Savr's active community loves the app, but complex recipes are causing frustration.

• Confusing step order.
• Difficult timing coordination.
• Unknown techniques with no visual guidance.
• Missing preparation before cooking begins.

The challenge: Make cooking with the app easy and enjoyable, even for the most complicated dishes.

Method used: modified GV Design Sprint.

Long-term goal: No matter how complex or new the recipe is, Home Chefs get amazing results every time.

User Journey:

1. Download the app.
2. Browse recipes.
3. Choose a dish.
4. Check Ingredients and Kitchenware lists.
5. Complete Pre-Cooking Steps (visual guidance).
6. Follow Cooking Steps (visual + written format).
7. Finish with confidence.
8. Return to Savr regularly.

Lightning Demos

• Tasty: Video for each step + written instructions. Swipe to navigate.
• Kitchen Stories: Progress indicator showing current position. Timers appear when needed. Time divided into Preparation, Baking, and Resting.

Key insight: Users need to know what to expect before they start.

1. Clickable step images with numbers.
2. Three-column grid (number, text, image).
3. Video on top, written steps below.
4. Expandable horizontal tabs ←
5. Video + text for each step (vertical scroll).
6. Step bar + video player.
7. Two horizontal scroll bars (pre-cooking / cooking).
8. Instagram-style grid.

• Chosen concept: Expandable tabs.
• Sections: Ingredients | Utensils | Pre-Cooking Steps | Cooking Steps | Reviews | Similar Recipes.

Each section opens to reveal:

• Visual content (photo/video).
• Written instructions.
• Step navigation (numbered + arrows).

Why Expandable Sections?

• Visibility: Users see all available information upfront — nothing gets overlooked when scrolling.
• Visual guidance: Images or video for every step helps users learn new techniques and verify progress.
• Pre-cooking section: Separates time-sensitive cooking from preparation (chop, wash, soak, preheat).

Built in Figma with minimal elements for honest functionality feedback.

Testing goal: Do users find expandable sections + horizontal navigation easier than traditional vertical scrolling?

I interviewed five participants with different cooking habits and tech comfort levels:

• A 70-year-old engineer who bakes sourdough weekly.
• A 71-year-old daily cook who learns from YouTube.
• A 42-year-old IT specialist who meal preps on weekdays.
• A 40-year-old mom constantly finding new recipes for her kids.
• A 37-year-old musician who cooks to relax on weekends.

• ✓ Expandable sections work — Users understood them after initial scroll attempt. Being "forced" to read sections helped them find all necessary info.
• ✓ Pre-Cooking section valued — Users appreciated this addition not found in most apps.
• ⚠ Navigation preference: Users tapped step numbers instead of arrows — consider adding both options or reevaluate conflicting navigation patterns (expand/collapse + swipe).
• ⚠ Timer visibility issue: No participant noticed the timer until prompted. Needs more prominent design.

1. Make timer more visible (icon, color, size).
2. Add number navigation alongside arrows before considering change navigation pattern.
3. Improve navigation flows.
4. Test with users while actually cooking.
5. Iterate on visual hierarchy.