MARLEN SARMIENTO

Marlen Sarmiento – April 6-13th, 2025

Name of project: Responsive and Inclusive Design

Summary of app: Create gourmet dishes with affordability and learning in mind. Features and functions include browsing, ingredient list planning, lessons, step-by-step instructions, sharing, and folders when organizing and bookmarking recipes.

Prototype link:

https://www.figma.com/proto/aOmotPSevSznhQByHCvduI/Marlen-Sarmiento?node-id=0-1&t=3axVmI6gZTLo4LfI-1

Executive summary

User testing for Well Savouré, an app that allows users to create a gourmet dish, providing a variety of options when it comes to affordability and learning. The test was conducted with 3 available users, college students, as the main usability goal was on the effectiveness of choosing a recipe. The central features/functions that were highlighted were generating a grocery list, filtering recipes, creating a folder to store saved recipes, navigating step-by-step instructions, and capturing an image of leftover ingredients to search for specific recipes.

The testing showed a high completion rate, with all participants completing at least 4 out of 5 tasks assigned to them. Users were able to navigate to the interface at ease for the majority of the process as they used the navigation bar as intended, and effectively identified the icons. About 2 of 3 participants couldn’t generate a list as the process became confusing. About 2 of 3 participants struggled briefly in locating the camera function, but the majority were able to associate it with the search feature. All participants were able to search, filter, select a recipe, and follow the steps with ease. Lastly, 2 of 3 participants struggled to locate the folder feature, but all participants were able to create one once found. Verbal feedback was received with a need to stay consistent with the wording and buttons, and noting small glitches or mishaps on some screens. They also note that the interface was clean and easy to digest. From these results, it’s suggested to make the process clearer when generating a grocery list, shifting the focus of the profile to a folder section, working with the placement of the camera feature, and fixing any faulty errors or glitches that occurred. The test showed how effective is the UI for Well Savouré and pointed out the areas that need adjustments for a smoother experience.

Detailed findings

Great Completion Rate of Tasks: Most of the functions and features were easy to locate and access. They all enjoyed the interface as they mentioned the layout and navigation. About 2 of 3 participants were able to complete 4 of the 5 tasks, while 1 of 3 participants completed all 5 tasks.

Process of Grocery List was Challenging: The first task was the only task in which 2 of 3 participants did not complete. They were able to locate the list feature, but became hesitant or confused when generating a list. One of the participants managed to generate one, however, they did not review the list to successfully complete the task.

The Difficulty of Locating the Folder Feature: Creating a folder was located in the profile section, however, 100% of participants struggled to locate it at first. When they did, they were able to complete it, but the duration of locating it took longer than anticipated, as 2 of 3 participants took around a minute to complete the task.

Camera Feature Placement: All users were able to capture leftover ingredients using the camera feature to search for specific recipes, however, 2 of 3 participants struggled to locate the camera feature at first. About 2 of 3 participants, however, were able to associate the search section with the camera feature. 

Glitches or Errors: There were a few errors that went unseen until testing. About 2 of 3 participants encountered glitches when tapping on certain buttons. In addition, remaining consistent with the wording, as 2 of 3 participants pointed out areas that didn’t match the function or button.

Data analysis

Quantitative:

1. 2 of 3 participants couldn’t generate a grocery list.
2. 3 of 3 participants struggled before successfully locating and creating a folder to store saved recipes.
3. 2 of 3 participants took around a minute to complete task 3 of locating and creating a folder.
4. 2 of 3 participants struggled slightly to locate the camera feature to capture leftover meals. 
5. 3 of 3 participants were able to complete task 2 to search and filter recipes under 30 seconds.
6. 1 of 3 participants was able to complete task 5 to capture leftover ingredients using the camera feature in under 30 seconds.
7. 1 of 3 participants was able to complete all 5 tasks.
8. 2 of 3 participants completed 4 out of 5 tasks. 
9. 2 of 3 participants struggled to use or ignored the slider to rate the recipe.
10. 2 of 3 participants encountered glitches or mishaps on some screens.
11. 3 of 3 of participants have noted that they enjoyed the layout and process of the prototype.

Qualitative:

1. “I am curious if the background is meant to be scrolled like that or if it needs to be fitted to be better.” – Sedona S
   • Referring to the sign-in page, as the images located there extend if attempting to scroll in areas that shouldn’t scroll, the screen starts to look elongated.

2. “I noticed that the ‘egg-free’ option is gone, so I would make sure that still remains with the dietary restrictions.” – Sedona S
   • Referring to seeing the option in the new user stage, but not in the filter section.

3. “It did add all of them, even though I selected one.” – Sedona S
   • Referring to adding specific saved recipes when creating a folder.

4. “I like the search for leftover ingredients feature, I wonder where I could find that. Like if there is a list that can pop up here [Grocery list section] or where the [left over] food was saved.” – Sedona S

5. “Seems all your buttons are working. Your interface is very easy to read.” – Monica V

6. “For that last task [capturing leftover ingredients to search for recipes], that was a little difficult because it’s in the search bar. I wouldn’t know automatically if I was searching through, but if I search for it, I would eventually figure it out. It just takes a while.” – Monica V

7. “Overall, it’s very intuitive. If I look at your bottom navigation here, it’s very easy to tell which one is which.” – Monica V

8.  “I really like the layout. It looks really good and the design is really clean, organized, and easy to digest.” – Adele C

9. “I like that you can see all ingredients and then filter by recipe, but maybe there is a way to make that more obvious, like filter by or show a list by individual ingredients or recipe. I think I’m expecting to see a list of individual products on this list because that’s what I would put on my grocery list.”  – Adele C
   • Referring to the grocery list section of the app.

10. “I feel a little stuck on it and have to reread it to understand. Maybe the list should say review, and start should say proceed to match the verbiage from the instructions.” – Adele C
    • This is referring to generating a list, as it provides multiple directions for a user to choose from.

11. “Number the steps.” – Adele C
    • Referring to the overview of the instructions of a recipe

12. “I do wish that there were a bigger option centered on an action button or at the bottom right.” – Adele C
    • Possibly referring to the camera function, as it was the last task she completed.

Design updates

High priority:

1. Make the grocery list generator a smoother experience and easier to locate. About 2 of 3 participants didn’t complete the first task as intended. Participant 1 was able to find the list section and locate the add button, but didn’t pursue it further. Participant 2 was able to find the grocery list section but started to struggle. They eventually generated one, but weren’t able to view the list as the instructions didn’t correlate with the buttons very well.

2. Rather than a profile section, shift the focus to a folder section. All participants struggled to locate the folder feature to create and store saved recipes. They tend to browse through different features before they can locate it. About 2 of 3 participants took around 1 minute to complete, and 1 of 3 participants took less than 30 seconds. 

3. Find a better placement for the camera function. About 2 of 3 participants struggled to locate the button at first, but 2 of 3 participants were able to quickly associate it with the search section.

Medium priority:

1. Find a better placement for the add function when it comes to generating a list and creating a folder. When generating the grocery list, 2 of 3 participants struggled with generating it.

2. Change the rating slider into a star rating. About 2 of 3 participants didn’t interact or struggled to interact with the slider to rate the recipe.

3. Fix a glitch in which text overlaps and groups together in the creating account process. 2 of 3 participants experience a continuous glitch in which the top option button for budget, serving, and skill level results in text to group and overlap. 

Low priority:

1. Being specific with matching options to results. 1 of 3 participants mentioned how they selected a saved recipe when creating a new folder, but it did not match what was selected. 

2. Elongated screens that aren’t meant to scroll and look beyond the borders of the screen. 1 of 3 participants pointed out this concern.

3. Make the grocery list more obvious in terms of filtering. 1 of 3 participants preferred for the list to look like a normal list, as they expected to see all the ingredients at once, and then have it filtered by individual recipes.

4. Creating a spot where leftover ingredients that were captured using the camera feature can be stored for future use. 

Appendix

Testing method

The study was conducted using user testing, where users are observed as they complete tasks to identify friction points. Users recorded their screens as they navigated through the prototype.

Screener

Groups were automatically selected in the discussion board for Interactive Media II.

Tasks

• Generate a grocery list.
• Search and filter a recipe.
• Create a new folder to store recipes.
• Navigate through step-by-step instructions for a particular recipe.
• Capture an image of leftover ingredients to search for recipes.

Metrics

• Analyzed the time each task was completed for each participant
• Analyzed how many participants successfully completed the tasks
• Analyzed how many participants didn’t complete a task 
• Analyzed how many participants struggled with a particular task
• Analyzed how many participants encounter glitches or faulty errors.

Additional Notes

No Additonal notes