Chefkoochooloo | My Site 1

Chef koochooloo

Designing website and App for Teaching STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) through cooking

View website link

About Chef koochooloo

Chef Koochooloo is a gamified app that helps teach STEAM (science technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) through healthy cooking and dynamic technology, their vision is to improve the health, happiness, and learning of children worldwide.

OVERVIEW

In my role, I focused on research and usability testing for this project. Our team's hard work led to a significant achievement: securing a $1 million grant to enhance our gaming app. We refined the app through various research phases, making substantial improvements. While this summary provides an overview, our research efforts extended beyond this study, highlighting the extensive scope of our work. I'm available to provide more details and address any inquiries. This project showcases our commitment to innovation and delivering impactful solutions.

Our two months design sprint was divided into five stages: It should be noted that iteration is essential at every stage.

2 months

Group of 6

UX Researcher

Problem

Inadequate motivation and awareness stop students' adoption of healthy food choices, impacting their overall well-being.
Limited knowledge of healthy foods and ingredients reduces interest and understanding of nutritious meals among students.
Current education struggles to seamlessly integrate STEM concepts with real-world applications, diminishing practical relevance.
Neglect of health conditions like Celiac Disease in educational materials creates a lack of inclusivity and support for students with unique nutritional needs.

Goal

Healthy Eating Promotion:
Design incentives promoting healthy food choices within the game.
Healthy Foods Recognition and Awareness
Create engaging ways to teach healthy food names and characteristics.
User-Friendly Interface for Children:
Craft an intuitive, visually appealing interface for young users.
Integration of STEM Learning:
Develop modules blending STEM concepts with cooking and nutrition.
Health Conditions Consideration:
Address specific health conditions like Celiac Disease in content and design.
Age-Appropriate Language and Communication:
Use language and communication styles suitable for young learners.

Design Process

Define

Primary Research

Our initial phase involved comprehensive primary research, with a primary focus on understanding the nutritional habits of students in grades K-5. Recognizing that a solid foundation in nutrition is essential for overall growth, health, and cognitive development, we conducted interviews with 30 teachers and approximately 60 students. The findings revealed a startling gap in basic nutritional knowledge, particularly concerning the identification and awareness of simple vegetables among students.

Many students admitted to not knowing the names of common vegetables, and some were even unfamiliar with their existence. This lack of awareness raised concerns about the dietary choices made by students, as an affinity for unhealthy food was prevalent. It became evident that these eating habits could significantly impact their growth, and health, and ultimately hinder the learning process.

Expert Consultations:

To gain deeper insights into the ramifications of these dietary habits, we engaged in interviews with professionals in the field of pediatric health. Conversations with a pediatric nutritionist, Venus, highlighted the need for a multifaceted approach in our app design. Key takeaways from her insights included a focus on user-friendly design, inclusive content, and catering to specific health conditions such as Celiac Disease.

Venus emphasized the importance of translating health and nutritional information into language that resonates with children. Her recommendations included incorporating a variety of meals and recipes while ensuring expert reviews to guarantee nutritional value. Additionally, she suggested integrating information from reputable sources such as FARE, USDA, NIH, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Feature Enhancements:

One notable feature request emerged from the discussions with Venus – the incorporation of a reference page for transparency. This addition aimed to provide users with a clear understanding of the nutritional information and sources underpinning the app's content, instilling trust among both parents and educators.

In summary, our primary research illuminated a critical need for educational interventions that not only promote STEM learning but also address the fundamental nutritional awareness and habits of young students. The insights from teachers, students, and healthcare professionals laid the groundwork for the development of Nourish Quest, a web app poised to make a positive impact on the overall well-being and educational journey of the next generation.

Interview

In our UX research interviews, we talked with teachers, students, parents, and experts. We asked them open-ended questions to learn about their experiences and what they needed from the product. Their answers gave us important insights into the problems they faced and how we could improve our design to meet their needs. By listening carefully to what they said, we got a clear picture of what they wanted. This helped us make smart decisions about how to move forward with our project.

Takeaways from Interviews:

Parents emphasize the importance of their children consuming healthier food options.
Teachers and experts highlight the negative impacts of unhealthy eating habits, including depression, obesity, and poor academic performance.
To encourage children to try different healthy foods, we need to create an engaging experience through well-designed interfaces.
By associating positive experiences with healthy food through our web app, we can psychologically attract children to healthier choices, leveraging the power of memorable experiences to foster better eating habits.

Competitive analysis

In our competitive analysis for the case study, we evaluated various education apps and websites, uncovering a significant gap in their approach. Most existing platforms primarily focus on academic subjects, neglecting crucial aspects such as STEAM education and nutrition advocacy. Recognizing the importance of a holistic educational experience, we identified an opportunity to integrate STEAM concepts and promote healthy nutrition habits within our platform. By addressing these overlooked areas, we aim to not only enhance children's academic learning but also empower them with essential skills and knowledge for their overall well-being.

After conducting primary research, we provided the data to our UI design team, and they began designing the first version of the game. Subsequently, our research team collaborated with them in usability testing and collected data for later iterations.

iCivics Research:

iCivics is a non-profit organization offering free educational resources, including games and lesson plans, to enhance civics education in schools.

Research Questions:

How do other learning-focused games and applications center engagement and foster collaborative environments while maintaining high educational standards?
How do engaging applications balance fun with assessment?
How can these design elements be feasibly integrated into the Chef Koochooloo (CK) platform?

Insights from Existing Educational Games:

Race to Ratify Research:

Introduction

Race to Ratify is a history word RPG game designed for grades 6-12. The game drops students in the middle of a debate on the U.S. Constitution, empowering them to choose a side, talk to NPCs to gather opinions and influence the direction of the nation by publishing pamphlets. Students must think critically and respond to the interviewees to persuade them.

Immigration Nation Research

Introduction

In Immigration Nation, players will help guide newcomers along their path to citizenship. Players will gain knowledge of a character through conversation and decide whether or not he/she can enter the U.S.

Academics' Educational Games Research

example game: https://www.arcademics.com/games/martian-hoverboards

Academics' Games has a catalog of educational games that use fast-paced multiple-choice questions in a multiplayer setting. In Martian Hoverboards, four teams of 2 compete by evaluating expressions using order of operations. Correct answers progress the team further in the race.
This fast-paced multiple-choice format is very versatile and can be adapted to a variety of different subjects + different grade levels. The multiplayer aspect provides teachers with the opportunity to make playtime a group or collaborative experience. The competition aspect gives students more of an incentive to win (which, in turn, increases their desire to answer the questions correctly)
Academics' defines the content, standards, and grades that the game targets, making it easy for teachers to select what game best fits their needs.

Chef Koochooloo Adaptation:

A theme for a Chef Koochooloo multiplayer game can have students competing to “cook a dish.” These dishes can require 10-15 steps. Answering questions correctly can result in “completing a new step.” The setting for the game can put students “inside a kitchen.”

Future Collaborations with iCivics:

1. Ancient Civilization-centered Cooking Lessons:

Leveraging CK's platform to teach recipes and cooking techniques from historical civilizations, aligning with the 6th-grade curriculum.
Weekly lessons spanning 8 weeks covering civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, and Ancient Greece.

2. American Decade-inspired Cooking Lessons:

Developing lesson plans around popular recipes from different American decades, enriching 7th and 8th-grade history curriculum.
Weekly lessons spanning 8-9 weeks featuring recipes from each decade, accompanied by historical context.

3. Constitution-themed Integration:

Integrating CK with constitutional rules or amendments, where each rule unlocks a recipe teaching a new cooking technique.
Incorporating historical narratives related to ingredients, such as the origin of apples in Colonial America, to deepen learning experiences.

Key Takeaway:

By drawing insights from successful educational games and collaborating with organizations like iCivics, Chef Koochooloo can enhance its platform with engaging features and educational content, fostering a dynamic learning environment for students.

Research on the Usability of the Prototype and Initial Feasibility:

In this phase, qualitative and quantitative data will be gathered to assess the user experience and feasibility of Chef Koochooloo's new game-based application in the classroom setting. This will include:

Classroom Observation/Experiment:

Conducting 10 classroom observations each for the intervention and control groups (total n=240), focusing on the user experience and learning progress.
Observations moderated by a principal user researcher.
Assessing the impact of Chef Koochooloo's game-based application on learning progress compared to paper-based curriculum.
Utilizing an observational checklist to evaluate curricular content learning.

Pre-Class and Post-Class Tests:

Administering pre-course and post-course tests to both intervention and control groups (n=240).
Questionnaires and open-ended interviews were used to assess students' knowledge of curricular content.
Testing for increased learning outcomes due to the educational technology.

Parent Weekly Diaries:

Recruiting parents of participating students to complete weekly diaries and surveys.
Gathering qualitative and quantitative data on behavioral changes and learning progress.

Teacher Bi-weekly Questionnaire:

Collecting bi-weekly questionnaires from participating teachers.
Combining rating scales and open-ended questions to evaluate usability and effectiveness of the game-based application and curriculum.

Procedures:

Addressing potential issues such as student dropouts and technology failures.
Removing records of dropped-out students from the study.
Recruiting 12 students for each group to ensure data sufficiency.
Having additional tablets available for replacement in case of technology failures.

Resources:

Access to classrooms at participating elementary schools.
Requirement of 5 iPads, 5 Android tablets, and 5 A/V recording devices for classroom observation sessions.
Initial pilot usability testing was performed on iPads.
Final usability testing of education technology on Android tablets.
Tablets and recording devices are set up by the Technology Coordinator before each session.

Iterations:

After our research, we conducted 12 iterations on our app, and I've highlighted 5 of them below:

An MVP, or Minimum Viable Product, is the simplest version of a product released to collect user feedback and validate assumptions.

Research and Discovery

Customer Research

Conducted interviews with 30 teachers from various schools.
Key findings included the need for more engaging recipes, nutrition content, video demonstrations, and enhanced feedback mechanisms.

Planning of New Features and Content

Gamification approach for recipes, visual storytelling for country descriptions, nutrition label gamification, video creation for each recipe, and feedback mechanism enhancement were planned.

In summary, the project concludes on a high note of success. We obtained a substantial $1 million grant to improve our gaming app and undertook various research phases. Each step provided valuable insights, refining our product along the way. While I've simplified the details for brevity, I'm available to address any questions you may have. This project highlights our commitment to innovation and our capability to deliver impactful solutions.

What Did I learn from this project?

Deepened understanding of user-centered design principles through extensive research and iterative testing.
Learned to integrate interdisciplinary concepts like nutrition education and STEM seamlessly into UX design.
Developed strong collaborative skills by working with diverse team members from education, nutrition, and development backgrounds.
Cultivated adaptability and resilience in addressing challenges, refining solutions based on feedback to enhance user experience.

What can we do next?

Conduct further user testing and iterate on design based on feedback to continuously improve user experience.
Explore opportunities for expanding app features or content to enhance engagement and learning outcomes.
Stay updated on advancements in nutrition education, STEM learning, and UX design to inform future iterations and innovations.
Consider avenues for scaling the app's reach and impact, such as partnerships with schools or educational organizations.