamless, user-friendly experience that encourages healthy eating habits and fosters a supportive cooking community.

Prototype

Now it’s time to design the layout

Sketching

After defining the goals, I moved on to sketching layouts on paper for the main user journey.

Lo-fi

From paper sketches, I next went into Figma to produce cleaner and more detailed layouts.

Visual Strategy Overview

I’ve explored various design layouts to find the best way to present information and make sure app features are easy to find and use. Through numerous iterations, each page was refined for better accessibility and smoother user experience. The following is a breakdown of key page elements in the current design iteration.

Search results page

Filter page

Recipe page

Customize Recipe Box overlay (on Recipe page)

Plan Ahead schedule option

Supporting Page Navigation

Diving into more high-fidelity screens, the following section shows the flow and functionality of less prominent pages. While these screens may not have novelty features, designing them gave a better sense of the overall user journey, to make sure each interaction is intuitive and cohesive.

Sign up

Welcome

Verification

Success

Password

Name

Onboarding

Introduction

Questions

Overlay

Questions

Success

Checkout

Cart

Checkout

Overlay

Address

Checkout

Payment method

Overlay

Success

Payment method

Checkout

x 2

Checkout

Order tracking

Order processing

Success

Tracking 1

Tracking 2

Tracking 3

Tracking 4

Tracking 5

Delivery detail

Order completion (rate)

Delivery complete

Rate my driver

Success

Order completion (rate and tip)

Order complete

Rate and tip

Success

Favorites

Profile

Recipe Page Features

This section highlights the recipe page, designed to make cooking more approachable and enjoyable. The goal is to build confidence and encourage users to try new and healthy recipes by offering clear instructions, photos and video guides, user reviews, and customization options.

01

Learn the Recipe

The primary goal of the recipe page is to provide an informative and easy-to-understand cooking guide. Users are shown recipe instructions, cooking methods, utensil requirements, ingredient lists, nutrition facts, and reviews from others who have tried the recipe.

02

Videos to Guide Your Cooking

The app is tailored for beginner cooks, showing cooking directions with pictures and offering video guides. This approach minimizes the user’s uncertainty and boosts their confidence, making cooking more accessible.

03

Ingredient Customization

Users can quickly add the full recipe box to their cart. They also have the option to pick and choose the ingredients to buy, allowing them to exclude ingredients they already have or are avoiding.

Future Steps

Motivating Users to Create Reviews

Although the app is not entirely dependent on good reviews, the Let’s Cook Together feature heavily relies on maintaining a good collection of them in order to succeed in building a loyal customer base.

The question is how can we initiate the review library when there’s no content available to begin with?

The following are possible solutions to address this challenge:

01

Create review-like videos

Initially, we could have the marketing team create review-style videos. This approach is similar to creating product images, showcasing homemade cooking results in video and picture format.

Pro:

This would set a standard on what a helpful review looks like, starting, thus, a trend for other users to start capturing and sharing their own experience while cooking.

Con:

Results may still look too professionally-made, which can detract from the purpose of this feature, i.e. to showcase how home cooks have tackled the recipe with everyday kitchenware.

02

Offer vouchers as a reward

With the voting system in place to identify helpful reviews, we can reward users with many upvotes—indicating their reviews are valuable—with vouchers or discounts.

Pro:

This approach would encourage people to continue creating well-made reviews and motivate others to contribute their own in pursuit of vouchers.

Con:

Some users might post unhelpful or completely irrelevant content just to gain upvotes, which could lead to a collection of ineffective reviews.

Assessing the Design Through User Testing

Due to time constraints, I wasn’t able to conduct proper interviews with target users. The rationale for the design choices were based on my research of user insights gathered from review boards of real users interacting with popular apps that offer similar services. This approach led me into designing innovative features that address common pain points and preferences that users have noted.

In the future, I would push to conduct usability testing to assess especially the experimental features such as Protective Filters, recipe box customization, Let’s Cook Together, and Plan Ahead scheduling. Getting real user insights would be a great step in finding areas to be improved.

Consulting with Engineers and Dieticians

This app allows users to filter recipes based on their dietary preferences, such as showing only gluten-free options for those with celiac disease.

To ensure safety and effectiveness, involving both engineers and dieticians in development is crucial. Dieticians would provide dietary guidelines and help identify potential issues in recipe filtering, while engineers configure a feasible and scalable way to implement them.

Collaboration between these experts ensures that dietary restrictions are integrated efficiently and the filtering process remains precise and user-friendly.

What I Learned

This was my first time to solely research and design an app. In a previous project I’ve worked on, it was both an adventure and challenge to serve as the UI/UX designer and full stack developer. Being the developer meant that I was very strict and conservative with my design choices, which resulted in me not exploring any ideas that would be difficult to code.

This project allowed me to explore solutions without being hindered by my budding mobile development skills. I did my best to not be too ambitious with the features and always considering feasibility despite not having to code it myself.

I believe that the solutions I’ve presented here would be a great investment for businesses looking to disrupt the market. But it would be interesting to discuss the possible constraints regarding the experimental features!