Moodboarding and Defining Guidelines

To establish the right visual and functional direction, the project began with benchmarking, not only within the industry but also across other sectors to identify relevant design and UX references. Through a co-design approach, we engaged key stakeholders to define the core principles that would shape the website.

This process, structured using Affinity Mapping, allowed us to distill key insights into three foundational guidelines: accessible technology, functional elegance, and a strong corporate identity. These principles were visually explored through moodboards, enabling the team to refine the design language before moving into the UI phase.

Hero Video and Visual Approach

The hero section leverages a minimalist yet technological video, reinforcing Ariston Group’s commitment to innovation, reliability, and sustainability. The clean, modern aesthetic ensures a powerful yet unobtrusive introduction, maintaining clarity and accessibility while delivering a strong brand statement.

Key Modules: Showcasing Brand Strengths

The website features a dedicated visual storytelling designed to highlight the company's global reach, technological advancement, and the people who define its heritage.

‍Interactive content showcases Ariston Group’s worldwide presence, while dedicated sections emphasize patents, research, and innovation. The narrative also focuses on the company’s values and legacy through compelling imagery and storytelling.

Aligning Visions Through Codesign

We conducted a codesign workshop with stakeholders to align on a unified vision for the redesign. The workshop focused on five key areas: Branding, User Experience, Information Architecture, Content Strategy, and Engagement & Retention.

Key takeaways included creating a consistent brand identity, improving navigation and accessibility, encouraging exploration through interconnected content, and fostering user loyalty with exclusive tools and initiatives. This collaborative approach balanced user needs and business goals, setting a strong foundation for the project.

Building Coherence Through Design and Navigation

Building on the insights from the codesign workshop, I developed a unified design system that ensured stylistic coherence across all four portals while preserving their distinct identities. Each vertical was differentiated through unique colors and illustrations, yet tied together by a consistent visual language.

From a brand architecture perspective, the implementation of a universal navigation system and cross-site search reinforced the perception of a cohesive ecosystem. This approach not only facilitated seamless user navigation across portals but also strengthened the overall Parmalat brand image, positioning the verticals as part of a unified family.

Market Share Challenges in a Competitive Landscape

Mymenu’s strategy of offering a curated selection of premium restaurants, secured through long-term exclusive contracts, ensured exceptional quality and larger average basket sizes compared to competitors. However, as a smaller local player, the platform struggled to achieve the market scale necessary to withstand the increasing penetration of larger national competitors.

One service, two users

We began with service design to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the needs of the different target groups involved. This approach allowed us to map the user experience and identify critical issues and opportunities before advancing to more costly phases of the design process, enabling us to prioritize features that deliver value to our users as quickly as possible.

Investor-Centric Insights and Thought Leadership

The inclusion of strategic quotes from leadership reinforces trust and vision, while key financial metrics are presented through interactive visuals for better data comprehension.

‍Industry insights provide a broader perspective on market trends and the company’s trajectory.

Design System and Documentation

Ensuring scalability and consistency, the project involved the creation of a modular Design System that streamlined the UI, guaranteeing a cohesive and accessible experience.

Each component was carefully documented, enabling seamless development and implementation on Adobe Experience Manager (AEM).

Evoking Warmth Through Visual Design

The look and feel of the redesigned portals was crafted to evoke softness and warmth, drawing inspiration from the texture and natural qualities of Parmalat products. Fluid shapes and a cheerful color palette were combined to create a light, inviting atmosphere that resonates with the positive moments of product use throughout the day. This aesthetic approach ensures a connection between the brand’s identity and the emotional experiences of its users.

Profiling Mymenu’s Core Personas

The personas developed for Mymenu highlight a diverse yet focused audience, with a clear emphasis on high-spending customers such as Busy Bees, Smart Families, and Party Planners. These segments prioritize quality dining experiences, from exploring new restaurants to enjoying trusted, premium selections. This affluent target group aligns with Mymenu’s strategy to cater to individuals and families willing to invest in exclusive and curated offerings, further distinguishing the platform in a competitive market.

A mini-site reservation platform for users

Interacting with service designers, developers, and product managers, we have created the two digital products that constitute the Free Your Style experience.

The first is a mini-site that allows end customers to select the desired treatment, locate the nearest ghd salon, and book a free styling session in a few simple steps.

Despite the implementation of a double verification via email and phone, necessary to ensure compliance with regulations and prevent potential violations, the site has recorded a remarkable conversion rate of 40%.

Outdated Design and Functionality: Insights from User Testing

Through user testing, I uncovered a key issue: while users valued the app’s punctual delivery service, they found its design and functionality outdated compared to competitors.

Taking this feedback seriously, I analyzed best practices from both direct and indirect competitors, focusing on solutions that combined high added value with implementation feasibility. This informed the creation of a prioritized backlog of initiatives to improve every stage of the purchasing experience.

Defining the Core Implementations Through Wireframes

Wireframes marked a crucial phase in defining solutions to enhance user experience and boost conversion rates. Insights from user testing and competitor benchmarking informed key improvements, such as geolocation and restaurant categorization to streamline searches, new payment options and social login to reduce checkout friction, and real-time order tracking for greater transparency. This stage translated pain points into actionable, user-focused design solutions.

Purchase Funnel and SEO Optimization

A key objective of the redesign was to boost sales performance by streamlining the user journey. Product presentations were enhanced with engaging illustrations and animations, while the purchase funnel was optimized by removing unnecessary steps, enabling users to complete transactions more efficiently.

From an SEO perspective, the challenge was maintaining page hierarchy for SERP rankings while improving product visibility. This was addressed by transforming SEO-relevant pages into a filtering system, allowing users to access products with two fewer clicks than before

A booking-management app for salons

The ghd salons participating in the initiative receive the new contacts generated through Free Your Style and can use the free service as a springboard to gain exposure.

Salons have access to an app, available on both Android and iPhone, to manage booking requests, record stylings performed by scanning the QR code received from clients via email, and register any sales of GHD products.

Author Experience and AEM Integration

A critical aspect of the redesign was optimizing the content management process. Leveraging AEM’s Content & Experience Fragments, the site architecture was structured to minimize editorial effort, allowing for efficient content updates.

Custom templates and well-defined editorial workflows ensured flexibility without compromising consistency.

Crafting a Cohesive and Distinct Visual Identity

Through various style proposals, I explored visual directions to enhance the product’s appeal while preserving key elements of its established identity. The aim was to elevate aesthetics without compromising brand recognition built over years of market presence. This process culminated in High Fidelity designs and a comprehensive Design System, integrating UX and UI into a seamless and memorable experience, ensuring consistency across the entire application.

A Seamless, Adaptive Ecosystem

With a mobile-first approach, the design was crafted to deliver a smooth, intuitive experience across all devices. Special attention was given to performance, adaptive layouts, and touch interactions, ensuring a seamless transition between desktop and mobile environments. Rather than treating the mobile version as a simple adaptation, it was designed as an independent experience tailored to the needs of users accessing key information on the go, such as investors reviewing data or job seekers exploring opportunities.

Connecting Content to Inspire and Engage

Another key objective for Parmalat was to transform its portals into a go-to resource for users, offering recipes and informative content to boost engagement and retention. To achieve this, I designed an interconnected architecture linking recipes, articles, and product pages, ensuring products were always contextualized with relevant content. This strategy enhanced the brand’s reliability and inspired users with new and creative product usage ideas, ultimately driving e-commerce and in-store traffic.

Redesigning the Home and Highlighting Restaurant Choices

A highlight of the redesign was the restaurant card, a pivotal element in the user journey. The challenge lay in presenting essential details—such as restaurant name, ratings, cuisine type, delivery time, and promotions—clearly and attractively, ensuring both functionality and visual appeal.

Optimizing the Checkout Experience

The checkout process was reimagined to reduce cognitive load and enhance flexibility. Divided into two clear steps, it allowed users to adjust cart items, customize orders, and explore upselling options seamlessly. The second step streamlined delivery details and introduced diverse payment methods, including Google Pay, Apple Pay, Satispay, and meal vouchers. This intuitive redesign improved usability, reduced friction, and boosted conversion rates.

Simplifying Feedback for Better Insights

To simplify the feedback process and make it more accessible, we replaced the traditional star rating system with a like/dislike approach. This method allows users to quickly share their opinions while maintaining accuracy in the results. The percentage of likes and dislikes is then converted into a star rating, offering clear and actionable insights for restaurants and delivery services. This solution reduces user effort and encourages higher engagement with the rating system.

Standing Out in the Italian Food Delivery Landscape

2023 represents a turning point for Mymenu in a highly competitive scenario, characterized by the dominance of multinational giants and the exit of significant players such as Uber Eats from the Italian market.

Mymenu has managed to distinguish itself through its solid strategic positioning, focusing on medium-high-end restaurants, of which it held an absolute exclusive. This clear emphasis on a superior-level user experience has been a decisive strength, ensuring the platform’s continued relevance in a challenging market.

Designing for Inclusivity

The redesign prioritized accessibility by meeting WCAG AAA standards and ensuring high levels of contrast and readability using the APCA framework. Features like clear navigation and optimized search functionality were implemented to make the platform more inclusive and user-friendly for all audiences.

Monitoring KPIs

An integrated KPI monitoring dashboard system has been implemented within the project, providing a detailed evaluation of the website and app performance. Continuous tracking of key metrics such as bookings, styling, geographic distribution, and salon performance has led to real-time operational adjustments.

This approach has optimized the user experience, enhancing results and satisfaction for all involved parties, while also enabling more effective allocation of marketing resources, thereby improving the impact of promotional efforts.

The Legacy and Acquisition of Mymenu

This strategic approach has forced the main competitor, Just Eat, to acquire its market share, underscoring Mymenu’s success and relevance in the Italian food delivery industry.

CEO & Founder Edoardo Tribuzio emphasized:

“Doing business means creating value for all involved parties, and I couldn’t have found a more suitable buyer for the future than what we’ve achieved so far. Mymenu has been a beacon in the Italian food delivery landscape for years. I am proud and grateful for the work done by the people who have contributed to the success of a service that has satisfied hundreds of thousands of customers.”

Modular Design for Flexibility and Efficiency

Adopting a modular approach, I ensured that all components were designed to be versatile and reusable, empowering the client’s editors to autonomously build and customize pages. This approach was further enhanced by the implementation of a Headless WordPress CMS, which provided greater flexibility, faster loading times, and seamless integration across the ecosystem. By combining modularity with accessibility principles, the design not only ensured usability but also optimized efficiency for content management.

Thanks to the Team

Andrea Montanari (Product Manager)

Alessio Nigido (Lead Designer)
Giuseppe De Pascale (Product/Service Designer)

Dorel Veliu (Mobile App Developer)

Thanks to the Team

Andrea Montanari (Project Manager)

Luca Lombardi (Lead Designer)
Giuseppe De Pascale (Senior UI/UX Designer)
Sebastiano Gobbo (Service Designer)

Jeuffre Brena Pulido (Senior Frontend Developer)
Stefano Fasoli (Backend Developer)

Thanks to the Team

Aura Tardia (Product Manager)

Luca Lombardi (Lead Designer)
Giuseppe De Pascale (Product Designer)
Sebastiano Gobbo (Service Designer)
Lisa Rinaldi (UX Writer)

Nicholas Ruggeri (Senior Frontend Developer)
Abanoub Zaky (Frontend Developer)
Giuseppe Gatto (Backend Developer)
Dorel Veliu (Mobile App Developer)

Thanks to the Team

Aura Tardia (Project Manager)

Francesco Carlucci (Lead Designer)
Giuseppe De Pascale (Senior UI/UX Designer)
Laura De Santis (Service Designer)
Lisa Rinaldi (UX Writer)