IVEA
Transforming digital experience for major restaurant group
Background
As a side gig, I worked with IVEA Restaurant Group, a prominent Asian restaurant conglomerate in the DMV area. They needed a modern website to attract investors, franchisees, and "look legit"
What I Did
Restructured information architecture
Designed modern, user-friendly UI
Developed a responsive website layout
Streamlined user flow
Timeline
8 weeks part time
Problem
IVEA's website was outdated and convoluted. It lacked professionalism, and didn't match IVEA's image of fun and fresh dining concepts.
IVEA’s previous website lacked structure and hierarchy, making it difficult for users to navigate or understand what the organization does. Information was buried, inconsistent, and visually disorganized. The website felt more like a vomiting of everything possible instead of an intentional curated experience that inspired and built trust.
Defining the project and scope
Began requirements gathering and creating user insights via client meetings to determine creative direction
How might we…
redesign an overwhelming site into a clear and intuitive experience without losing core content?
It's clear that IVEA offers and manages a lot. We needed to find a way to portray this in a way that felt natural. Users tend to scan when reading online, and we were forcing users to click through individual hub pages.
Discovery
Structuring with intention
To ground the redesign in intention, I started by mapping the existing site structure and identifying pain points in navigation. I helped clarify the website’s primary goals and streamline the experience by merging redundant pages, removing unnecessary content, and minimizing depth to make information more accessible.
current information architecture
too much depth leads to loss of context and interest
doesn't support browsing
hidden information
redesigned information architecture
collaboration with client for alignment on goals
content inventory and removal of superfluous inforatino
balance of breadth and depth
Persona
Creating a targeted persona to better focus priorities
While the client was trying over explain and showcase the depth of expertise IVEA had, it was overwhelming, cumbersome, and inhibited exploration of the site. I created a targeted persona in order to better prioritize what the desired demographic would actually need to see, feel, and know at a glance.
John Luong
34 years old
first time restaurant entrepreneur
Goals
looking for mentorship and backing support (how do I know if what I'm doing is right?)
create a successful restaurant operation that will become self sustaining
design a fresh, trendy, and hip new dining concept
Pain Points
lack of experience in industry
lacks legitimacy
lacks connections in the industry
Key Target Motivation
Need support from people who have a proven track record, but also up to date on current dining trends.
Inital Concepts
Iterating… iterating.. more iterating…
After figuring out the structure, I began trying to figure out the creative direction that would be fitting. I began with some quick rapid prototypes.
My initial concepts featured a bento box style design with Japanese grid line patterns meant to be evocative of IVEA's focus on east Asian dining cuisines, while featuring hip and upscale photography. I also did some early initial color exploration.
Final Design
Emphasis on Media
Not only is the photography and videography bright and fun, it adds to the credibility of the company by highlighting how many people are impacted, the quantity and quality of IVEA's partnered restaurants, and the IVEA's magnitude of impact.
Implied Grid Lines
I arranged the content and media in a grid-box like format to be reminiscent of my original concept ideas of using lines as a nod towards traditional Asian line designs, while keeping the modernity of the images and media.
Making Key Points Easy to see at a Glance
I wanted to call out specifically the key points so users like John could see at a glance that IVEA had the stats, resources, and experience needed to help entrepreneurs like himself.
Full Walk Through
Results
Reduced navigation clutter by 52% and trimmed sub-nav by 62%, making key paths faster to find
Encouraged discoverability and browsing, letting users not be overwhelmed yet still inspired enough to reach out for more information
Ensured AA Accessibility
Ensured that all elements were visible and passed AA contrast ratios.
Connect with me
// made with
by tami