SAVR Recipes
Design Sprint Case Study
Project Overview
This project was prepared during a modified version of a GV design sprint to quickly test out possible solutions for Savr Recipes, an imaginary new startup that wants to make it easier for people to cook great meals at home.
My Role
I was responsible for ideation, sketches, UI & Visual Design, prototyping, and usability testing.
Tools used
Design brief
Savr is a new startup that shows hundreds of recipes, and cooking tips for at-home chefs.
Recently, Savr has seen some negative reviews about recipes, and many people end up disappointed with the outcome because they didn’t feel the instructions were clear, or easy to execute.
Savr wants to help users accurately and easily follow the cooking instructions.
Constrains
Currently, recipes are written as text, in ordered steps from start to finish.
Solution should be designed as a feature for the Savr Recipes native mobile app.
Solution should be focused on creating a better experience for users when it’s actually time to cook.
Day 1 - Map
I started Day 1 of my design sprint by familiarizing myself with the problem, reviewing research, and outlining the crucial user flow for the app.
Research Highlights
The research showed that it was hard for users to follow recipes because the instructions were unclear and hard to execute and users didn't have a clear understanding of the cooking techniques or preparations required to cook the dish.
User experience map
Now that the problem and the users’ goals are defined, it’s time to map out the steps users take while using the app.
Day 2 - Sketch
Day 2 of my design sprint was all about ideation – I looked at competitor’s products for inspiration and used Crazy 8s technique to come up with possible solutions.
Competitor’s analysis
To find inspiration, I decided to research products that solve a similar problem. I chose Whisk, Kitchen Stories, and Tasty as direct competitors of the Savr app, and Egg Timer as a non-direct competitor with several interesting features.
Whisk
Likes 👍
A lot of reviews on recipes with users’ photos
It’s easy to calculate ingredients for the needed number of servings
Dislikes 👎
There are no step-by-step recipes
Some recipes are just links to external websites
There are no photos of the cooking process
There are no useful tips, how-to videos, timers, no-hands mode or any other useful features
Kitchen stories
Likes 👍
Recipes have a lot of high-quality photos and how-to videos
It’s easy to calculate ingredients for the needed number of servings
Navigation in step-by-step mode is easy and intuitive
Recipes have a built-in cooking timer
Recipes have a list of kitchenware required for cooking
Dislikes 👎
Some step-by-step recipes do not have photos for all the steps
No-hands mode is not available
Tasty
Likes 👍
Recipes have videos
It’s easy to calculate ingredients for the needed number of servings
Dislikes 👎
The app lacks useful features like a built-in cooking timer, information on required kitchenware or how-to videos (although the recipes videos are quite useful)
No-hands mode is not available
EggTimer
Likes 👍
Recipes have photos for each step
There is a built-in cooking timer
App provides customized cooking techniques for your favorite style of eggs.
Dislikes 👎
Despite the fact that this application was designed for a specific task, it would have been great to have recipes for other dishes with eggs
Sketches
The research and competitor analysis indicated that the recipe screen is the most critical screen for the user experience because it contains the essential information about the cooking process and, in most cases, defines the overall outcome. To visualize the critical screen, I decided to use the Crazy 8s technique, a fast sketching exercise that requires sketching eight distinct ideas in eight minutes.
After sketching 8 different options, I chose the best one and made a solution sketch – a mini storyboard that illustrates user interactions, their results, and user’s further steps.
Day 3 - Decide
Day 3 of the design sprint usually focuses on pitching ideas, discussing them with the team, and selecting the best option. Since I work on the project solo I decided to spend this day elaborating on my solution sketch by creating a storyboard.
Storyboard
To make sure that I chose the best solution, I prepared a storyboard highlighting all the details of the proposed solution.
Day 4 - Prototype
Day 4 of my design sprint was dedicated to prototyping. I quickly created prototypes of the screens that are absolutely necessary for testing my solution with real users.
Screens
I decided to use Savr's signature orange shade as a basis for the UI, and make the cooking process as visual and simple as possible. I also added a number of additional functions to the app – a built-in timer, a no-hands mode, and how-to videos.
Day 5 - Test
On Day 5 of my solo design sprint, I polished my prototype and conducted usability tests with five users.
User testing highlights
I conducted a series of remote usability tests and asked participants to use my interactive prototype and complete a couple of tasks. In general, I received positive feedback from users, and they noted many practical aspects of the solution I proposed.
Things to improve
Despite the generally positive feedback from users, the tests also revealed a number of problems that negatively affected the user experience.
Issue
Users do not notice the presence of the no-hands mode. The icon for launching the mode confuses users – they often mistake it for the voice-over feature.
Possible solution
Replace the icon with a more suitable one and add a tooltip with information about the no-hands mode at the first launch.
Issue
The application does not provide for the possibility to set a different time for the timer – users noted that they would like to see such a function.
Possible solution
Redesign the feature and add the ability to set a different time on the timer, and not just one specified in the recipe.
Issue
Few users were confused that the timer indicator looks like a button – users assumed they could not continue with further steps while the timer was running.
Possible solution
Redesign the timer indicator so that it doesn't mislead users.
Learnings
The solo design sprint taught me that testing an incomplete prototype can give you an actionable feedback and help with making design decisions. The design sprint has also highlighted the significance of collaborating within a diverse team. I believe the developed solutions could have been more impactful if a multi-skilled team was running a proper design sprint.