my process
I began with a UX audit of the existing site, including moderated user testing to identify pain points across ordering and navigation. Based on user and business insights, I restructured the site architecture, redesigned key flows, and introduced missing sections like services and events to better reflect the business offering.
Given the platform limitations of Squarespace, I focused on strategic design decisions that balanced business goals, user needs, and implementation feasibility.
problem
The existing site created confusion and friction in core user flows
Users struggled to find or understand the catering service
The menu layout was disorganized and hard to browse
Key information like contact and event services was buried or missing
The footer was cluttered and included broken links
These issues created drop-off points and limited conversions, especially for high-value services like event catering.
I conducted a moderated usability test where I asked the user’s to complete the following tasks
Make a booking for a catering event
Order an individual meal
Reach out to the business and send them a message
View the entire list of dishes being offered
These issues created drop-off points and limited conversions, especially for high-value services like event catering.
I conducted a moderated usability test where I asked the user’s to complete the following tasks
Make a booking for a catering event
Order an individual meal
Reach out to the business and send them a message
View the entire list of dishes being offeredsd
These issues created drop-off points and limited conversions, especially for high-value services like event catering.
user journey
Mapping how users engage with the business
The journey map revealed key drop-off points in the ordering and inquiry processes. Catering discovery was a consistent friction point, while everyday meal browsing lacked category filtering or visual structure.
Our targeted users
Based on the conducted research, the following user persona descriptions were developed to better understand the needs, preferences and pain points of the customers being served by Mariam's Kitchen.
ideation
I focused on simplifying how users explore and act. A redesigned navigation bar made all key paths order, catering, products easy to find. I added new sections like Events and Product Highlights to support storytelling and sales. The catering flow was given its own structure and CTA, clearly separated from daily ordering.
BRAND GUIDELINES
To improve consistency and reduce design debt, I built a modular wireframe library and contributed foundational components (buttons, alerts, forms) to our design system. This enabled faster iterations and cleaner handoff to UI and dev teams.
results
4x increase in weekend catering bookings: Mariam was fully booked every weekend for the next 4 months.
Social growth: Instagram followers grew from 3,000 to 10,000+, boosted by a stronger online presence and integrated visuals.
Site engagement: Time-on-site increased and bounce rates dropped significantly on key pages (menu and catering).