Cheffer

In order to better understand the target audience my app would serve, I conducted an online survey with 20 total participants and interviewed four demographically diverse users. These research methods aimed to identify general attitudes towards and comfort levels with cooking, common pain points in the cooking process, and the kinds of things people might like to ask a professional chef.

I used affinity mapping to organize the feedback from my user interviews into categories, which helped to show core user concerns and important app features.

Lastly, I developed user flows based on three primary tasks that all users would at some point complete while engaging with my app: setting up their account, booking a session, and conducting a video or text session. Breaking down these simple tasks into their individual screens revealed the various paths users might take to complete a given task – like going straight to “Book Now” versus selecting a chef on the “Chefs” page to book a session.

Below is the user flow for booking a session on the app.

I started with drawing low-fidelity wireframes for a few of the main app features, followed by mid- and then high-fidelity wireframes using Sketch. Through the wireframing process I designed a pared-down booking experience, filter process, and other multiscreen functions to ensure the app is accessible for users of all ages and to prevent them from feeling overwhelmed.

With an initial app prototype in place, I conducted usability tests with six participants to evaluate Cheffer’s learnability, value, and level of interest for new users. Each participant was asked to complete four task scenarios while their gestures were recorded and thoughts were articulated out loud. Comments were recorded using affinity mapping and then organized using the Rainbow Spreadsheet to easily see what feedback was most common.

I also conducted an online preference test to determine the imagery for the app’s onboarding screens, ultimately deciding to use a photograph over an illustration as a large majority felt that this option was more professional and relatable.

A design language system that includes both visual and linguistic guidance ensures that developers and designers can maintain Cheffer’s original voice as the app inevitably evolves.

In the beginning I knew I wanted the app to pair users with professional chefs, without adding any further complicated functionality (like the ability to search recipes). After user testing and studying competitor apps, however, I realized that I didn’t have a way for new users to engage with the app without paying for a session. My solution has been to add a public forum, which allows users to ask more general questions to chefs for free or search for similar questions. This feature has been added to the app but still needs to be fleshed out.

Additionally, many users expressed interest in some sort of subscription-based payment model as an alternative to a pay-per-use situation. How this would work and what exactly this would include still needs to be determined.

Next steps involve testing a more sophisticated and realistic version of the app prototype as I continue to refine it. This means creating additional screens that emulate what a user might actually select while navigating through the app and animations that more closely reflect how buttons work and screens transition. Once the app has launched, I will conduct further testing to ensure the app is working as expected.