Fridge Chef Design Overview
SETTING
Location: University of Sydney
Dates: August to November, 2017
Role: Student of Interaction Design
BACKGROUND
I was challenged to envision and design a AI system to help people have an healthy eating diet and organize the food properly. By doing many research based on existing products, and work on wireframes, interfaces and prototype, I am able to design a more innovative product.
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PROBLEM
- Randomly put foods in without organization cause many foods to mold.
- Easy to ignore the hidden food.
- Forgot foods' expiry date cause food waste.
- Unhealthy eating habit causes sub-health without notice.
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SOLUTION
My solution was to design a smart fridge called Fridge Chef, the smart system is enabled via voice command and touch screen on the fridge door to prevent and solve all fridge-related problems from users research. As many functions could achieve by using the phone, I decided to focus on Fridge View function because it's more fridge-based, innovative than existing product and have direct interactions between users and fridge. Also, the Fridge Chef designed with shopping, cooking, personal profile for nutrition and statistics as side functions.
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Fridge Chef's concept vedio
INtEraction
Throughout the project I followed a design process which shown in below to design the project.
1. Strategy - Understanding users problem, needs and goals is the first step
2. Discovery - The amount of research needed for a project. Collect research data needed to find problems.
3. Analysis - Begin to put findings together.
4. Design - Begin to create the solution to the user's problem.
5. Production - By creating wireframes, interfaces and prototype, users can interact with it and give advices. I find new information into the process to improve the project.
process
Background research & Target user
The target user is designed for all users types include people who are living alone, with roommates or family.
To first begin building the ideas, I performed a process that showing the existing product's features and what problems should I try to solve. By analyzing the weakness and strength, I found out the product should had direct interact between fridge itself and users. Doing the research, the existing product's function wasn't necessary achieve on the fridge because app could do it too. Therefore, fridge should had the ability to notice users about their healthy eating habit.
​ideation
After defending seniors and problems, I began explored various of ideas based on brainstorm with my teammates. By analyzing research and personas, I understood my design's direction and main ideas. Then draw the storyboard which could clearly share and explain my design concept and made production much easier. Stories were an effective and inexpensive way to capture, relate, and explore experiences in the design process.
Writing down different scenarios could help me to identify the various possibilities and any potential barriers. It described the stories and context behind why a specific user or user group commutes to my site.
Wireframes ​
Wireframe would represent my concept. First decided screen's size and each sections then designing and testing several solutions that would be able to understand. According to the design brief, wireframe shown four different concepts which were shopping, cooking, storing and nutrition statistics. Fridge would give users notice about food status by having exclamation marks. Then I designed the initial shopping page for the user test, and after listened to users thought, I would improve the design.
HIGH FIDELITY MOCKUPS
Further, I developed wireframes into high fidelity mockups, because more generally high-fidelity prototypes were meant to incorporate everything that compromises the final product at that stage. Therefore, I printed them out to actual size’s prototype to check words’ size and home bar’s position were easy for users to use. Because the screen would like to be as same big as the fridge’s door, home bar should follow users finger as it moved. And photos shown on the screen should be clear, each interface needed to flow fluently.
USER EVALUATION
In evaluating my design, I performed three rounds of scenario tests by using high fidelity paper prototypes (shown). I explained four tasks where, the user was asked to interact with the interface and then spoke their thoughts and advices while I took notes.
The findings revealed every interfaces were worked well and easy to understand, using the real size prototype was definitely needed and the need for demonstration videos and voice to give users introduction. Participants had an experience in actual kitchen environment. Users could check the food status by using their phones. It designed for users who were not at home and would get notices from app.
Accompanying these findings, my evaluation confirmed the usability of each design concept was clear, the interface flowed fluently, fonts, and photos established a suitable watch size.
Prototyping
SKETCH
To had a high fidelity prototype, sketch was first step to create interface. Sketch tool takes my imaginative mind and I can start thinking about the user experience. Also, it allowed me to visualize the screen-to-screen interaction so that my idea was something that’s visible and clear in user interface form. Sketch transferred wireframes to interfaces and allowed me to develop visual design such as color, styling and fonts.
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INVISION
To prototype the interface, I would need to design animation and flow by using principle. Principle helped me to link each interface fluently and demonstrates important functionality. I also used Invision to test interfaces’ and checked their consistency and logicality.
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PRINCIPLE
For the final stage of prototyping, I used principle to finish designing animation. It enhanced the concept model of showing fridge chef automatically detect foods, hidden foods and how to store foods properly. And I arranged for a friend to stand in front of actual size fridge’s screen to have a user experience, while I filmed and directed.
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REFLECTION
After testing with many users and listen to their different suggestion and ideas. I consider deeply about what should be improved, both pros and cons that our product has. Also, use suitable software is really important to show my design.
Firstly, to design a new product, I should follow steps which is problem to solution. Writing down the design brief helps me to know design concepts and create wireframes and interfaces. User tests are extremely important because feedback will help me to improve the product, give the visual effect and prove animation effect and better flow. Keeping the information bar as clear as possible and avoid functionalities that already had been designed now, or can be accomplished by other devices.
Secondly, the AI system might connect with different even more devices in ways that further benefit users in daily life. Also, it may build up a connection between multiple hardware devices between laptop and other home furniture to extend functionality fields.
Finally, to test my final design by using real size prototypes are necessary because they are closer to the actual device. Working with teammates and lister to users advices are really important to design a better product.
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Obstacle
Firstly, I designed four concepts based on problems. Then, I tested the first around with few users, however; they implied those four concepts were too complicated. Therefore, I didn't know which concept should I focus on and what should I get rid of.
Secondly, I chose Invision to test interfaces flow which was not appropriate. Because it was iPad size which user couldn't have fully experience. It was hard for me to decide which correct software to use. In the beginning, I designed the homepage ( shown on the right side) but it was not really useful according to the design concept.
Finally, the design screen is too big to making the same prototype. It's so hard to make the actual size's screen for user to do the test. I needed to find the same size's TV, then pretended that to be the same size of fridge's screen.
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IMPORTANT DECISION
After doing user tests, analyzing results and feedback. I made a important decision which was get rid of cooking and shopping as main features, and focus on Fridge view function because it was more fridge-based, innovative than existing product and had direct interactions between users and fridge. Fridge Chef makes your kitchen the center of your home. With the Fridge Chef users can better organize the food, reduce food waste and have a healthy diet which back to the design brief.
