Pyra is owned and operated by an independent nutritionist based in Toronto, ON who is in the business of putting her magic touch on traditionally un-healthy recipes - focusing on flavor, ingredients, and convenience.

At the start of this project, Pyra did not have it's own digital property aside from social media feeds that were growing rather rapidly. The brand had accumulated an audience who were eager to learn how to level up recipes that not only taste great and are nutritious, but recipes that are convenient and fun to follow. Though a rather general request, this set the foundation of the project: design an interface that provides direct access to recipes in a way that is easy to discover, easy to follow, and easy to share.

The Approach

Traditional food and recipe websites are often associated with an abundance of ads and equal parts scrolling to view a recipe before a user makes the decision on whether or not they would like to use it. The approach for Pyra was unique, where author notes would be limited and the recipe would sit above the fold - organized into digestible contents that allow beginner to advanced chefs and bakers to follow a recipe with the least amount of friction possible. Recipes would be organized in a way that would be easy for users to navigate across the site, with the ability to refine and filter out by dietary needs and mainstream allergens.

User research was initiated with the following criteria that met the brand audience:
Number of participants - 60
Geographics of participants - USA + CA
Demographics of participants - Male + Female, 22-46 years of age
Psychographic - Nutrition, Health, Vegan, Keto, Gluten-Free
Interests - Baking, Cooking, Takeout

The following observations were found:

1. Recipes that are not associated with a difficulty tag (easy, difficult, etc.) lead to a decline in user trust as it affects duration of recipe and outcome of meal based on skill level.
2. Users that do not often cook need more steps that are broken down into digestible instructions.
3. Ingredients that are not accessible or are more expensive can lead to the abandonment of a recipe.
4. Not have an alternative suggestion for ingredients that meet dietary needs lead to frustration and a lack of inclusiveness.
5. Majority of users would prefer to bi-pass all additional copy that does not relate to the recipe itself when viewing a recipe on an interface.

The Focus

Inclusiveness - Ensure recipes are organized in a variety of categories and are tagged respectively to better cater to the interests of various sets of users - dietary, difficulty, price-point

Information Architecture - Ensure the contents of the website are arranged in a way that provides users with a frictionless and efficient experience and allows them to achieve their goal on the interface

Navigation - Strive for flat navigation that have a maximum of three levels to ensure users can efficiently navigate across the interface and back-step as needed.

The Work

Client: Pyra Co.

Focus: Creative Direction, User Experience, User Interface

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