Feature Focus: How CoChefy’s Daily Cooking Game Drives Habit-Building and Engagement
At CoChefy, our mission is simple: help people cook more often, waste less food, and feel confident in the kitchen. But building that habit requires more than smart features — it requires daily engagement.
That’s why CoChefy includes a unique element you don’t normally see in cooking apps: a daily cooking word game.
No fluff, no random mini-games — just a well-designed engagement feature built with intention.
Why a Game Exists Inside a Cooking App
During our early product discussions, one question kept coming up:
“How do we bring users back every single day — even on days they’re not cooking?”
The answer was gamification.
Not the superficial kind — but the kind grounded in proven UX principles:
- Increase daily active users (DAU)
- Strengthen habit formation
- Build familiarity with cooking terminology
- Create a lightweight, fun reason to open the app
- Earn rewards that can later evolve into unlockable content
For users who are still learning their way around cooking, the game acts as a friendly, low-pressure bridge into the culinary world.
How the Daily Cooking Game Works
Each day, users get one new cooking-related word to guess.
To make the experience fun, rewarding, and educational, the game includes:
✅ 20% of the letters revealed upfront
These letters appear grayed out — a small hint to get users started without overwhelming them.
✅ Three cooking-themed clues released throughout the day
Clues are designed to teach real culinary concepts.
Example: “You do this to onions to enhance flavor.”
✅ Real-time validation with green and red letters
Green = correct letter in the correct position
Red = incorrect letter
Instant feedback helps reinforce memory and learning.
✅ Native Sharing Feature Built In
Once users solve the word, they can share their results instantly using the device’s native sharing system —
Messages, WhatsApp, Instagram Stories, Twitter (X), anything.
The format is optimized for quick bragging rights and encourages organic growth.
✅ Points you can earn daily
These points will soon be tied to rewards like bonus recipes, unlockable content, or seasonal challenges.
The Game Helps CoChefy With More Than Entertainment
For us, the game is not a “feature for the sake of features.”
It solves real product challenges:
1. Retention
Users come back daily — even when they aren’t cooking.
That consistency is what transforms a useful app into a sticky one.
2. Onboarding Non-Cooks
Culinary terms can be intimidating.
Learning them through clues is far easier (and more fun) than reading a glossary.
3. Habit-Building Through Positive Feedback Loops
A daily win — even a small one — stimulates dopamine and encourages the user to come back tomorrow.
4. Future Monetization & Rewards
As CoChefy evolves, points earned in the game will extend into:
- Premium plans
- Swag
- Cooking lessons or guides
- Seasonal challenges
Gamification doesn’t replace the app’s core functionality — it supports it.
Why This Feature Matters From a Product Strategy Perspective
Building a mobile app that survives beyond launch requires more than great features.
It requires:
- Daily habits
- Simple loops
- Emotional hooks
- Quick wins
- Value delivered in seconds
The Daily Cooking Game checks all those boxes while staying on-brand, on-theme, and focused on cooking literacy.
This is exactly the type of product thinking we bring to clients at 10 Grounds — where every feature must earn its place.
Try the Daily Game Yourself
If you want to see how purposeful gamification fits into a real cooking app experience, download CoChefy today:
Missed the earlier posts?
Here’s the journey so far:
- Post #1: From Idea to MVP: How We Designed CoChefy Using a Design Sprint and Figma Prototyping
- Post #2: Launching Our First App: CoChefy Is Live
- Post #3: Feature Focus: Turning Your Pantry into a Recipe Generator
This post is part of our Building CoChefy series.
Next in the series: Building an AI-Powered App on Ruby on Rails and Digital Ocean.
Want to Build Something Like This? Let’s Talk.
CoChefy is the result of thoughtful product design, rapid prototyping, and smart engineering decisions — the same approach we use for every startup and enterprise we partner with.
If you’re exploring an idea, planning an MVP, or looking for a team that understands AI-powered product development, we’d love to help.