The Challenge of Scale: Balancing Premium Quality with Market Reach

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.

This imbalance posed a significant challenge, underscoring the need to showcase both the app’s unique value proposition and its growth potential to maintain relevance in a competitive market.

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.

Design implementation and brand cohesion

Building on the insights from the codesign workshop, I opted for a layout characterized by soft lines, inspired by the texture of Parmalat products, and a cheerful atmosphere that aligns with the moments of product usage throughout the day.

In making this choice, one of the primary challenges was ensuring that the four portals were distinctive yet coherent, while maintaining a unique identity.

To achieve this, I relied on the use of specifically selected colors and illustrations for each vertical, while maintaining a stylistic coherence that made them identifiable as part of the same family.

The implementation of a universal navigation system and cross-site research was crucial from an architectural standpoint, as it helped reinforce the perception of each vertical belonging to the same family, while also facilitating user navigation across the various portals.

This strategy ensured that each portal had its distinctive personality, while simultaneously contributing to solidifying the overall image of the Parmalat brand.

Outdated Design and Functionality: Insights from User Testing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uncovered a key issue: while users valued the app’s punctual delivery service, they found its design and functionality outdated compared to competitors.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.

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%.

Defining the Core Implementations Through Wireframes

Wireframes represented the pivotal stage where high-level implementations were defined to address key areas of improvement. Based on insights from user testing and a benchmark analysis of competitors and comparable services, I outlined enhancements aimed at improving the overall user experience and boosting conversion rates.

Key implementations included:

• Geolocation and restaurant categorization, simplifying the search for the best options based on user preferences and proximity.

• Order scheduling, new payment methods, and social login, all designed to reduce friction during the checkout process.

• Order tracking, empowering users to monitor the status of their requests in real-time.

This phase laid the groundwork for transforming identified pain points into actionable, user-centric solutions.

Streamlining User Experience and SEO optimization

As is obvious for any brand's portal aimed at product sales, a significant goal was to enhance sales performance.

To achieve this, I tackled two fronts: making product presentations more engaging by incorporating illustrations and animations, and optimizing the purchase funnel by eliminating unnecessary steps for user transaction completion.

From a SEO standpoint, the challenge lay in maintaining page hierarchy for SERP ranking purposes. A workaround was devised to ensure products were immediately visible, unlike the previous setup, by converting SEO-relevant pages into a system resembling filtering. Consequently, users can make their choices with two clicks fewer compared to the previous website.

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.

To ensure consistency and efficiency

With various style proposals, I explored visual directions aimed at enhancing the product's distinctiveness and appeal without compromising already established identity elements. The goal was to improve aesthetics without affecting the brand awareness achieved in previous years of market presence.

Consequently, I established High Fidelity design and developed a Design System that leveraged the design of flows, UX, and UI into a comprehensive, seamless, and memorable browsing experience. This ensured consistency across all sections of the application.

Building a comprehensive resource hub: Parmalat's portal transformation strategy

Another objective for Parmalat was to transform its portals into a go-to resource for people seeking information about its products (via the magazine) and their usage (via recipes), thereby increasing retention and capturing the attention of users.

To achieve this, I devised an architecture that strongly interconnected recipes, informative content, and, while maintaining the ultimate goal of driving e-commerce/store traffic, product pages.

This approach guaranteed that products were never presented in isolation but were always accompanied by information that enhanced the brand's reliability. Additionally, it inspired users with previously unconsidered product usage possibilities.

High-Fidelity Design and Key Elements

A renewed branding, a fresh user experience, and a modular design system were at the heart of creating a continuously evolving application. These elements allowed for a complete transformation of the app, making it more user-friendly, enhancing service retention, and reinforcing credibility and professionalism.

A standout feature in this redesign was the restaurant card, a key component in the user journey. The challenge was to integrate a significant amount of information—such as restaurant name, ratings, cuisine type, delivery time, and promotions—while keeping it easily identifiable and visually appealing.

Checkout: Simplifying Processes and Enhancing User Control

The checkout process was redesigned to minimize cognitive load while offering users greater control and flexibility. Dividing the flow into two clear steps, the cart overview allowed users to modify item quantities, specify dietary needs, customize ingredients, and explore upselling suggestions seamlessly.

The checkout details step focused on simplifying delivery information and integrating multiple payment methods, including Google Pay, Apple Pay, Satispay, and meal vouchers. This cohesive approach ensured a smooth, intuitive experience, reducing friction while enhancing usability and user satisfaction, ultimately driving higher conversion rates.

To achieve the business objectives

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. Its clear emphasis on a superior-level user experience has been a decisive strength.

This move has forced the main competitor Just Eat to acquire its market share, highlighting the success and relevance of Mymenu 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."

Empowering accessibility and autonomy: modular design and headless CMS implementation

I took a proactive approach to accessibility, integrating "accessible by design" principles and practices from the initial stages of website design.

Additionally, I verified that the components were modularly designed, allowing the client's editors to assemble them autonomously to build pages, leveraging the benefits provided by the implementation of a Headless WordPress CMS.

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.

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)