Recipe websites, data modeling, and user experience

Simeon Griggs with some nice UX ideas for a recipe website:

• No math. Swap between units and adjust servings on-the-fly.
• Offer alternative ingredients.
• Re-list the ingredient amounts when they’re referenced in the instructions.

I totally agree, especially on that last one:

Of all our improvements I think this is my favourite.

A typical recipe layout contains ingredients with amounts at the start. Then, a bullet point list of instructions to perform the method.

The method though typically does not reference those amounts again, so if you don’t prepare all your amounts ahead of time (which is what you’re probably supposed to do but come on who does that) you’ll have to keep scanning back and forward.

Part of what makes this stuff possible is how you set up the data model. For example, an ingredient might be an Array instead of a String so that you’re set up for offering alternatives right out of the gate.

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