User Research Plan

A deep dive into understanding real user frustrations, motivations, and unmet needs — and transforming them into a delightful, comforting, and supportive cooking experience.

Read the Full Plan ↓

Brief

The SageBook app is designed as an interactive cooking and baking assistant, blending step-by-step recipe guidance with educational tutorials, gamification, and a warm cottagecore aesthetic...

This research seeks to validate the app’s core concepts—such as its achievement-based learning system, visual and interactive recipe walkthroughs, and community-driven tips...

Research Goals

Target Audience

Beginners

👩‍🍳

New to cooking, need step-by-step guidance, easily overwhelmed by complex recipes

Returning Cooks

🙌

Previously gave up on cooking, want to try again with better support

Health-Conscious

🥗

Want to eat healthier but struggle with meal planning and preparation

Key Assumptions

1

Visual guidance reduces anxiety

Users feel more confident when they can see what each step should look like, reducing fear of failure.

2

Gamification increases engagement

Badges and progress tracking will motivate users to continue learning and trying new recipes.

3

Community tips build trust

User-generated content will make recipes feel more approachable and adaptable to real kitchens.

Research Questions

How do beginners approach complex recipes?

+

Our research showed beginners often skip ahead or miss crucial steps when feeling overwhelmed, leading to poor results.

What makes cooking feel intimidating?

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Unfamiliar terminology, lack of visual references, and fear of wasting ingredients were top concerns.

How important is community support?

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78% of participants said seeing others' adaptations made them more likely to attempt a recipe.

Methodology

The research will be conducted through:

Interviews (5)
Usability Tests (3)
Affinity Clusters (6)

Research Timeline (June 2025)

Week
Activities
Timeline
Week 1
📞 Conduct interviews, compile user insights
Week 2
🧠 Personas, journey maps, low-fi wireframes
Week 3
🧪 Mid-fi testing, feedback, iteration
Week 4
✅ High-fi, final evaluation, delivery