TasteTrail
TasteTrail is an app designed to help users explore global cuisines through cultural stories, recipes, and shared experiences. It allows users to embark on flavour journeys that uncover the origins, evolution, and significance across different regions. With a focus on cultural exploration, TasteTrail enables users to browse recipes by region, occasion, and category, engage with a community through posts and stories, and track their culinary adventures through badges and collections. The app aims to make discovering food traditions engaging, informative, and personalized.
Project Type: Personal
Project Timeline: 3 Months, From October to December
Tools Used: Figma, Paper and Pencil
My role: UX researcher, UX designer, Prototyper
Our Approach to TasteTrail
Project Scope
Technical Scope:
A Mobile-First Design able to integrate within all device sizes optimization within the iPhone SE
User-centric Design focusing on accessibility and ease of navigation
Lightweight app that can ensure smooth functionality on lower-end devices
Future-proof Design for potential expansion into web and tablet versions
User Scope:
Primary Audience
Food enthusiasts interested in cultural exploration
Home cooks looking to experiment with global cuisines
Travelers and culture enthusiasts seeking deeper culinary insights
Secondary Audience
Culinary Students and professionals exploring traditional methods
People planning events with cultural or traditional themes
Contraints and Limitation
Limited initial launch features to ensure core functionality and user feedback integration.
Focus on select regions initially before expanding global coverage.
Dependency on user-generated content for community engagement.
Design Process Overview
Research and Discovery:
Competitive Analysis
User’s Profile
Define and Ideate:
Feature list
User Journey Map
User flow diagram
Sitemap creation
Low fidelity diagram
Design:
Moodboard Style guide
High-fidelity wireframe
Prototype
Testing and Validation:
Usability test report
A/B test results
Feedback Summary
Iteration and Refinement:
Refined high-fidelity prototype
Design specification and assets
Final design documentation
Research Phase
Our research aimed to identify users' struggles with existing food apps and evaluate their interest in a platform focused on cultural food exploration. Specifically, we sought to understand:
What challenges do users face when discovering new cuisines
Whether they find the idea of an app showcasing the cultural heritage of food valuable.
If an app that guides them on a culinary journey and encourages them to try new cuisines would appeal to them
We conducted extensive research to define our direction, including
User Interviews:
Explored user struggles with existing food apps
Validated the app’s concept with real users to see if they found it engaging
Gathered feedback on whether users were motivated to try new cuisines through storytelling
Competitive Analysis:
Identified UX problems in other apps
Evaluated how competitors approached cultural storytelling
Compared features to discover gaps in the market
User Profiling:
Created Personas based on motivation and pain points
Analyzed behaviours and expectations to align with our goals
Key findings:
Users wanted simplified navigation with rich cultural insights
Competitors apps lacked personalized journeys and engaging storytelling
User Interview Findings
We conducted user interviews to understand key motivations and pain points across different user groups. To make the insights more digestible, we categorized the findings into 'Motivations' and 'Pain Points.' This structure allows for easier scanning and comparison across different user types. These insights then inform our user profiling research, ensuring our app aligns with real user needs.
Cultural Explorer
Motivation
Wants to explore global cuisines and understand their cultural significance.
Pain Points
Difficulty finding authentic cultural food experiences. Lack of accessible, well-structured information about food origins.
Goals
Learn about the history and traditions behind various cuisines. Discover authentic recipes and their cultural relevance. Engage with stories and insights from locals and experts.
Home Cook Enthusiast
Motivation
Wants to cook meals from different cultures with authentic flavours.
Pain Points
Struggles to find recipes with authentic ingredients and methods. Wants simplified yet informative guides to recreate dishes accurately.
Goals
Access authentic recipes with step-by-step instructions. Learn how to incorporate cultural elements into daily cooking. Share their own cooking experiences with the community.
The Event Planner
Motivation
Wants to plan themed events with authentic dishes from various cultures.
Pain Points
Finding the right dishes to match cultural themes. Understanding traditional meal etiquette and significance.
Goals
Find curated recipes for cultural celebrations and gatherings. Learn about food traditions associated with different events. Share and discuss event experiences with other planners.
User Profiling
During our user research, I interviewed people from coffee shops, and other people that are willing to be interviewed. My research indicates that my main user groups are the cultural explorer, home cook enthusiast, the event planner. Once I decided my main user targets I’ve summarized my own findings to the below statements within each group that is presented below.
The Event Planner, Lou Vaughn
Lou enjoys hosting events, cultural celebrations, and food pairings, with a strong motivation to plan themed events featuring authentic dishes from various cultures. She often struggles with finding the right dishes to match cultural themes and understanding traditional meal etiquette and significance. Her goals include discovering curated recipes for cultural celebrations and gatherings, learning about the food traditions associated with different events, and sharing their event experiences with other clients.
Cultural Explorer,Angel Lopez
She is passionate about travel, food culture, history, and traditions, driven to explore global cuisines and understand their cultural significance. She often struggles to find authentic cultural food experiences and accessible, well-structured information about food origins. Her goals include learning about the history and traditions behind various cuisines, discovering authentic recipes and their cultural relevance, and engaging with stories and insights from locals and experts.
Home Cook Enthusiast, Gerardo Maldonado
He is passionate about cooking, trying new recipes, and healthy eating, with a strong motivation to recreate meals from different cultures with authentic flavours. He often likes to face challenges in finding recipes that use authentic ingredients and methods, and seeks simplified yet informative guides to help accurately recreate dishes. His goals include accessing authentic recipes with step-by-step instructions, learning how to incorporate cultural elements into their daily cooking, and sharing their own cooking experiences with the community.
Competitive Analysis
Through our competitive research, we analyzed five key apps—CookPad, Pam, Tasty, Yummly, and Olio—to understand market trends, user needs, and potential gaps in the food and cultural exploration space.
Strengths of Competitors
Community & Sharing Focus (CookPad, Olio) – Many apps encourage user-generated content, but they focus mainly on recipes or sustainability.
Personalization & Search (Yummly, Tasty) – Apps like Yummly excel in customized recipe recommendations, while Tasty uses interactive video-based exploration.
Daily Inspiration & Navigation (Pam) – Strong visual design and easy meal planning features make it effective for daily use.
Challenges & Gaps
Limited Cultural Exploration – None of these apps provide an in-depth, structured way to explore food through cultural and historical narratives.
Lack of Integrated Flavor Journeys – While competitors focus on quick access to recipes, they don’t connect food to its cultural, historical, and experiential roots the way TasteTrail does.
Overwhelming User Interface – Some competitors have too many features, making navigation complex (e.g., Yummly’s extensive personalization system).
How TasteTrail Differentiates Itself
Cultural Storytelling – Unlike competitors, TasteTrail is designed to take users on a culinary journey, providing historical context, flavor evolution, and personal stories behind each dish.
Unified Flavor Journey Experience – Our app merges recipes, user stories, and cultural exploration into a seamless experience, rather than treating them as separate features.
Simplified, Engaging Navigation – TasteTrail keeps its interface intuitive by balancing discovery and personalization without overwhelming users.
Feature List Development
After conducting our research, we created a sitemap to establish a clear design direction. Our first draft served as a foundation to explore the app’s structure.
To refine our approach, we:
Validated our initial findings to ensure they were usable and aligned with user needs
Created lo-fi sketches to visualize the core functionality and set a structural base for the app
Iterated on the sitemap to improve navigation and usability based on our sketches and research insights
This process helped us shape a more practical and user-friendly feature list, guiding the next stages of our design.
Based on our research, we created the first draft of our feature list, focusing on the following:
Personalized flavour journeys
Cultural Storytelling Through Food
Easy recipe sharing and exploration
Challenges Faced:
Ensuring features were practical and not overwhelming for users
Balancing functionality with simplicity
Iteration process:
Initial ideas -> 2. Testing feasibility -> 3. Refinement based on feedback
Feature List #FirstDraft
Feature List #FinalDraft
Feature List #MidDraft
Feature List #FinalDraft, Planned Features
Sitemap Creation and Evolution
Our sitemap was developed alongside the feature list and lo-fi sketches, evolving through multiple iterations to refine the app’s structure and navigation.
First Draft: Created based on our initial feature list and lo-fi sketches to establish the app’s foundation
Mid-Draft & Testing: We tested the sitemap’s intuitiveness through user feedback (eg., card sorting) to assess if the navigation made sense to the users
Final Refinement: During the transition from lo-fi to hi-fi design, we identified features that were too complex or impractical based on surveying and usability testing. Some features were removed, simplified, or merged to enhance usability.
The iterative process ensured that our sitemap provided a clear, intuitive, and accessible navigation experience for users.
Lessons Learned:
Some features were merged to reduce the complexity
Clearer categorization improved user understanding
Site Map First Draft
Site Map Mid Draft
Site Map FinalDraft
Lo-Fi Wireframes and Testing
Our lo-fi wireframes were developed alongside the feature list to help visualize our initial ideas and evaluate if specific features were feasible.
First Draft: Focused on translating the feature list into tangible layouts, ensuring that the core functionalities could be effectively implemented.
Refinement: As the feature list and sitemap evolved, we iteratively updated the wireframes to align with the finalized structure and improve usability.
Purpose: These sketches served as a foundational step to test ideas, identify design challenges early, and ensure a smoother transition to the hi-fi design phase.
By grounding our lo-fi sketches in research and continuous refinement, we ensured they acted as a strong base for creating an intuitive and functional app design.
Refinements Based on Testing:
Some pages were combined to enhance the navigation
Unnecessary elements were removed to simplify the interface
Home Page
Search Page
Community Page
Flavor Journey Page
Profile Page
Transitioning to Hi-Fi Design
After we finalised our lo-fi wireframes, we moved to hi-fi design to refine visuals, interactivity, and overall user experience. Our goal was to transition as efficiently as possible while ensuring consistency and usability.
Defining the Visual Language
To maintain a cohesive design, we established a style guide, including typography, colour schemes, and UI components.
Component sets were created to streamline the design process and improve consistency across screens.
Strategic Approach to Hi-Fi Design
We prioritized simpler pages first, allowing us to validate core layouts and interactions before tackling more complex screens.
This approach helped us visualize the final product early and refine elements before applying animations and interactions.
By following this structured transition, we ensured a smooth, scalable, and visually coherent hi-fi design, laying the groundwork for final prototyping and testing.
Prototype and User Testing
During our transition to hi-fi design, we conducted user testing to ensure the app was intuitive and easy to navigate. Our goal was to validate whether users could understand the interface, recognize key functions, and interact with the app as intended.
A/B Testing
We tested different design variations to assess which layouts, visual cues, and interactions were more effective.
Users were asked to complete specific tasks to determine if they could easily identify features and navigate the app without confusion.
Concept Testing
We evaluated whether users understood the core concept of the app and its value proposition.
Feedback helped us refine wording, layouts, and design elements to enhance clarity and usability.
These tests allowed us to identify pain points, refine the user experience, and ensure the final product was intuitive before further implementation.
A/B Testing and Concept Testing overview for the home page
Call-to-Action & Personalized Recommendations
Objective: Determine whether a prominent call-to-action (CTA) and personalized recommendation section improve user engagement.
Findings:
A strong CTA increased user interaction, increasing engagement with core features.
Personalized recommendations encouraged users to explore relevant content, making their experience more dynamic.
Key Takeaway: Including a CTA and personalized recommendations is crucial for guiding users toward meaningful interactions.
Quick Navigation Section
Objective: Assess whether a quick navigation section enhances accessibility to key features.
Findings:
Users appreciated having a shortcut to essential sections, reducing friction in exploration.
Without it, some users felt overwhelmed by too many content options.
Key Takeaway: A well-structured quick navigation bar improves usability by allowing users to find relevant sections quickly.
Cuisine Hero Banner & Browsing Access
Objective: Evaluate whether featuring a hero banner showcasing cuisines enhances content discovery.
Findings:
Users responded positively to a visually striking hero section highlighting cuisines.
It served as an entry point for users who were undecided on what to explore.
Key Takeaway: A hero banner effectively captures attention and provides a guided browsing experience.
Recipe Card Design
Objective: Determine whether mini recipe cards (for content density) or full-picture cards (for visual appeal) work better.
Findings:
Mini recipe cards improved scanability, helping users browse more efficiently.
Full-picture cards were more visually engaging but required more scrolling.
Key Takeaway: A balanced approach—combining mini cards for listings and full images for highlights—maximizes both usability and aesthetics.
Content Sections (Seasonal, Latest, Popular, Frequent)
Objective: Identify which content sections drive the most engagement.
Findings:
"Popular" and "Latest" sections had the highest interaction rates.
"Seasonal" recipes performed well when visually highlighted but were not as consistently visited.
Key Takeaway: Prioritizing "Popular" and "Latest" sections while making "Seasonal" more visually prominent leads to better content engagement.
Optimal Number of Sections
Objective: Find the right balance between content richness and usability.
Findings:
Users preferred six sections, as seven felt cluttered and overwhelming.
Too many sections led to lower interaction rates due to choice overload.
Key Takeaway: Keeping the homepage structured with six well-defined sections maintains engagement without overwhelming users.
Explore Cuisine vs. Flavor Journey
Objective: Test whether users differentiate between "Explore Cuisine" and "Flavor Journey" or find them confusing.
Findings:
Some users found the distinction unclear, leading to navigation hesitation.
Those who understood the difference appreciated having both options for varied exploration paths.
Key Takeaway: Clear labelling and contextual guidance (e.g., short descriptions or tooltips) can help users differentiate between these features, improving clarity.
Before and After testing and transition from lo-fi to hi-fi for home page
A/B Testing & Concept Testing of Flavor Journey Page
We conducted A/B and concept testing to refine the Flavor Journey experience, focusing on engagement, clarity, and navigation. Key questions included:
Hero Section: Should we use an interactive map or another approach to introduce the Flavor Journey?
Milestones & Progress: Should we display user progress and key milestones within a Flavor Journey?
Card Design: What is the best way to design Flavor Journey cards to ensure they are clear and engaging?
Layout & Navigation: Does the current layout make content easy to understand, or does it need restructuring?
Hero Section Engagement: How can we make the hero section more engaging and informative?
User-Created Journeys: Should we introduce a “ Create your own Journey” feature now or consider it for future update?
Key Takeaways
Hero Section Engagement:
Users found a traditional hero section with a clear CTA more engaging than a map-based approach, which was harder to interpret. Many questioned the purpose of the map
Milestones & Progress:
Since the focus is on introducing multiple Flavor Journeys, displaying milestones and progress is unnecessary at this stage.
Card Design & Readability:
A card layout with a title, description, and tags helps users quickly understand what a Flavor Journey is about.
A wide-screen card layout is more visually appealing, attracts attention, and enhances scanning efficiency.
Content & Layout Optimization:
Restructuring the page to prioritize simplicity, streamlined navigation, and a more direct content presentation improves usability.
“Create Your Own Journey” Feature:
This feature should be considered for future updates.
It’s more effective to first refine the core experience based on user feedback rather than investing time in a feature that may not resonate with users and could require removal later.
Before and After testing and transition from lo-fi to hi-fi for Flavor Journey page
A/B & Concept Testing – Post Creation Page
We conducted testing to evaluate how well the design supports adding, rearranging, and organizing sections during post creation. Key questions included:
Does the interface allow users to easily add new sections (e.g., text, images, ingredients, steps)?
Can users rearrange sections intuitively without confusion?
Is organizing content efficient and user-friendly, ensuring a smooth posting experience?
Through testing, we aimed to identify any usability issues that could hinder content creation and determine improvements to enhance flexibility and ease of use.
Before and After testing and transition from lo-fi to hi-fi for Recipe Creation page
Final Implementation and Lessons Learned
After rigorous testing and validation, we finalized the app for deployment while keeping room for future improvements.
Final Deployment
We prioritized features that were fully refined, validated, and ready for launch.
Any additional features that required further refinement were set aside for future updates, ensuring a smooth user experience at launch.
Ongoing Observation & Iteration
Post-launch, we plan to monitor user interactions and gather feedback to identify areas for further enhancement.
Future updates will be rolled out based on user needs, feature feasibility, and milestone checkpoints.
Lessons Learned
Iterative Design is Key → Testing and refining at every stage helped prevent usability issues early.
Balancing Features & Simplicity → Some features were removed or combined to avoid overwhelming users.
User Feedback Drives Refinement → Direct user insights were essential in shaping our final design decisions.
How Flavor Journey Stories is illustrated?
How Filter Search is done and an illustration of the recipe page
How recipes are created?
Conclusion
TasteTrail wasn't just a design challenge—it was an exciting opportunity to reimagine how people connect with global cuisines. We set out to create an interactive and culturally immersive experience, and every step of the process, from user research to iterative design, was guided by the goal of making culinary discovery both effortless and truly engaging.
Our focus was on bridging the gap between simply finding a recipe and understanding the rich traditions behind it. Through extensive usability testing and A/B experimentation, we optimized the homepage for intuitive navigation, personalized recommendations, and seamless content exploration. We're confident that TasteTrail successfully achieves this balance, empowering users to not only discover delicious recipes but also delve into the fascinating stories and cultural contexts that make each dish unique.
Key Achievements & Impact:
Intuitive Navigation: We prioritized quick and easy access to regions, meal types, and trending flavors, resulting in significantly improved user engagement.
Engaging Recipe Presentation: By carefully balancing visual appeal with clear and concise content, we created a truly enjoyable browsing experience.
Personalized & Community-Driven Features: Empowering users to create culinary journeys and share their experiences fosters a deeper sense of connection and community around food.
Data-Driven Iteration: Our iterative design approach, grounded in A/B testing, provided valuable insights into user preferences and allowed us to make informed design decisions.
Looking Ahead:
We're excited to continue evolving TasteTrail. Future development will focus on expanding social interaction features and exploring AI-powered recommendations to create an even more personalized and dynamic culinary journey. We believe TasteTrail has the potential to become a leading platform for culinary exploration, and we're passionate about refining and expanding its vision.