Welcome to underCOOK'D by Hachitects

Inspiration of underCOOK'D

As university students, we often struggle with deciding what to cook for each meal, especially with limited time and budget. This challenge not only wastes time on researching recipes but also leads to food waste due to overlooking expiration dates and failing to manage our food stock effectively. That's why we came up with the idea for underCOOK'D. It's a tool specifically designed to help university students efficiently plan their weekly cooking recipes and reduce food waste. With this meal planner, students can significantly improve their lives and optimise their resources. Therefore, we've chosen the TECHLIFE CONVENIENCE theme for this hackathon, aiming to enhance student life with innovative solutions.

What underCOOK'D does

underCOOK'D is an incredibly powerful meal planner that can provide students with weekly meal plans based on the ingredients they currently have. Our platform generates recipes that include information about the ingredients list, quantities based on serving sizes, cooking time, and the level of difficulty. These meal plans are designed to cater to their preferences, dietary restrictions, and the equipment students have available. With this information, students can easily choose the recipes that fit their needs and start cooking right away.

How we built it

The core framework of underCOOK'D is constructed using React for the front-end and back-end and integrated with MongoDB to manage recipe data. Our project commenced with the creation of UX/UI designs using Figma, aligning with our strategy of showcasing concepts through web pages. The algorithm for suggesting recipes is based on the provided ingredients and the serving sizes, and our website will present you with a personalised list of recipes for the week. Sounds great, doesn't it? You don't need to spend any time figuring out what to cook! How sweet!

Challenges we ran into

When running a project, we are bound to face several challenges along the way. The first challenge we faced after we decided on our project topic was determining the algorithm and identifying the unique features that would differentiate our design from other existing products. The second challenge was figuring out how to implement our ideas. This was the biggest challenge we ran into during this project due to limited time and familiarity with the programming languages required for the project.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are thrilled to have accomplished so much in just three days! Our team has put a great deal of effort into designing our website, ensuring it looks professional and user-friendly. As demonstrated in our video demo, the underCOOK'D website is both aesthetically pleasing and functional. We hope every user can have the best experience with our services! In addition, our recommendation algorithm is simple and versatile enough to adjust to any changes in the future. We are proud of our ideas for underCOOK'D and are excited to announce that our team has completed a basic version of the website. Well done!

What we learned

During the 3-day hackathon, we had to work against the clock. Therefore, effective time management was crucial to ensure that we completed the entire project on time. Learning the necessary programming languages or development tools within a short period was the most significant challenge we faced. In addition, we discovered that standardising the workflow was immensely helpful in reducing errors and improving the project's overall efficiency. Our teamwork was instrumental in achieving these milestones.

What's next for underCOOK'D

With limited time, our team managed to show the basic concept with the initial version of underCOOK'D. However, here are some improvements to be considered in the future:

Enhance the algorithm by adding more restrictions such as cooking time, levels of difficulty, dietary restrictions, cost considerations, and required equipment to offer users a more personalised recipe selection experience.
Optimize the order of recipes in the list by incorporating expiration dates and user preferences using a rating system, improving the overall usability and relevance of suggested recipes.
Develop a visualized weekly meal schedule feature to provide users with a clear overview of their meal plans, enhancing organization and planning capabilities.
Integrate video links for practising recipes directly within the app, offering users a hands-on cooking experience and additional guidance.
Implement categories for recipes based on national cuisines to allow users to explore and discover diverse culinary options easily, catering to varying tastes and preferences.
Implement a nutrient tracking feature to provide users with insights into their dietary intake, enhancing the app's functionality and promoting healthier eating habits.