Case Study
Chef In —
App Development
A closed-loop booking flow that turns “I want a private chef” into a paid reservation in minutes.
View project
The Challenge
Hong Kong's no-cook culture meets a market that moves food—not cooks.
~80%
Busy, kitchen-shy
rarely cook under work pressure
59.3%
Eat-out vs healthy
eat out 4+ days/week, 62% hard to eat healthier out
Market gap
Delivery moves food, not cooks.
HKet 2019 · On.cc 2016
The Process
01 Research
Personas on both sides: diners (Ricky, Ada) and chefs (Daniel) mapped as one marketplace.
Ricky (Diner)
Busy teacher who can’t cook; wants healthy home meals without takeout fatigue.
Ada (Diner)
Host family gatherings; tired of cooking marathons and timed restaurant seats.
Daniel (Chef)
Hotel chef building a personal brand; wants flexible gigs and extra income.
02 Product
Search → customise meal → book → pay, plus live lessons and trust signals (verify, reviews).
System Architecture & User Flows
03 System
Brand, mascot, and a Figma design system built to scale.
The Impact
Validated end-to-end booking flows and a hi-fi Figma prototype before build.
Clarified a two-sided marketplace: diner convenience and chef autonomy in one product.