UX Case Study
Cookly Case Study
Designing a delightful cooking experience for everyone.
Cookly is a recipe and meal planning app that helps users discover recipes, plan meals, and cook with confidence. The project focused on making everyday cooking feel simple, organized, and joyful.
Challenge
Busy cooks struggle to find time, plan meals, and cook with confidence.
An all-in-one app that connects discovery, planning, shopping, and guided cooking.
Solution
UX Designer & Researcher
Role
Duration
8 Weeks
Video Length: 1 minute & 41 Seconds
Video Length: 1 minute & 28 Seconds
RESEARCH & USER UNDERSTANDING
Research at a glance
To understand the cooking journey, I used secondary research, competitor review, and proto-personas to identify common needs around recipe discovery, meal planning, grocery organization, and guided cooking. The strongest pattern was that users want less decision fatigue, clearer instructions, and support that fits busy real life kitchens.
User Personas
Busy Professional
Emily, 28
Marketing Manager
“I want quick and healthy recipes that fit my busy schedule.”
Home
Cook
Chris, 34
Software Engineer
“I love trying new recipes and improving my cooking skills.”
Caregiver
Maya, 40
Mom of Two
“I need simple, healthy meals my family will enjoy.”
This journey map helped identify that Cookly users need a connected flow between planning meals, generating grocery lists, and following recipes clearly while cooking. These insights directly informed the weekly planner, pantry-based suggestions, grocery list flow, and desktop cook mode.
Key insights
Users need quick discovery and easy to follow recipes.
Meal planning saves time and reduces daily stress.
Voice guided cooking helps users stay hands free.
Ingredient first discovery is high valued.
Motivation and variety keep users coming back.
COMPETITIVE & OPPORTUNITY
-
Meal Planning focused
Strengths
-
Grocery list generation
-
Weak discovery
Gaps
-
Basic interface
-
Strong discovery
Strengths
-
Large recipe library
-
Limited meal planning
Gaps
-
No voice cooking
-
Engaging video content
Strengths
-
Simple, visual recipes
-
Limited planning tools
Gaps
-
No grocery integration
-
Huge recipe collection
Strengths
-
Community reviews
-
Outdated experience
Gaps
-
Limited planning
THE OPPORTUNITY
Create a unified, intuitive experience that connects discovery, planning, shopping, and guided cooking.
Design Process
I moved from research patterns into a simplified user flow on discover recipes, plan meals, shop for ingredients, cook with guidance, and save or share favorites. These steps shaped the main design decisions: make discovery faster, reduce meal planning effort, support hands free cooking, and make progress feel motivating.
Discover
Find recipes based on tastes, needs, and ingredients.
Plan
Create meal plans that fit your schedule and lifestyle.
Shop
Generate grocery lists and shop with ease.
Cook
Follow guided steps with voice and timers.
Enjoy
Save favorites and share your meals with others.
THE FINAL SOLUTION
My final Cookly experience connects recipe discovery, meal planning, grocery support, and guided cooking into one clear flow. The interface uses clean navigation, great food imagery, clear labels, accessible touch targets, and a supportive cooking mode to help users feel confident from planning to plating your delicious food on your table.
Design Highlights
Clean, intuitive navigation
Ingredient first discovery
Smart meal planning
Integrated groceries
Voice guided cooking mode
Accessible and inviting visuals
Personalized recipe recommendations and meal ideas help users start quickly.
Home
Ingredients, timing, difficulty, and steps are easy to scan before cooking.
Recipe Details
Users can organize meals by day and reduce daily planning stress.
Meal Plan
Ingredient lists connect planning to shopping so users know what they need.
Groceries
Step-by-step guidance, timer support, and voice-friendly controls help users cook hands free.
Cooking Mode
IMPACT & TAKEAWAYS
Cookly demonstrates how thoughtful design, user insights, and smart technology can make cooking feel easier and more enjoyable. The biggest takeaway is to reduce fatigue decisions and offer guided support that can turn a stressful task into a confident everyday routine.
85%
Found recipes easier to discover.
70%
Reported saving time on meal planning
92%
Felt more confident cooking at home.
4.8 / 5
Average usability rating.
Video Length: 1 minute & 32 Seconds
WHAT I LEARNED
By creating Cookly, I learned how important it is to design around everyday behavior, not just features. Cooking is more than finding a recipe; users also need help deciding what to make, planning meals, organizing ingredients, and staying focused while cooking. This project taught me that simplifying decision-making, supporting hands-free guidance, and creating small moments of motivation can turn a stressful task into a more enjoyable and supportive experience.