Food Apps

Bookshelf

Simple design allows for primary focus to be on the books while also maintaining the classic look of a bookshelf.

The BakeSpace stacks cookbooks so you can choose a book based on the binding. I like the BakeSpace idea with the option of scrolling down to see the entire stack of Alta Editions cookbooks. This is not as organized as the bookshelf approach but an interesting layout option. They also have “Added Material” in the bookshelf…an About Us book gives information on the company and features while the “Kitchen Tools” gives the user access to a substitution, conversion and time tool

Recipe Layouts

This layout presents a more interactive design. All the features are tabbed so they can be hidden or expanded with the touch of a finger. This could be a great “dashboard” for each recipe with the ability to include our tabs (reviews, tools, ingredients, photos, and videos) maybe we can also play with the images on the screen (the tomato when clicked could provide some helpful hints or facts about tomatoes with the option to learn more (and link to the blog, index, other tomato recipes, etc?)

Landscape

Portrait

Recipe Layout

The recipe layout is a key feature to engage users. Gourmet live presents their recipes in a very similar format to our single page view and I think this is the most clear cut and elegant. It unfortunately leaves very little room for interactive content (besides videos and photos and emailing lists grocery lists)

Video Index Layouts

I like “Best French Cuisine” cutting board layout. It clearly and neatly displays all the videos with the ability to scroll down. I would differentiate and put videos into groups (based on either the chef, the technique or the level of difficulty)

Menu Planning Feature

A menu planning feature might add to the “interactivity” of the eBook. Dishes can be planned based on occasion, course, method, time, cuisine and ingredients (this should be done after enough content is created within the series). Bakespace uses an interactive wheel design to select category and dish type

User Submissions

-I like the clean user submission for with the expansion tabs to add **OPTIONAL** information. I think the Recipe Name should default to the recipe title unless the user wants to change it and all the information should be optional (not forcing the user to write stuff in order to complete the upload)-Food spotting’s simple share page allows users to rank Loved it (I prefer the stars rating but maybe we can average this into stars)-The ability to share on multiple social networks gives incentive to post-Big oven is an example of too much in my opinion

How to Use the App

Food Network and Foodspotting places an overlay the first time you open the app which provides you with the instructions for using the app. I think this is a clear approach but am not a fan of the darkening of the content I would do something lighter. I like the way Chrome put blue icons that you can hover over with tips on using their browser.

Signup Flow

A clean look to easily connect with Facebook seems like the best option when creating a sign-up flow. The click through process was fast and easy with familiar steps (Facebook app permissions, etc). I like the use of neutral colors in these clean layouts. I don’t think Amazon payments should be a step until to user experiences the bookshelf and a demo book.

Expanded Features

-Voice activated search and page scrolling. -Local food search function that allows you to pick a recipe based on seasonal produce. -Visual index with descriptions of ingredients and tools. -An “ask the experts” section might be a way to build engagement by requiring edition chefs to answer a minimum of 100 user questions (we can select appropriate questions and send them to the chef via email). The answers can be used in social media, the blog and within the books

Add’l Ideas

-I like this loading interface of Jamie Oliver’s Recipes, we can do something similar with the Alta Edition sidebar logos (we can also test copy to say “Preparing the kitchen/bookshelf/library/etc” instead of the boring “Loading”.-A settings tab would also be beneficial in informing the user and allowing them to customize their experience change font size.-A tab to access our social media pages is a great way to engage users with outside of the app.