LIFESTYLE

EDUCATION

Project

SavR

Improving cooking confidence through clarity, timing and hands-free guidance

Client:

SavR - Design Sprint

My Role:

UX Designer

Timeline:

5 Days

Interface preview from SavR, a cooking education app for the home chef

Designing UX for Real-Life Cooking

SavR is a cooking app that offers step-by-step recipes and community support. While feature-rich, users found it frustrating to use in real kitchen scenarios—particularly around preparation, pacing, and interaction during cooking.

In this independent UX design sprint, I worked over five days to reimagine the experience for home chefs, focusing on clarity, structure, and hands-free interaction.

Guided by early research, I framed four key design questions to lead ideation:

help users prep all tools and ingredients before starting cooking?

present cooking steps in a simple, scannable, 1-2-3 format?

introduce new techniques before they're needed in a recipe?

pace instructions to match users' real-time cooking needs?

Uncovering Barriers to Confident, Hands-Free Cooking

Users shared friction points that disrupted their flow:

Pain Points

Unclear prep steps or missing tools
Unfamiliar measurements or techniques
Needing to touch phone mid-recipe
Poor instruction pacing

Across all types—from beginners to pros—users needed structure, flexibility, and a mess-free experience that fit naturally into their cooking process

Research Insights

Smart Prep and Calm Layouts Were Industry Standards

To ground the sprint in UX best practices, I analyzed NYT Cooking, SideChef, HelloFresh, and Pandora. These apps prioritized clarity: prep indicators reduced early friction, minimalist layouts supported focus, and voice features—though uncommon—showed strong hands-free potential. Over-cluttered screens consistently slowed users down. These findings shaped a more responsive and cook-friendly direction for SavR.

Users Wanted Control, Not Just Instructions

User feedback revealed that recipe clarity wasn’t enough—control mattered. Beginners felt unprepared without upfront prep, while experienced cooks wanted to skip visuals and move faster. Messy hands made phone interaction frustrating for all. This validated the need for a prep-first design with flexible pacing and hands-free interaction tailored to different confidence levels.

Personalization increased emotional investment

Features like avatar creation and goal-setting helped users feel ownership over their journey, deepening connection and driving continued engagement.

UX Goals for a Gamified Financial App

Clearly communicate app value

Sustain engagementment through progress tracking, personalization, & rewards

Support dual-user needs without overwhelming

Create a first impression that feels fun, trustworthy, & intuitive

Designing Onboarding That Clicks With Kids

Making financial learning feel playful, personal and easy to start

I approached onboarding as more than a feature walkthrough—it needed to immediately feel engaging, approachable, and rewarding. My challenge was to distill key financial concepts into an experience that spoke to kids in their language: goals, games, and growth.

What We Designed:

Narrative-driven onboarding

Introduced learning through personalized prompts & goal selection

Progressive disclosure

Features were revealed gradually to match user readiness

Learned by doing

Integrated interactive, low-stakes activities right in the flow

Avatar Setup = Ownership

Customizing an avatar helped users feel like this was their space

UI Design System

I led the complete visual redesign:

New color palette combining fintech trust with youth energy
Typography system for hierarchy and readability
Mobile-first responsive layout
Component library handed off to developers for build consistency

Mapping the End-to-End Journey

On Day 1, I created a journey map from recipe selection to post-meal feedback. It revealed where the experience broke down—especially at the transitions between selection, prep, and active cooking.

Hand drawn user journey map for SavR user from recipe selection to posting review on meal

Exploring What Good Looks Like

On Day 2, I explored design patterns from food and audio-first products. I ideated via Crazy 8's and drafted a 3-panel sketch focused on:

Clear prep time, tool, and difficulty visibility
Visual ingredient checklists
Step vs. list toggle
Built-in timers & voice command
Community wrap-up screen

Defining the Right Experience

Day 3 involved refining the storyboard into a linear flow:

Recipe selection with prep-time and tool indicators
Prep view with photos and serving size adjuster
Cooking view with built-in timers, voice control, and progress feedback
Final tips and light-touch feedback entry

Hand-drawn SAVR storyboard sketches showing recipe lesson screens

Bringing It to Life

On Day 4, I prototypes the full experience in Figma, focusing on:

Hands-free mode for mess-free cooking
Step/list toggle for flexibility
Serving adjustments
Minimalist layout with contextual guidance
Timers and progress tracking per step

Screenprint of Figma prototype of SavR app cooking recipe lesson flow, screens with arrows showing interactions

What I Tested

On Day 5, I ran remote tests with users across experience levels:

Beginners said:
Loved prep visuals & simple pacing
Found voice prompts reduced stress
Advanced users said:
Wanted fewer visuals & faster pacing
Appreciated the ability to skip ahead or use step-list view

Building a Scalable Design System

Creating visual consistency and modular UI patterns for long-term growth.

To support the platform’s future roadmap, I developed a lightweight design system that unified playful, brand forward visuals with clear UI standards.

Modular components for onboarding, dashboards, and cards
Iconography that’s fun but intuitive
Color palette balance vibrancy & accessibility
Typography for multi-age readability
Incorporated Avatar kits to support personalization and character identity

What I Learned

The final design created a calmer, more intuitive cooking flow. By prioritizing voice interaction, flexible visuals, and prep-first planning, SavR became more inclusive for cooks of all skill levels—especially in real-life, time-sensitive moments.

Designing for the kitchen highlighted how essential flexibility is—no single flow fits all cooking styles or confidence levels. Features like voice control and adjustable visuals aren't just nice to have; they make tasks easier in hands-busy, time-sensitive contexts. Working solo within a time-boxed sprint also reinforced how focus and constraints can drive fast, thoughtful UX decisions with lasting impact.

I escalated the issue to stakeholders and suggested redesign to the onboarding flow to defer data collection until consent was granted—ensuring legal compliance, protecting the company, and reinforcing user trust.

This moment reinforced the importance of advocating for ethical, inclusive, and compliant design—especially when working on products for younger audiences.

Flip & Floss taught me that designing for kids requires more than simplicity—it requires imagination, flexibility, and trust. As lead designer, I was proud to bridge the gap between playful learning and fintech credibility, helping build the foundation for smarter financial habits from day one.

Legal Discovery

During onboarding design, I identified a company-wide COPPA compliance risk—the app was collecting identifiable data before parental consent. I escalated the issue and redesigned the flow to ensure compliance, protecting both the user and the business.

Final Screens

Include images or embeds here:

View Figma Prototype

Three mobile screens from a cooking app recipe with step-by-step instructions, taste test tips, and serving suggestions

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