Smart Kitchen

Kitchen Safety Research

Scope:

Explored through various causes behind the kitchen fires. Analyzed the types of kitchen appliances that ignite a fire. 

Fire Safety in Kitchen Video

Fire Kitchen Safety Video Analysis

• Ensuring people to remember not to leave appliances unattended while turned on

• Remove objects blocking the kitchen appliances that may ignite the fire

Stat Analysis

• Gathered insights and a chart on the key issues that start a fire, cause deaths, and injuries

• The number one issue that occurred is the equipment was unattended while turned on

Kitchen Appliance Information

• In each appliance, debris needs cleaning

• Specific items that are allowed and not allowed within each kitchen appliance

Key Target User

• One of the primary target users are young adults especially working moms

Recommendation

• Provide information about kitchen safety towards consumers

• Showcase the various types of kitchen warnings that cause fires to inform consumers

• Alert when a kitchen appliance is unattended

UX Design

• Based on the recommendations, create a persona and customer journey map of a working moms’ current experience in the kitchen

• Design wireframes and digital prototype

Results

Research

Here is the chart on the stats of Home Cooking Equipment Fires from the National Fire Protection Association. The highest amount of cooking fires occur when people don't pay attention to the appliances or equipment. It is where a solution needs development in preventing future kitchen fires.

Kitchen Appliance Info

Stove and the Oven

People put an oversized pot on the burner, which can fall and spill hot boiling water on them. It leads to severe burns on their skin. There is an overflowing amount of food in the pot. It can spill over the burners, which could eventually start a fire. Avoid wearing loose clothing while cooking. It brings fire to it. There is a large amount of debris in the burners. Sometimes, people forget to turn off the burners and the oven. It starts a fire. Unusual gas smells can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Dishwasher

It is possible people can put the wrong detergent in the dishwasher that can cause leaks around the kitchen, which would eventually start a kitchen fire. People can overload the dishwasher, which could ruin the motor function that can cause a fire. Forgetting to clean the debris over time can even start a fire.

Toaster Ovens and Toaster

Toaster Ovens are one of the top 5 leading causes of kitchen fires. The causes are due to faulty wiring. Toaster ovens located under a kitchen cabinet are the worst area due to steam causing burns on them. People forget to unplug the toaster oven. They can forget to remove the toaster oven and toaster plugs. Some people add butter to the bread before toasting is another danger for a fire to start.

Microwaves

People heat wrong things or flammable material in a microwave, such as articles, metals, plastics, Styrofoam boxes, etc. People are unaware of closing the microwave door. They may not remove lids or plastics from containers when heating food. They also forget to clean the microwave over time and unplug it.

User Persona

According to the target market research, I designed the persona on Sketch that best presents a use case story of a busy working mom. The fictional character Ariel faces a tough time balancing her kitchen management and her busy life with a family and her career. It was an opportunity to develop the kitchen safety app. 

Customer Journey Map

As for the customer journey map, I designed the customer journey map on a sketch that best presents the highlights and pain points on what Ariel went through in managing her kitchen.

Key Pain Points

• People are unaware of kitchen appliances were turned on. It led to the burning pasta and the burnt coffee smell

• Unable to figure out safety problems with the dishwasher

Key Opportunities

• Notified on when the kitchen appliance is turned off or on

• Info on managing major kitchen disasters regarding appliances

Design

Low-Fidelity

I designed the low-fidelity app through Adobe Photoshop and in Apple Keynote. I used the new opportunities from the research to create the features in the Smart Kitchen app. The menu of the app showcases the Kitchen Appliances, Kitchen Safety Information, and Strategies for Cleaning. The Kitchen Appliances' menu lists the most common appliances used in a kitchen. 

High-Fidelity Prototype

After a series of iterations, I created the high-fidelity app of Smart Kitchen on Adobe XD. Here is a YouTube video presenting the interactions of the app. 

Learning Outcomes

• I learned the types of disasters that occur behind kitchen appliances for igniting a kitchen fire. 

• I was new to using Sketch for conducting persona and a customer journey map which was a learning curve. 

• One of the challenges I faced when designing the app was understanding how to present the amount of debris in each kitchen appliance.