Pure Seasons
Seasonal cooking made simple
Role
Sole Product Designer
Timeline
6 weeks (mobile-first → desktop)
Tools
Figma · Adobe CC
Project
CareerFoundry capstone
Challenge
Turn cooking into a one-glance experience. No hidden steps or hard-to-find ingredients.
Target
Budget and eco-conscious cooks who plan meals and want ingredient clarity up front.
Solution
A responsive recipe web app that surfaces peak-season, budget-friendly dishes and shows every ingredient up front. Cooks save money, avoid waste, and feel confident before they hit the store.
95 % task-completion
19 of 20 core tasks (find, swap, save) finished unaided in hi-fi usability tests
40 % faster ingredient discovery
Average 90 s → 55 s
100 % weekly-use intent
Every tester said they’d return at least once a week
n = 6 usability participants
The gap
67 % of interviewees felt overwhelmed by hidden ingredients or out-of-season prices, and all relied on reviews to avoid recipe flops. No competitor combined seasonal focus with simple planning tools.
100%
Budget rules every choice. All 6 users said cost is the first filter when picking a recipe.
33%
1 in 3 struggle with diets, 2 of 6 couldn’t find recipes that matched their dietary needs.
67%
Hidden ingredients = drop-off. 4 of 6 abandoned recipes when lists came too late.
100%
Reviews = trust signal. Every user relied on ratings before trying something new.
Three pivotal moves
Season-smart recipes
Every dish is built around ingredients at peak season, cost-friendly and fresher by default. Testers called it a “no-guess saver.”
Quick Check Banner
Puts cook-time and rating front-and-center so users can trust a recipe and gauge effort. Cutting decision time by 40% for users.
Allergen & Substitutes Swaps
One-tap alternatives turned “can’t cook this” into “I’m in.” Five of six testers used it unprompted.
Sprint
Focus
Outcome
1
Empathize / Define – 3 app scans (competitive analysis)
Pain points mapped
2
Paper prototype
Early tests revealed hidden actions
3
Mid-fi mobile test – 6 users
Success rose to 80 %
4
Hi-fi + desktop
Success hit 95 %, branding finalized
Learnings
Above-the-fold matters
Quick Check alone cut search time nearly in half.
One-person sprint
Lean feedback loops + a strict MVP kept momentum high.
Next up
Zip-code produce map + local-farmer partnerships to extend the eco loop.
Ready to turn complex problems into simple, human-centered experiences?
© 2025 by IvanAtlas