App Design | Cassie's work

CookDevCook

A social cooking platform where students can find partners, share ingredients, and create meals together. From matching kitchens to discovering new recipes, CookDevCook makes cooking more fun, collaborative, and effortless.

Role

Duration

Project type

Tools&Skills

Project Designer

Two months

Group project

Figma

Loading Page

On the home page, users can browse ongoing collaborative cooking events, review the ingredients and nutrition information contributed by each participant, and then join the event that best suits them.

When users return to the cooking event they just joined, they can add more ingredients, view recipe suggestions based on the combined ingredients, and either assign different tasks to each person or let the app generate task assignments automatically.

While browsing the homepage or community, users can view group posts, share their experiences, and post about making friends or cooking together, helping them connect with like-minded people and find potential cooking partners.

On the activity completion page, users can browse recommended recipes or tap the button at the bottom of the screen to open the recipe list, view each recipe step by step, and set a timer for each step.

After completing the cooking collaboration, users can rate and review their experience and then return to the Kitchen Home page to explore or join new activities.

Users can view the badges they’ve earned—either on the completion screen or later from the home page—and share them, along with their feedback on the experience, to the community or other social platforms.

Project overview

Students living in student accommodation—especially international students—often face social and emotional pressure when cooking in shared kitchens. Although shared meals can help build friendships and improve mental well-being, many still worry about being judged and feel anxious about cooking with others.

Literature Research

The explored studies on social dining, mental health, and communal living.

Research highlighted that:

Shared meals strengthen social bonds and improve well-being. However, communal cooking can also create stress, especially when individuals feel pressured to perform or meet social expectations.

These insights provided the theoretical foundation for our design, guiding us to reduce pressure while encouraging positive social connections references, kitchen cleanliness, coordinating group cooking, and sourcing cultural ingredients.

Design Context

The research revealed that students value living with people they connect with more than the accommodation itself, making social interaction a key part of their overall experience.

Interviews & Observations

Cooking Habits

Most cook daily, prefer simple and quick meals; some see cooking as relaxing, others as

stressful

Social Interaction

Many enjoy cooking
with friends to.
socialize, but someexperience socialanxiety when cookingwith strangers.

Desired Features

Simple recipes, ingredientsubstitutions, task division, better communication before cooking, food hygiene tips, and fairness insharing ingredients.

Challenges

Differing taste preferences, kitchen cleanliness,
coordinating group cooking, and sourcing cultural ingredients.

To gain direct insights, I interviewed and observed international students living in accommodations with both shared and private kitchens.
Key Findings:

Persona

Satoshi Hino

Exchange student

“Coming from Japan, I value quiet, respectful meals.
Since moving to Brisbane, the noisy shared kitchen makes me anxious.
I want to find like-minded students to cook together in a calm, private space.”

Goals & Needs

Quiet cooking environment
Small, intimate social interactions

Challenges

Cultural adjustment in Australia
Social barriers as an introvert

Motivations

Cooking Experience ★★★★☆
Small-group Social Interaction ★★★★★
Efficient Use of Ingredients ★★★★☆

Age: 22 Location: Brisbane Major: Computer Science

Marco Rossi

Age: 24 Location: Sydney Major: Marketing

Sudent

“I’m an international student from Italy who loves sharing traditional Italian dishes and trying new recipes. Back home, family meals are big and lively, and I miss that sense of togetherness. I hope to cook with other students, exchange cultural experiences, and enjoy food as a way to make new friends.”

Goals & Needs

Reduce food waste by using leftover ingredients efficiently
Build social connections through group cooking
Recreate a sense of family-style dining and community

Challenges

Cultural differences in cooking styles and dining habits
Limited opportunities to connect with other students
Coordinating ingredients and recipes with cooking partners

Motivations

Social Connection ★★★★★
Reducing Food Waste ★★★★☆
Exploring New Cuisines & Sharing Italian Food Culture ★★★★★

Based on research, I identified five major challenges

Solution

To address these issues, my team members and I designed a social collaborative cooking app to make cooking and socializing easier, more fun, and less stressful for international students.

Core Features:

Spontaneous Group Cooking → Match with others based on available ingredients to reduce meal planning pressure.

Kitchen Reservations → Choose between public or private kitchens and reserve spaces easily.

Shared Virtual Basket → Combine ingredients digitally; the app suggests suitable recipes or lets users create their own.

Step-by-Step Cooking Support → Built-in timers and tutorials guide users through recipes.

Feedback & Rewards → Rate cooking partners and earn points for maintaining kitchen cleanliness, reducing conflicts.

Design Iterations

Initial Features

Virtual ingredient basket for collaborative cooking
Simple, user-friendly interface for spontaneous group meals
Options for private or public kitchen settings

Through Testing, I Added:

Cleaner UI Design → Updated interface for better usability and visual clarity.
Detailed Feedback & Nutritional Advice → Provide richer feedback mechanisms and health tips.
Streamlined Virtual Basket → Integrated directly into kitchen selection for a smoother process.
Enhanced Social Interaction → Support for broader social posts, including making friends and sharing recipes.
Simplified Rating → Quick overall rating after cooking, removing unnecessary detailed scores.

Iteration Based on Feedback

Based on the Next Round of Feedback

Simplified Rating → Keep only one overall rating, removing detailed scoring.

AI Recipe Suggestions → Replaces voting; users receive smart recommendations and choose freely.

Balanced Task Allocation → Suggests roles for fair and efficient collaboration.

Location Filters → Allow users to find cooking partners nearby more easily.

Gender Preferences → Provide matching options based on users’ gender preferences.

Outcome & Impact

Our app provides international students with:

A supportive social platform to meet peers and cook together
Reduced anxiety through structured coordination and clear guidance
Better cooking experiences with practical tools, diverse recipes, and cultural flexibility

Design Process at a Glance

Define → Research → Ideate → Prototype

→ Test → Refine