Ember AI Cooking Assistant
A voice-guided recipe app, offering hands-free, step-by-step cooking instructions and smart appliance integration to automate tasks like preheating ovens or setting timers, making cooking easier, cleaner, and more enjoyable.
Product Designer
Mar - May 2025
UX Research
Product Design
Prototyping
Figma
Adobe Creative Suite
Design a comprehensive voice-guided AI cooking assistant for Apple Watch that transforms the kitchen experience by providing hands-free recipe guidance while seamlessly integrating with smart kitchen appliances for automated cooking tasks.
The Process
Understand
Define the problem
Identify user needs & business goals
Research
User interviews & surveys
Competitive analysis
Insights gathering
Define
User personas
Problem statements
User flows
Ideate
Brainstorm solutions
Mood board
Sketches
Wireframes
Test
Prototype
Usability testing
Iterate based on feedback
Modern home cooks face multiple friction points that interrupt their cooking flow: constantly checking phones or tablets with messy hands, manually managing multiple timers and temperatures, and struggling to coordinate complex recipes with smart appliances. Traditional recipe apps require visual attention and touch interaction, creating hygiene concerns and workflow disruptions in active cooking environments.
During Active Cooking:
Hands are often dirty, wet, or occupied, making touch interaction problematic
Recipe steps are often too detailed for quick audio consumption
Managing multiple timers and cooking processes becomes overwhelming
Smart appliance controls are scattered across different apps and interfaces
Recipe Management:
Difficulty following complex multi-step recipes without constant screen checking
No adaptive pacing based on actual cooking progress
Limited ability to modify recipes on-the-fly for dietary restrictions or available ingredients
Poor integration between recipe instructions and appliance controls
Based on user research and key pain points, I mapped out a clear information architecture to guide a simpler, more engaging way to navigate users through the experience.
Wireframes
Lo-fi wireframes
Interface
Mobile On-Boarding Experience
Voice Assistant
Smart Kitchen Appliances Control
Smart Scanning
Timer
Step-by-step Cooking Instructions
