Interviewers were conducted with multiple perspective users. These user and their response were categorized into either Client or Chef.
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Not good cooks
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Often times food order is not fresh
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Does not enjoy cooking
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Special dietary needs
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Ordering online food becomes repetitive
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Not enough free time to cook
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Difficult to find client
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Working in restaurant is unsatisfying
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Clients not paying on time
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Long work hours
Chef Frustrations
Client Frustrations
Research
Role
UX Researcher, UX Designer, and UI Designer
Timeline
6 weeks
Tools
Adobe XD, Adobe Illustrator, and Miro
Who's cooking tonight?
We all love a good home-cooked meal—but between packed schedules, meal prep woes, and takeout temptations, cooking often takes a back seat. What if enjoying a fresh, chef-prepared meal at home was as easy as ordering delivery?
Enter Roux, an app concept that connects people craving homemade meals with personal chefs ready to cook them. Think of it as the perfect blend of convenience and culinary craft—delicious, healthful, and affordable dining without the kitchen chaos.
With Roux, diners get gourmet meals at home without the premium price tag, and chefs gain a new way to grow their client base. The goal? To design a minimum viable product (MVP) that makes hiring a personal chef an accessible, everyday luxury.
7 out of 10 Americans would rather eat a homemade meal than takeout. However due to increase in professional responsibility and work hours less and less have the time or skills to prepare these meals.
American food culture has become more focused on health benefits. Many view homemade meals as a healthier option over restaurants.
Global food culture has also become more expansive with consumers seeking to expand their palate and being more open to a wider range of cuisines.
Define
Cultural and Personal Connection
The chefs expressed a strong desire to share their cultural and personal identities through their culinary creations.
Implications for Design:
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Explore features that enable chefs to showcase their culinary heritage.
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Foster a deeper connection between chefs and customers who appreciate diverse and authentic cuisines.
Direct Creator-Consumer Connection
Interpersonal connections are formed between chefs and their customers.
Implications for Design:
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Prioritize features that facilitate direct interaction between chefs and consumers.
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Consider implementing communication channels that enhance the sense of community within the app.
Creative Freedom and Low Overhead
Selling meals through Instagram provides chefs with creative freedom and lower overhead costs compared to traditional restaurants.
Implications for design:
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Emphasize features that support creative expression.
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Ensure the app minimizes operational complexities, allowing chefs to focus on their craft.
Self Actualization
Many chefs and cooks are moving away from traditional restaurant work due to burnout, financial uncertainties, and a desire for more control over their work-life balance.
Implications for design:
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Consider functionalities that empower chefs to have greater control over their culinary careers.
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Address burnout concerns by designing features that prioritize a healthy work-life balance.
As a result of initial interviews I identified four major themes that can explain the growth of Insta Chefs:
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Low-Fidelity Mock-ups
Hi-Fidelity Mock-ups
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Home Page
The goal of the homepage is to connect clients with chefs as quickly as possible. The optimum path for users is to select the "find chef" function where they will be directed to enter service needs that will then filter out chefs who cannot meet their needs.
Chef Profile and Menu
It was important to have customers review and ratings clearly presented to build trust clients have in chefs. Chefs are also required to list ingredients for meals incase clients have special dietary needs.
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Chats
Chat function was designed as a means to build rapport between client and chef. It also provides an opportunity to discuss dietary and preparation needs that cannot be accounted for in the design process.
Item Page
The item page will be available for users to read a short description of the meal and review the ingredients used in the meal in order to check for any to that conflict with dietary restriction.
Order History
The order history page is where users will be able to review their past and future services. Users will be able to reorder a previous service without having to go through the hassle of having to remember the name of the chef an meal.
Chats
What's next?
Next phases for this project will should be focused toward designing a chef side interface. This will provide an opportunity to dive deeper into the user needs of service providers. Though chefs were consulted on what would kinds of services would be viable for the app and customer needs, my research was not focused on what would be the most efficient process on the chefs end.
