background
For our thesis project, we had the freedom to pick any research topic of our choice. As someone who loves food and learning about other cultures, I wanted to learn more about the intersection of cuisine, culture, and climate—how do cuisines develop over time based on sociocultural and geographic factors? Of course, this question had to be narrowed down due to its broad scope. I decided to focus on cuisines within China, as the vast geographic and cultural diversity of the country posed an interesting case study.
research
After conducting research, I realized the richness of global cuisines and how they link to world history is a fascinating topic, but one that lacks a strong, central database. TasteAtlas is the only site that attempts this, but it doesn’t engage with users in a meaningful way beyond letting them rate cuisines and dishes.
I wondered if there was a way I could have users explore and discover cuisines in a more educational and interactive way.
problem statement
Users struggle to discover diverse global recipes and maximize their groceries for home cooking.
goals
Help users discover unique recipes from around the world.
Connect dishes and cuisines to their cultural and climatic origins.
Introduce users to new ingredients and their typical uses.
Make global cooking more accessible to everyday users.
Expand taste palates beyond what is familiar.
personas
Based on my goals and research, I envisioned two personas that would be part of the target demographic for the app.
Lila
28 F, Teacher
about
Vegetarian
Frugal
Busy lifestyle
pain points
Recipes often call for ingredients she doesn’t re-use so they go to waste.
Cooks repetitive meals due to limited cooking knowledge on vegetarian meals.
Doesn’t have much time to research for weekly grocery lists and meal prepping.
wants
To find recipes based on what she already has in her pantry.
More diverse knowledge on food for a variety of home-cooked meals.
Mark
42 M, Software Engineer
about
Loves to travel for food
Avid cook
pain points
Finds it hard to recreate authentic international dishes at home.
Misses the excitement of culinary exploration between trips.
wants
An easier way to discover new cuisines and places to travel based on food he already enjoys.
To connect dishes with the history behind them.
A go-to source for authentic recipes.
information architecture
I created a map of the features as a base for my wireframes.
wireframes
I knew the app would be visually heavy, so I kept the layout minimal to maximize space for images without being overwhelming. With my initial wireframes, many of the sizes were off when translated into the design phase so I had to keep that in mind as I made the necessary adjustments.
design
Design-wise, I wanted a mix of retro computer aesthetics combined with a minimal aesthetic. To achieve this, I had the idea of using pixel art sprites for the ingredients and a monospace font for the headers. I thought this would emphasize the education aspect of the app in a fun way, so it wouldn’t feel too clinical.
However, the first draft of my design felt too clunky due to the amount of colours and sharp edges. So, for my final designs, I scaled back the colours of the app to just black and white, with only bright red used to indicate the current page on the navigation bar. I also removed the borders on the images and rounded them for an overall softer appearance.
I also illustrated over thirty pixel art sprites of various ingredients, shown throughout the app. These were a lot of fun to create and added a touch of playfulness to the app's UI.
solution
The final product, Dished, is a mobile app that helps users discover new recipes and explore global cuisines by connecting dishes and ingredients with their cultural and climatic origins. It encourages endless exploration by seamlessly weaving between cuisines, dishes, ingredients, regions, and climates.
Discover new dishes and cuisines based on what you already enjoy.
Dive deep into the history behind your favourite dishes.
Find recipes based on what is already in your pantry.
Generate grocery lists based on recipes you discover.
lessons learned
Dished was a great exercise in translating research into a product. Because the first step of this project was entirely focused on research, I was forced to think more about the potential use cases of a related app. In the beginning, there were a lot of challenges related to the practicality of the app and whether or not it would require social functions to be feasible. In the end, I decided to make Dished a solo experience which I believe was for the better.
works
about