Easy Cooking
For my final project, I have undertaken the exciting task of creating a specialized cooking website tailored to meet the needs of disabled individuals. This project aims to bridge the gap between cooking enthusiasts with various disabilities and their ability to access and enjoy the culinary world. By designing an inclusive and user-friendly online platform, I aspire to empower individuals with disabilities to embrace cooking, enhance their culinary skills, and foster a sense of inclusivity and independence in the kitchen
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Product:
The cooking website for disabled people is a digital platform that focuses on providing an intuitive and adaptable cooking experience. Through a combination of thoughtful user interface design, comprehensive accessibility features, and engaging content, this website aims to transform the cooking journey for people with disabilities. From step-by-step recipes with clear instructions to adaptive cooking techniques and tips, the website seeks to empower users to create delicious meals without limitations.
The Problem:
A lot of users with disabilities live alone and would and theirprimary goal is to be as indepedant as possible so that their disabilities do not refrain them from living a normal life just like any other individual. Activities like cooking might be enjoyable to them but their disabilities might stop them from reading and accessing recipes due to accessibility lacking in the websites they visit. The buttons and pages are designed in a way that a simple task might looks tedious to them.
The Goal:
The primary goal of this project is to create a cooking website that enables people with disabilities to overcome the barriers they might face in the kitchen. The recipes are easy to make with ingredients that are easy to acquire. The use of design elements in this website is such that it makes it easy for the users to navigate and save the recipes as per their conveniences.
My Role In This Project:
As the driving force behind this project, I have taken on the roles of a UX designer and project manager. I have been responsible for conducting extensive user research to understand the unique needs and pain points of disabled individuals when it comes to cooking. Based on these insights, I have crafted the user experience design, ensuring that the website is not only visually appealing but also highly accessible and user-friendly.
UNDERSTANDING THE USER
The primary objective of the user research is to gain a deep and empathetic understanding of the specific needs, challenges, and preferences of individuals with disabilities when it comes to cooking. By conducting comprehensive research, we aim to identify key pain points, barriers, and opportunities that will inform the design and development of an inclusive and user-friendly cooking website tailored to meet the unique requirements of this user group.
USER PAIN POINTS
Sensory Impairments:
Individuals with visual or hearing impairments may find it challenging to follow traditional recipes that heavily rely on visual or auditory cues.
Cognitive Challenges:
Complex recipe instructions could be overwhelming for individuals with cognitive disabilities, leading to confusion or frustration.
Lack of Inclusivity:
Many existing cooking resources may not consider the needs of disabled individuals, leading to a feeling of exclusion from the cooking community.
Paper Wireframes
This is a sample of how I did my paper wireframes for all my projects.I looked through the competitors and other websites, to gain some insight on current trends and finding inspiration
Digital Wire framing
Low Fidelity Prototype
Mock Ups
During the usability study, I noticed that some participants with cognitive disabilities were having trouble finding a link or were unable to find where to click to view the full recipe. Therefore I changed the design a lit bit by adding a full sentence to the clickable button as shown in the image on the right. I also added an arrow and a “back to top” sign at the bottom of every page so that users with mobility issues do not have to scroll all the way up to go to the top of the page.
Before
After
Mock Ups
Additionally it also came to my attention that the some participants with cognitive disabilities were having trouble in going back and forth and overall navigating the website, therefore I decided to add a breadcrumb feature on the pages , to make that browsing a bit easier for them as shown in the image below
Before
After
Other Findings
Many participants expressed a strong preference for larger text and high-contrast color schemes to enhance readability for those with visual impairments.
Many users expressed a desire for portion adjustments to avoid food waste and accommodate varying household sizes.
Visual aids, such as images or icons illustrating each cooking step, were suggested as beneficial additions.
Users noted the importance of using diverse imagery in recipe visuals, representing a variety of disabilities and backgrounds to foster inclusivity.
Users with cognitive impairments highlighted the importance of clear, step-by-step instructions using simple language to minimize confusion.
There was a demand for video demonstrations showing how to modify traditional cooking methods to accommodate different disabilities.
Accessibility Considerations
Provided clear and visible focus indicators around interactive elements, ensuring users can easily identify where they are within the interface when using a keyboard.
Used clear and simple language in recipe instructions and content descriptions, benefiting users with cognitive impairments or those who are learning the language.
Incorporated high-contrast color schemes and offered text size options to accommodate users with varying degrees of visual impairment.