Breadbox

We were sitting around talking about product ideas.

I can’t remember how we got on the subjecting of cooking apps exactly, but there were essentially 2 concepts we landed on:

Problem A: Following a recipe from a TikTok or Instagram Reel requires a lot of effort. You have to rewatch the entire video to revisit a single step, yet it’s an overwhelmingly popular way to share recipes.

Solution A: We could design a web app that would allow influencer chefs to create a sort of digital cookbook, then share those links in the descriptions of their TikTok or Instagram Reels videos.

Problem B: Shopping for the necessary ingredients to make a recipe requires too much effort.

Solution B: We could design an iOS app that allows users to access curated recipes and instantly shop for the required ingredients online

We figured out that we would be able to provide more value by designing the iOS app.

This is because we questioned whether it was worth trying to convince TikTok and Instagram users to visit external links to our web app.

And if users wanted to save those recipes using the web app, which is the point, that would require an account. And we knew that would cause a steep drop-off in usage.

So we spent some time discussing whether social features could have a place in the iOS app.

I performed some research on a few competitors that orient themselves as a social cooking app. I identified key features and visualized them on this matrix to share with my team.

Pepper was the only competitor with an Instacart integration, a feature we wanted to differentiate our app.

Pepper is a social platform for sharing recipes, but the recipes were often poorly photographed and unappetizing.

The Instacart integration worked well, but we decided to limit the social aspect of our app to reviews and ratings due to the risks of user-generated content.

Next, we needed to learn more about people’s behavior around finding recipes and shopping for groceries.

I launched a survey that included 20 participants.

These were the survey questions:

I determined which of my hypotheses I could consider validated, and which ones I couldn’t at this point in the process.

What I found was that hardly anybody relied on grocery delivery services to get their groceries.

I had to consider whether I could reasonably ask my users to not only change the way they keep track of their grocery shopping, but also change the way they complete their grocery shopping (and pay more for it).

I decided to shift Grocery Delivery from a P0 down to a P2.

For the sake of maintaining momentum, I decided that this was sufficient validation to continue designing this product, but with a healthy respect for the possibility that the needs of my users could change dramatically depending on future feedback.

I began looking for other opportunities that could make this product uniquely valuable. That's when I had my eureka moment: What if I could see recipes that use the ingredients I have available right now?

An issue I noticed with popular recipe apps and websites is that they lack tools to help you find something you're already prepared to cook. Their recipes often require specialty or conventional ingredients that can only be bought in quantities that leave awkward amounts behind in the pantry, on the counter, or in the refrigerator. These ingredients often go unused, occupying space until they expire.

With these things in mind, I performed more research and included these considerations in how I approached the UX.

I listed out some Pains and Gains.

And so I noticed that not only was there an opportunity to improve lives by eliminating some of the friction between you and getting started on a recipe, but also to make a social impact by reducing food waste in your home.