Green's Health
This endeavor was undertaken as part of my Google UX Design Professional certification coursework, where the primary goal was to conceptualize and execute a socially impactful mobile app or website while implementing the comprehensive knowledge and research methodologies that I had assimilated during the course. I began this project in January 2022 and is one of my favorite design projects since I was able to really be creative and build new skills.
Role: UX researcher and UX designer
Duration of Project: January 2022 - March 2022
Tools Used: pen and paper, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe XD
Project Overview
The Problem
Finding healthy and delicious meals is often a challenging task, plus, not even knowing why a recipe is healthy makes healthy eating unnecessarily confusing. People often have to visit multiple websites and sources just to find recipes that fit their needs and to research why ingredients are healthy because a platform that aims to help with both is not as accessible
The Goal
Design an app that has a wide range of different healthy recipes for users to easily find and follow, all while educating them on why certain ingredients are healthy. Accessibility and education is a key goal for the app, in order to help users of a wide range of backgrounds improve their dietary health.
Research
The cohort of research participants was intentionally diverse, comprising individuals of varying ages, genders, races, and economic backgrounds, to ensure that a comprehensive range of perspectives was obtained despite the modest sample size of five participants. The participants engaged in preliminary user research and usability studies. To facilitate the preliminary round of research, I undertook secondary research, conducted interviews, created empathy maps, personas, and user journey maps, and conducted a competitive audit to gain a thorough understanding of the users and their needs.
In essence, the research yielded insights suggesting that most users crave a platform that offers a deeper understanding of the health benefits of various ingredients or recipes, while also providing access to appetizing and wholesome meal ideas. Additionally, users indicated a preference for an efficient search functionality, a streamlined and intelligible interface, and a diverse array of recipes.
User Pain Points
-
Options - A significant portion of the research participants, comprising 60% of the group, opined that most healthy recipe websites or applications offer limited options, particularly in terms of culturally diverse foods from various regions worldwide. Furthermore, these individuals conveyed their dissatisfaction with platforms that purported to feature global recipes, but ultimately failed to do so in an authentic and healthy manner.
-
Customizations - A notable 60% of the research participants faced multiple dietary restrictions or health concerns that necessitated careful consideration of their food choices. However, these individuals expressed frustration with the limited availability of recommendations or specific recipe options tailored to their unique needs on most websites they visited. Consequently, they were compelled to scour through several recipe websites to find suitable options, a time-consuming endeavor that they perceived as burdensome.
-
Information - The entire participant group expressed a shared desire for a deeper understanding of the health benefits associated with particular ingredients. They noted that the lack of comprehensive information on the nutritional value of certain foods necessitated them to consult multiple sources to grasp their true healthfulness. This disjointed approach led to confusion and skepticism regarding the veracity of claims that certain recipes or ingredients were indeed healthy.
-
Recipes - The majority of research participants, accounting for 80% of the group, expressed aversion towards lengthy narratives or intricate explanations that many recipe websites and food blogs often feature. They found such content to be a hindrance that required them to scroll or swipe through to the bottom of the page to access the recipe's essential information. These users prioritized efficiency and preferred to get straight to the recipe because they perceived themselves as busy individuals who wished to start cooking immediately.
Paper Wireframes
Digital Wireframes
Usability Testing: Findings
For this study, I recruited 5 people to test the low fidelity prototype. Participants were a range of incomes, races, occupations, and ages. Below are the top 3 key takeaway from this study.
-
Three of the five users expressed that they found the ingredients page to be overwhelming and cluttered. They suggested that the ingredients be organized into categories instead of being presented in one long list.
-
The majority of users, comprising 80%, expressed a strong desire to share recipes and ingredients with others. In response to this, I will be implementing a user-friendly share button feature that will allow users to easily disseminate recipes and ingredients across various platforms.
Refining Digital Wireframes
Mockups
As a designer, I aimed to infuse creativity into the project by incorporating original icons and illustrations that I crafted in Adobe Illustrator. In particular, I sought to develop a charming mascot, Greens the Robot, that could serve as a source of inspiration for users. Greens was envisioned to appear prominently on every page, situated at the bottom to offer uplifting messages and express enthusiasm for the scrumptious cuisine. The primary objective was to inject an element of amusement and playfulness into the user experience.
Accessibility
-
In order to incorporate a colorful and creative design while being mindful of users with colorblindness, I took care to use different shades of green that provided enough contrast for all users to see every element in the design.
-
To maintain a sense of order and clarity, I incorporated a consistent hierarchy and layout for each page. I made sure that essential information is visible at a glance and that the structure is coherent and consistent throughout. This hierarchical structure is also beneficial for screen readers, ensuring that important information is emphasized and easily accessible. Based on previous research and feedback, users find it frustrating when information is cluttered, and titles and essential text are not properly highlighted. For instance, I placed a strong emphasis on the hierarchical structure in areas with extensive written information, such as the Nutrition tab on the Ingredient pages.
-
To enhance user experience and accessibility, I made a conscious decision to eliminate placeholder text during the introduction process. This decision was based on the understanding that some users may experience difficulty recalling the content of a field when the placeholder text disappears. Furthermore, as screen readers tend to skip non-label text such as placeholder text, avoiding it ensured that all users can easily comprehend and complete the introduction process.
Conclusion
Impact
Based on the feedback I received from the research participants, I received overwhelmingly positive responses to the designs I created. Several of the initial interview participants also participated in the usability studies and expressed how Green's Health could significantly benefit their daily lives, with hopes to use a product similar to it in the future. The positive feedback serves as a testament to the effectiveness of the design choices made during the development process.
Learning
To inject creativity and add an element of fun to the project, I proactively took the initiative to learn Adobe Illustrator and skillfully crafted Greens the Robot to incorporate in my mockups. Further, I strived to hone my skills in Adobe XD to bring out the best possible user interface design.
Challenges
In my pursuit of creating a high-quality product for my users, I encountered some challenges in learning new software such as Adobe Illustrator. However, I was determined to enhance my skills and dedicated significant time to researching tutorials and practicing various tools. With a limited number of research participants for this project, I faced the challenge of representing my entire user group adequately. Moving forward, I plan to conduct more interviews and usability studies to continue refining and improving my designs to meet the needs of all users.