Back when my client first seeked services from our studio, they built websites templates for food influencers and wanted to expand their brand. Although there was an existing consensus on the target market and goods delivered, after many discussions, we realized that in order to develop a reliable marketing and content strategy for their business, we first needed reliable data regarding their new target audience and their cooking dynamics.

In addition to gathering data information through google analytics, and I read existing literature and systematic reviews of Generation-Z (born on 1996) and Millenial's (born between 1981-1995) social trends, particularly related to technological consumptions and eating habits.

I decided on a combination of a contextual inquiry and a survey. My rationale:

1. We are still mainly in the discovery phase of research (i.e. understanding mental models of amateur cooks)
2. Given the nature of the subject matter, there are tons of subtle quirks and instinctive decision-making at play (refer to Daniel Kahneman's model of decision-making); as cooking habits are highly subjective, we were interested in capturing behavioral details participants in real-time.
3. We triangulated quantitative data from surveys with the contextual inqury to reduce methodology biases.

Because of the time-constraints, I decide for a smaller, quicker survey timeline to allow for more time for contextual inquiry.

• Six participants, spread across GenZ and Millenial
• Participants who cook at least once a week
• Participants are digitally savvy
• Participants are willing to allow observation while cooking dinner
• Can generally recall and articulate prior cooking experiences

Monetary incentives were given for approximately 2 hours of participant’s time.

Before releasing the survey, I conducted a cognitive interviewing with the purpose of investigating whether my survey questions fulfills its intended purpose.

I ask the pilot participant the questions on the survey and wait for the answer. Once I receive an answer, I then ask these following questions (one by one):

• "In your own words, what is this question asking?"
• "How did you arrive at your answer?"
• "How sure are you of your answer?"

• Fill out paperworks, reaffirm study purpose & participant's role, and answer any questions or concerns (10-15 minutes)
• Short interview on cooking background, experience, motivations, inspirations, and needs (20-30 minutes)
• An observation session, which consisted of browsing & choosing recipe (5-20 minutes) and cooking with said recipe (30-60 minutes)

After removing any results outside of the survey criteria, the total survey sample size was ~552. I applied several descriptive survey analyis, including but not limited to measures of frequency, central tendencies, and variations.

What mediums are amateur cooks using to find recipes/culinary inspirations?

During field study, two participants found recipes through cooking blogs, one was through Youtube, and one was through a subscription cooking service.

What are the criteria that cooks use in choosing recipes?

“That recipe got a lot more stars, so I’ll go with that one.”

"Personally, I like using whatever is in the fridge, and if possible, in large quantities."

Participants used a combination of metrics to make a decision. For example, if there were dietary restrictions and proclivities, participants immediately funnel for that option first. There was a strong tendency to use a combination of images and approval from other reviewers/viewers. If on social media, they watch videos and see if the comment section has ingredients. If written instructions, they scroll down and look to see if they have appropriate ingredients and length of instructions.

How are amateur chefs navigating recipes while cooking?

“Shoot, how many teaspoons again? … hold on, I lost my place…”

"I do all the prep first, then jump into cooking. It's how I cook with my family too"

"There's really no need to follow recipe exactly; an estimate is good enough"

How cooks are navigating recipes while cooking has some correlation to cooking experience. At the start of cooking, three of the participants measured and prepped first before proceeding with cooking. While a few cooks occasionally show concerns for methodical exactitudes, most are willing to either deviate a little out of the recipe or “eye-ball” certain measurements. The less confident the cook appears in the kitchen, the more likely they are to manage any perceived setbacks.

In general, we can categorize most cooks along a 2x2 graph, where each quadrant is more likely to exhibit traits that manifest in the kitchen.

I also applied a methodological triangulation of qualitative and quantitative methods for analysing thematic determinants of cooking dynamics within Millenial and Gen-Z. Through this, I was able to identify convergent and disparate findings of the survey results and field study observations.

My analysis revealed the factors most salient to users while browsing recipes are:

1. positive ratings and/or high view count
2. attractive photos/video
3. having all or most of the required ingredients

Against my request, some of the participants couldn't resist the urge to inappropriately prepare for my visit ahead of time (ex: extensive cleaning & reorganizing), which presented a challenge in discerning their natural behavior. To migigate this in the future, I would consider including a camera study prior.

I also learned that order of data collection mattered - if time wasn't a constraint, I would have justified conducting field study before conducting surveys, as the results of the former would have lended better survey questions and structure. This realization shedded light on personal areas of improvement.

Next steps for the project will involve iterating on existing findings with emphasis on developing a coherent architectural hierarchy and brand concept. Once these are passed over to a design team, they will create a beta prototype design, which I will use to conduct a usability test.