Feedback

Tutorial
19 July 2016

with Dick

 

Animations:
After showing Dick that I was doing some real-life animations with the hairdryer, Dick suggested to make some story boards on how to use animations instead of learning After Effects and spending all my time there (counterproductive). One sample animation would be nice, though.
Dick mentioned to not play with the bricks alone – rather they should link to what it is actually about: food.
The best aspects about cooking might be that you can be enthusiastic about it. It’s fun. And the most important thing is the social aspect. Dinner time with friends and family. Cooking and dining as social activities.
Don’t forget to mention After Effects in my learning outcomes.
Design:
Dick pointed out that he really likes the design concept of mix as it is minimalistic, yet strong and charming. Also cultural aspects such as diversity are reflected in the design. The fact that the typography on the first page is flipped is nice and innovative and makes optimal use of the screen’s space.
Usability:
The challenge would be to provide useful information and the practical features of the app, nicely packaged and easily usable for the user.

Feedback Testing

Now that the content of the app is ready, it was most important for me to get user feedback. The interface should work properly and the best thing to find out is TESTING.

 

Martina (30):
Martina highly struggled with the whole interface. Already in the introduction slides it was unclear to her if the DNA kit is something physical which gets delivered to her door. She also didn’t get that the “Add Food” Function for the statistics would ask you to make photos of your food so you can have an overview and know about your nutritional values in the statistics. Switching between the modes and also the whole idea of the social media channel was a problem for her in particular. The personal zone was more clear to her.
Martina is not actively using social media (sometimes facebook). All in all she describes herself as a not-handy-person and hardly uses apps.

 

Lisa (23):
Lisa immediately understood the interface and felt quite confident with navigating through the app. She once forgot how to switch between the zones. After that one time she became quite routined and quick with this too. The social media zone and cooking mode was totally clear to her. She thought it would be confusing to always use the same food icons though, as you have the feeling you’ve been on that page before – even if you haven’t. Therefore, she suggested to change the food represantative icons (feed)  in each site.
She also mentioned that if I plan to send people a DNA kit – she would ask for their address. Otherwise it doesn’t feel as if something comes to you in a postal way. Furthermore, she mentioned that the icon of a wooden spoon for the recipe generating tool could be replaced by sth. that brings out more the idea of mixing (a whisk probably).
She also was not too sure about the heart icon I used for likes. She mentioned that it would be helpful to use this really standard heart shape all other common social media channels use – so it would be not confusing for the user. There is a lot of new stuff going on on this app, so she would recommend to use standardized icons wherever possible.
When asking her if I should make an accompanying image video, she suggested to rather use some explanatory video instead as I should take every chance to make it easier for the user and submission. Lisa’s feedback was a great help.
She describes herself as quite active social media user (Instagram, Facebook) but not really excited about using a lot of apps.

 

MJ (29):
– 2 fingers using to change zone might be confusing
– bar charts work nicely
– especially social media interface works clearly
– rather use a person for showing the profile in both zones
it is easier to understand that it’s your profile
– cook it button bigger
– the + and the – button in the cooking mode should be visualized (activated)
– MIX logo (1st page) looks different and more technical than the rest of the app
– the step by step function might be useless
– illustration style is good

MJ is a quite active social media and app user and she easily navigated and operated with the app.

Fekry (23):
– rethink the use of shadows
– he especially likes the shifted “next” buttons
– he helped a lot with texting the intro-slides
– enlarge the smallest to typefaces
– search boxes and all other types of boxes could use filled colour instead of outlines to have a  consistent style within the whole app

All in all, Fekry navigated quickly and quite cleverly through the app. It felt like he could operate well with the interface. Fekry uses no form of social media, apps or smartphones.

 

Simon (?)
– the arrow button should be changed to the symbol it navigates you towards
– he also mentioned he is confused that there is no profile icon. There should be one rather than the heart
– Cooking mode: does it scroll because the arrow points down? Better use buttons like before
– Label the page where you can post a recipe
– the entry illus could be unclear    | YOU zone    ||||| FRIENDS zone
– Rethink the icon that is used for “add food”
– Illustration style is good

Simon uses Social Media channels such as Facebook and Instagram. He navigated quite easily.

 

Fabian (25):
– the intro has a good lengths
– it is good that the pages that require scrolling are visualized by cutting off the text (understandable)
– no one clicks on the cooking mode -> make it cook it button bigger
– design is nice and friendly
– cooking button infobox should say “to get cooking”
– Better make slides than to click “Next” in the cooking mode

David:
– animate the chefs (fade out or grow the chefs hat, …)
– could it be for multiple users?
– instead of animating the sticks, I could also cut them out of paper and film them in slo-mo
– for the profile picture there could be also a viking, cat, dog, cookie, … for all kind of people to identify with
– colours should be more neutral. it looks quite female
– type in statistics section is too small
– incorporate voice navigation
– add a shopping list (so when there is a meal you want to cook, you can automatically see what you need to buy and what you already have.
– the mix logo on the app icon is hardly recognizable
– real food photos would be good

Juli (19)
– illustration of chef is engaging
– intro has a good lengths and explains nicely
– engaging design
– avocado and beetroots are not aligned
– makes hungry
– interface was easily understandable for her

Armin (19)
– DNA kit is not perfectly understandable yet
– the pizza with green dots looks moldy
– settings button besides profile of social media
– in the connections section the menu bar is wrong aligned
– interface is easily understandable

Presentation

Presentation

11. July

with David and Margot

 

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Feedback:

David:

Social Focus:
Think about the idea of eating and food as a social thing – like food sharing or cooking with friends. The focus could be even more on social, like there it is already done with the social media part.

The graphic is nice so far but also consider that food is visually stimulating. Image recognition will work because there is already something like image recognition.
Would be interesting if the app knows always what you have in stock and if you can also bring it when groceries shopping.

Visual Language:
The logo and branding could be  a metaphor for mixing up. Similar to the Channel 4 branding.

Margot:
Visual Language:
There could be some animation in after effects done to play with the sticks of the logo. It is way better than I showed Margot the last time. It could be some even more playful approach with it and animations would support this. David agreed.
Also the style language could be integrated more in the interface itself. For instance if you go from one page to the next, there could be some sticks and the visual language playfully fill up the page.

Presentation

Tutorial 5.7.16

with Dick.

 

In this tutorial I presented the name MIX with it’s accompanying new design concept and first visuals to show it’s potential and versatility.

 

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FEEDBACK:

Dick mentioned that he likes the word MIX as well as it’s design made by 7 bricks. He said the colourful playful approach is perfectly linked to cooking. I also showed the visuals that showed some kind of advertising banners. In particular he liked the link to music as there is a connection between cooking and music as they are both sensual activities and about compositions and ensembles.

A really helpful point that Dick made, was that the concept of MIX can be visualized by constructing and deconstructing the bricks. As a reference and source of inspiration he mentioned channel 4. For their branding they use 3-dimensional bricks that move around. Their used typefaces Horseferry and Chadwick are created by no other than Neville Brody himself (Creative Review, 2016). A great source of inspiration!

Another focus of the talk was about the presentation next week where I should focus on less text on my presentation slides. Good legibility should be ensured.

 

Playing with Construction + Deconstruction
Channel 4 Branding

(WATCH THE VIDEO FOR PRESENTING MY APP)

Fig. 3

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

 

 

References:
Creative Review (2016) Channel 4 rebrands, with help from Jonathan Glazer and Neville Brody. Available at: https://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2015/september/channel-4-rebrands-with-help-from-jonathan-glazer-and-neville-brody/ (Accessed: 5 July 2016).

Relevant:

Dezeen Magazine (2016) Neville Brody designs bespoke typefaces for Channel 4 rebrand. Available at: http://www.dezeen.com/2015/09/30/neville-brody-bespoke-typefaces-channel-4-rebrand-4creative-jonathan-glazer-dblg/ (Accessed: 5 July 2016).
Visual References:
Fig. 1-2: Jason Drew (2016) Channel 4. Available at: http://www.jasondrew.co.uk/channel-4/ (Accessed: 5 July 2016).

Fig. 3: 디자인정글 TV (2016) Channel 4 Rebrand. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd4z7LGa3xU (Accessed: 5 July 2016).

 

 

Inspiration

Cooking / Designing
Like the Meisterschule for Kommunikationsdesign shows in their video, there is a certain relation between designing and craftmanship. Out of a design process, an outcome is created.

While my project, I recognized that the same connection can be made between Designing and Cooking.

Ingredients   –   Content (Photos, Illustrations, Text, etc.)
Kitchen Utensils – Adobe Programmes
Oven – Mac
Bringing ingredients together – Mixing materials, fonts, …
Cooking Process – Design Process

Reference:
htl1-Linz (2012) Video der Meisterschule für Kommunikationsdesign 2012 – MKD12. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri_SQKwX08I (Accessed: 4 July 2016).

New Name – New Concept

When thinking about the MIX thing – it is probably the main function of the app that people can find recipes according to what the LIKE and HAVE. It is a mix of two components.

The part that I was most struggling with so far was, that my app becomes overcomplex with too many functions and two big parts: Social media + Recipe suggestion
Also the complexity of the app that should be communicated in the most simple way is kind of a mix of two components.

To solve this overlapping of Social media + Recipe suggestion, I aim to hop on the concept of this mix and clearly distinguish between these two: Two areas in the app

CHALLENGES: 
To make this app successful I have to manage a few tasks:

– self explanatory app with easy usable interface
– pack functions in the app with adding depth; the key to succeed here I guess is interlacing or better said to work in more levels. While the first level should just show the basic and necessary functions, additional features can be added in this next level
– for the very first time I feel like designing to make it “look nice” is not relevant. Absolutely key will be to create a design that helps to bring clarity and orientation in the app
– for the app design I have limited means: structure and design. This is all I got. If the app is complicated, unclear and confuses the user I will have failed my mission.
If I manage to succeed in guiding the user round nicely and to bring excitement to the app as well as clearly communciate to the user why he is better of with my app than with other recipe apps – then I will succeed. Therefore, I will need to use design to help bring clarity and guidance as well as a positive, appetising and innovative feeling to the user rather than to waste it for decorations.

MIX

New Name brings New Concept 

Etymology of Mix 
composed of more than one element (Etymonline, 2016)
– cooking is making an ensemble of flavours
to bring together, to join (Etymonline, 2016)
– Bring together family or friends with cooked food
– Gathering round the table
– Eating as a social activity

Experimenting in Kitchen 
– Experimental cooking brings out unique and new recipes – they are the perfect content to be shared on Mix app.
– Also other people’s unique recipes can be found on the app
– When cooking recipes that are already existing, usually people tend to mix in other ingredients, or vary in quantity, skip some ingredients and reinterpret the recipe so it matches to either what food they have in stock or what they like or dislike
– People’s recipes are as unique as their personal taste profiles
– When recipes are taken from family members or delivered by mums, grandmas, … they will slightly change as well as times also change

Jamie Oliver’s success recipe? 
– This could be Jamie’s secret ingredient for success. He doesn’t ask people to cook exactly the same as he does. He suggests variations and creates cooking as a really sensual, fun, not too strict and experimental act. He is more like “add a handful of flour” rather than “add 20g of flour”.

Eating
– Mixing and combining all 5 senses
– Mixing flavours
– Cooking is to mixing foods

to mix
– term used in kitchen
– logical connection to food
– to blend / bring together
mixer
– kitchen utensil
– when I was questioning people about the 1st word that comes to their mind when they think about food some of them mentioned kitchen utensils

Function of App 
Combining (mixing) what you
have + like = suggested recipes
(Dna Test + Fridge Scan)

Human Diversity 
– global app
– social media function
– no hierarchy in app (everyone is treated the same and same prerequisites)
– the word is understood in numerous languages

Word sound
– The term sounds accurate in times of diversity and being unique (future)
– simple word for helping to simplify my complex app
– futuristic rather than old fashioned

References:
Etymonline (2016) Mix. Available at: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=mix (Accessed: 28 June 2016).

New Name: MIX

After discussing the name issue with Margot I did again some research, discussed with my peers and tiled the floor over my whole room with notes and starting points that could help me find a new name.

For further starting points and new thoughts I asked people to write down a word they connect with cooking. Some of them were truly helpful.

My favourite words:
• Mom       • Cake
• Spoon     • Share
• Celery     • Fish

New Name Attempts:
• Spoonful            • Pinch
• Fish & Celery     • Mom
• Kale & Cake

Mom sounded too old fashioned as it is the typical role of a mom to cook. It should also be more about to cook yourself rather than someone else cooking for you. However, I really liked the short and catchy term. Was really good to do the target market analysis first.

So I chose Kale & Cake instead. Kale should be representative for green, organic, superfoods and it necessarily needs to be cooked. Cake, on the other hand, should be representative for baking, unhealthy food and sweets. You can find all on it on the app.
The name should reflect a new concept: Uncommon and new food or flavor combinations as well experimental recipes. Those can be found most likely anywhere around the world as everyone reinterprets or invents recipes. This is the fun part in kitchens.
While I’ve firstly summarized the characteristics and concept, I also wrote down that Kale & Cake is a combination that seems like an uncommon, unknown mix.

As soon as I wrote down the word MIX it occured to me that the the concept of Kale & Cake was actually MIX. So why making it complicated and use Kale & Cake if mix is the matching term for that.

NEW NAME: MIX 
This time I really felt confident about the name contrarily to (Tempt it, Mom, Kale & Cake). This was the word for a good concept.

Goals / Principles

What are my goals?  
– to encourage people to value cooking as a multi-sensual, stress reliefing activity that incorporates a lot of health benefits and to enjoy dinner as a social activity within a family
– aims to counteract the ongoing decrease in cooking (especially in future times)
– excite people to share valuable content online
– communicate and spread bits of tradition and culture via delightful, sensual means
– connect people who have passion for food, taste, flavour and it’s preparation
– create an all-rounder cooking app (nutrition, communication, sharing, dynamic, calorie count, individual personality check, recipes, instructions, inspiration)
– alternative and replacement of too many and too chaotic recipe apps with shallow functions and content and complicated interfaces

Principles:
– Transparent: no mysteries with food
– Authentic: authentic, local recipes posted by real users around the world
– Appetising: design should support aim
– Innvoative / futuristic: Even when it feels futuristic now, when the app would be released it would be time accurate rather than futuristic. Still, it should be the first app to incorporate futuristic functions like holograms, scent, etc. which makes it very innovative and slightly futuristic even then
– Complex, yet simple: Lots of functions and broad range of usability that should be packed in a simple, comprehensible and user friendly interface that works self explanatory. To fulfill this task would probably work best when there is a lot of depths added to the basic functions/interface.
– Down-to-earth: There shouldn’t be a hierarchy where top cooking chefs, or experienced down-to-earth chefs like Jamie Oliver provide tips and tricks to tell you how to cook. There should be no lecturing from a top-position (as long as it does not establish itself via the app). Everyone has to build his way up from the very bottom with his own success recipe.
It should be a big community of very mixed people. Basic cookers can learn from better cookers. Some people will be quietly in the background browsing through recipes and giving a like here and there while others will establish to top-followed and lots of recipe sharing app-internal superstars.