The Need: A mobile software that integrates with professional-grade hardware

Cooking hardware company Lavatools brought food thermometers into the 21st century with ultra-high accuracy sensors, magnetic backs and stands, Bluetooth capabilities, and illuminated displays. But they wanted to go further: They envisioned a thermometer that can assist chefs by sending notifications to another device chefs also use constantly — the smartphone. Lavatools already had the professional-grade hardware, and they needed mobile software that could help chefs and food enthusiasts set alarms, create recipe libraries, and concoct their own cooking settings. Lavatools initially engaged Oursky for a design project, but after it began, Lavatools decided to work with Oursky for app development.

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Oursky’s Strategy: Design an app for smart thermometer

Oursky’s design team worked with Lavatools’ sample user stories to develop a user flow, wireframe, mockup, and clickable prototype. The work focused on a modern interface that answers the needs of professional chefs but is still user-friendly enough for home cooks and foodies to use.

After the design phase, we created an iOS app that uses Bluetooth technology to connect to a proprietary, IoT food thermostat that tracks cooking temperature. The app takes information from the smart device to precisely calculate the time left for cooking given a temperature reading. Afterward, we continued working with an Android version of the app.

The tech stack used for this project included Bluetooth LTE, Objective C for iOS, and Java for Android.

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The Result: A feature-packed digital food thermometer

Our work with Lavatools proved how bluetooth technology and hardware integration can still be a work of art — for foodies and chefs alike. Lavatools’ products have received 4+ star reviews on Amazon from over 3,000 users and has been featured in publications such as Serious Eats and Your Best Digs.