Development and Evaluation of a Prototype of an Electronic Cookbook

This work is an explorative study on the development and evaluation of a prototype of an electronic cookbook for food preparation. The methods correspond to a large extend to the User Centered Design approach, i. e. first guidelines for product development are derived from a consumer study which reassumes and extends findings from literature. Then, the prototype delivered by the project partner is tested to determine in how far the cooking behaviour is influenced by such a system. On the basis of contemporary research it is deduced that food preparation divides into at least two situations: everyday cooking and cooking for special occasions. In common situations meals are normally prepared within 30 minutes without recipe and under several limitations, as the lack to respect a well-balanced nutrition. In contrast, elaborate meals for special occasions are prepared infrequently and make high demands on knowledge, time and preparation techniques. Durations of two hours of preparation time and the use of recipes are the rule. New recipes are tried out which require unknown ingredients and techniques. The prototype used for the experiments offers functions for quick switching between recipes, easy conversion of ingredient amounts and easy creation of shopping lists to support both everyday and special occasion cooking. By means of two recipes prepared by test persons under observation and under realistic conditions the prototype was tested against a conventional cookbook. In doing so, a method to assess cooking behaviour quantitatively is implemented for the first time.