Cookpad is a community-driven recipe app where users share, discover, and cook meals. A common frustration arises when users want to try a recipe but are missing one or two ingredients. Often, this stops them from cooking the recipe altogether.
Home cooks are resourceful — many will look for alternatives (e.g., lime instead of lemon, yogurt instead of sour cream), but searching externally or guessing can break the flow of cooking. If Cookpad could surface substitution suggestions directly in the recipe, it would keep users engaged and cooking.
Reduce recipe drop-offs when users don’t have all the ingredients.
Increase user trust in Cookpad as a practical, “real kitchen” companion.
Drive more engagement with community knowledge and cooking tips.
Primary: Home cooks who want to try recipes but often lack certain ingredients.
Secondary: Beginner cooks who are unsure how to substitute properly and need clear guidance.
Users abandon recipes when they don’t have all the ingredients, because there is no easy, reliable way to see substitutions within the app.
Design a Smart Ingredient Substitution feature that:
Detects when a user is missing or unsure about an ingredient.
Suggests suitable substitutions (e.g., milk instead of cream, tofu instead of chicken for vegetarians).
Integrates smoothly into the recipe experience, without cluttering or overwhelming.
Must work within the existing recipe detail view.
Substitutions should be accessible in just 1–2 taps.
Keep the design simple enough to support both novice and advanced cooks.