What is Recipe Finder
The Washington Post has completely rebuilt its recipe platform, replacing the 2013 version with a modern, user-focused design. With over 10,000 recipes in one place, it streamlines browsing, planning, organizing, and cooking into a seamless and intuitive experience.
Proven Impact:
What we achieved together
Challenges I worked through
Users must navigate multiple disconnected platforms to discover, collect, and cook recipes, instead of accessing an all-in-one solution.
The platform lacks community features like recipe ratings or comments, limiting user interaction and connection.
Outdated search tools, lacking filtering and sorting capabilities, make it challenging for users to find and discover evergreen recipes.
How I turned problems into solutions
Provided users with tools to search, save, organize, and connect within one unified recipe platform to create a seamless experience.
Enhancing user recipe rating and commenting features fostered community engagement.
Upgraded search tools with filtering and sorting, enabling users to find desired recipes fast.
Attracted readers by blending hard news with soft content like recipes, broadening the platform’s reach..
My design process
I used the Discover, Ideate, Design, Validate, and Launch framework while hand-picking the best methods for each phase to benefit both users and the business.
Opportunity map:
I used an Opportunity Map to analyze user needs through the lens of the habit loop. This was a key part of my user research and played a crucial role in shaping features that delivered meaningful value to both the product and its users.
Feature Comparison Chart:
Analyzed features across five major recipe platforms to pinpoint improvement areas for The Post and spot trends.
Stakeholder workshop:
Involving partners early in the process—often through facilitated workshops—is a key milestone in my design approach.
Final designs:
Through prototyping and user testing, I helped bridge the gap between assumptions and reality. I believe in the importance of exploring, communicating, and iterating early—long before committing to full development.
Lesson learned
Users seek a simple, intuitive experience—especially in cooking. Defining and prioritizing core, high-impact features that streamline their daily workflow was essential to driving engagement and long-term adoption.
Community matters. Features like ratings and comments made users feel connected and encouraged them to return.
We learned that search isn’t just about showing results—it’s about giving users relevance and control. Adding better filters and sorting made discovery faster and more satisfying.
Check out the live site
Experience The Washington Post's Recipe Finder!