Microsoft Global hackathon 2025
ADAPTIVE DIGITAL COOKBOOK
Improved accessibility by simplifying text-heavy recipes for users with varying literacy levels, empowering young adults with special needs to cook independently.
Team
2 Designers, 2 Product Managers, 6 Engineers
My Role
Product Designer
Timeline
September 15 – September 22 (1 week)
Tools
Figma, Slack, Notion
For the Microsoft Global Hackathon, I collaborated with a large cross-functional team of students to build a mobile-friendly web application for Rise DC, a nonprofit that supports young adults with special needs.
The goal of the project was to digitize Rise DC’s existing adaptive physical cookbook and create a more accessible, scalable way for participants to learn important life skills, such as cooking.
My Role as the Product Designer
Led the design of two core features: Interactive recipe tutorials & creating recipes
Owned the adaptive cookbook experience end-to-end
Collaborated with another designer on the recipe creation feature
BACKGROUND
Rise DC is a nonprofit that helps young adults with special needs build independence by providing accessible resources and life-skills support. Their services include occupational therapy, job readiness training, and everyday skills like cooking.
Cooking is an important step toward independence, but the tools participants were using were difficult to follow and not well suited to their needs.
Our Users
Young adults with special needs
Literacy levels ranging from non-reader to kindergarten level
Supported by Rise DC staff, parents, and guardians
Their Frustrations
Traditional recipe tutorials:
Rely heavily on text
Present too many steps at once
Lack visual guidance
Easily cause cognitive overload
Rise DC attempted to address this by creating a physical adaptive cookbook with simplified instructions, but:
Adding new recipes was time-consuming and costly
Updates required printing and laminating new pages
The format wasn’t scalable
Prototype of Rise DC's Adapted Recipe
THE CHALLENGE:
How might we translate Rise DC’s adaptive physical cookbook into a digital experience that supports simple, accessible learning for users with diverse literacy levels without overwhelming them?
THE SOLUTION
Simple & Interactive Recipe Tutorials & Add Recipe Feature
DESIGN GOALS
Support independence through guided, step-by-step cooking
Reduce cognitive overload
Prioritize visual learning over text
Ensure accessibility for users with varying abilities
Allow staff and participants to easily add new recipes
RESEARCH & CONSTRAINTS
Given the one-week timeline, I focused on asking the right questions early rather than extensive formal research. I worked closely with nonprofit stakeholders to understand:
Where participants struggled most
How instructions should be paced
Accessibility needs beyond basic WCAG compliance
Key insight:
Participants do best with one-step-at-a-time instructions. Seeing too much information at once is overwhelming.
Feature 1: Simplified Recipe Tutorials
Problem: Listing all recipe steps on one page caused confusion and overload.
Solution: I designed an interactive, step-by-step recipe tutorial that guides users through cooking one action at a time.
I referenced existing accessible solutions (such as Accessible Chef) to understand what worked well and why users responded positively to simplicity.
Key Design Decisions
Large visuals paired with simple language
One step per screen to reduce cognitive load
Minimal motion to avoid distraction
Clear “Next” actions to guide progress
Large touch targets for mobile accessibility
Text-to-speech option so users can hear instructions aloud
Feature 2: Adding a Recipe
Problem: Rise DC needed a faster way to add new recipes without printing and manual updates.
Solution: A step-by-step recipe creation flow
Design Shift
Initial Assumption: The recipe creation flow would only be used by staff.
After further discussion with the nonprofit, I proposed designing the experience so participants could also add their own recipes, with support from staff or guardians. This aligned with Rise DC’s mission of fostering independence.
Rather than creating separate interfaces, the flow was designed to support different users through both clarity and flexibility.
Key Design Decisions
Strong visual cues paired with optional text
Simple, guided inputs instead of complex forms
Shared experience usable by both staff and participants
Accessibility Considerations
Accessibility was a core priority throughout the project. I focused on:
High contrast and color clarity (validated using Stark)
Visual-first design with optional text
Text-to-speech for instructions
Clear calls to action
Reduced motion and predictable transitions
testing & feedback
Due to the tight timeline:
I shared interactive Figma prototypes with the nonprofit for feedback
Iterated on language clarity and interaction details
My teammates presented a live demo at Microsoft’s Reston Garage, where participants tested the app in person
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with minor refinements suggested around wording and clarity.
Feedback from Staff at Rise DC
what i learned
Accessibility Requires Humility
I learned that accessibility goes far beyond contrast checks. It requires humility, listening, and iteration with experts and stakeholders. Designing for accessibility means listening to those with lived experience and being open to revising assumptions.
Focus on Impact Over Polish
With limited time, prioritizing usability and clarity mattered more than perfect visual refinement.
THE OUTCOME
In just one week, our team delivered a scalable, accessible digital cookbook that:
Supports independent learning
Reduces cognitive overload
Enables easier recipe updates
Aligns closely with Rise DC’s mission
Most of all, I enjoyed making an impact for users through inclusive & acessible design :)
Presenting the app to the kids and staff at RISE DC
