Recipe websites tend to be cluttered and complicated, often filled with extensive and unnecessary information. Striving to combat these issues, Simple Chef is a website dedicated to effortless user experience while providing straightforward recipes. Simple Chef exemplifies how efficiency and aesthetics don’t have to be exclusive.
Research
While researching competing websites, I found they contained the important information solely on one side of the screen. The overall design of each website was cluttered and didn’t experiment with scale. I enjoyed the inclusion of some elements, such as featured comments or star rating. Since the websites I found were overstimulating and complicated, I knew I wanted to do the opposite with Simple Chef.
The goal: create a user-friendly website without sacrificing visual quality.
Beginning Process
In my moodboard, I included basic illustrations to coincide with bright, complimentary colors. I included a playful type for headers and a clean sans-serif for body copy. My initial sketches played with scale and orientation. Keeping my goal in mind, I wanted to make sure my design wasn’t overwhelming or too cluttered.
Draft
I ran into a couple problems with my initial design. Fitting all the information and features I wanted seemed nearly impossible with only one page. I also realized the page was fairly flat and boring which was something I was afraid might happen. I ended up reworking my design and including another page to fit all of the information I needed.
Final Flats
The user experience of the website is made to be seamless and concise. I wanted to include some elements such as “recipe picker” and “fan favorites” to reduce the stress of making a choice. I also included interactive checkboxes for the ingredients to increase user efficiency. These elements, including the bright visual design, complete the goal of creating a user-friendly yet aesthetically pleasing website.
