Fork & Flavor

Fork & Flavor Mobile Prototype

Role: UX Researcher | UX Designer | UI Designer
Project type: Mobile app concept
Responsibilities: User research, competitive analysis, user flows, wireframing, prototyping, usability testing, and visual design
Tools: Figma | FigJam | Google Docs
Duration: 4 Weeks

Problem Statement

New cooks—particularly those following vegetarian diets—need a simple way to discover recipes and learn cooking techniques because existing websites often feel overwhelming and fail to provide enough guidance.

Fork & Flavor is a responsive cooking platform designed for people who want to prepare healthier meals but feel intimidated by the cooking process. Through personalized recipes, dietary filtering, and instructor-led cooking classes, the platform makes learning to cook approachable and enjoyable.

The Challenge

Many recipe websites overwhelm users with advertisements, dense content, and complicated navigation. Beginner cooks often struggle to know where to start, especially those with dietary restrictions like vegetarianism.

Our goal was to design a cooking experience that reduces anxiety while helping users confidently prepare healthy meals.

Hypothesis statement related to problem statement

Affinity map using "sticky notes" to organize planning for a cooking app.

Empathy Map to improve planning for cooking app

User persona cards for Kate, the proposed user for Fork N Flavor

Research Insights

After conducting interviews and affinity mapping, several themes consistently emerged:

Users feel overwhelmed by cluttered cooking websites.
Beginners want step-by-step instruction.
Dietary filtering is essential.
Many users have limited time.
Confidence is a larger barrier than motivation.
Users want healthier meals without sacrificing flavor.

Behavior archetype created as part of the ideation step of the Fork N Flavor app

User impact statement made through user research

Design Goals

Based on our research, we established four primary goals:

Simplify navigation
Provide guided cooking instruction
Support dietary preferences
Help users build confidence over time

Competitive Analysis

Our competitive analysis showed that existing products offer strong recipe libraries but leave opportunities for improvement.

Opportunities:

Cleaner navigation
Flexible scheduling
Better vegetarian support
Affordable learning
Personalized cooking classes
Better filtering options

Chart organizing wants, needs, and must haves for Fork N Flavor

Problem statement app is designed to improve.

An example of a possible competitor to Fork N Flavor

Solution

Fork & Flavor combines recipes and cooking education into one experience.

Key features include:

Live and online cooking classes
Step-by-step recipes
Instructor profiles
Dietary filtering
Class scheduling
Personalized profiles
Saved recipes and classes

Final Reflection

Working on Fork & Flavor reinforced the importance of designing for confidence rather than simply providing information. Through user research, competitive analysis, and iterative prototyping, we learned that reducing cognitive overload can have just as much impact as adding new features. By prioritizing intuitive navigation, guided learning, and personalized dietary support, we created a product that makes cooking feel approachable instead of intimidating.