Industry
Client
Liverpool's First Ever Restaurant Week
Overvew
Liverpool Restaurant Week is an annual event that highlights the city’s thriving food scene. The goal was to create an attractive, easy-to-navigate website that would showcase participating restaurants, provide event information, and grow a data list for the first year that can be utilised each year. Our challenge was to develop a visually appealing, user-friendly platform to engage both locals and business owners, ultimately boosting restaurant participation and attendee engagement.
Project Goals
Eye-Catching Visual Design: Craft an inviting, modern design that aligns with Liverpool’s vibrant culture and the restaurant industry’s lively aesthetic.
Intuitive User Flow: Create a seamless experience for users, enabling them to explore participating restaurants, view special menus, and download exclusive offers.
Mobile Optimisation: Given the on-the-go nature of event attendees, the site needed to be fully responsive and optimised for mobile users.
Clear CTAs and User Guidance: Ensure clear calls-to-action (CTAs) for event details, restaurant listings, and download links to guide users effortlessly.
Research & Discovery
User Analysis: Conducted research on the typical user personas for restaurant week events, identifying needs such as quick access to information, smooth navigation, and mobile-friendliness.
Competitive Benchmarking: Analysed similar event sites to pinpoint design opportunities that would make the Liverpool Restaurant Week site stand out.
Design and Prototyping
Wireframing: Designed low-fidelity wireframes to outline the site’s structure, emphasising a simple yet engaging layout.
High-Fidelity Prototypes: Created an interactive prototype, featuring vibrant visuals, bold typography, and well-defined sections for event information, and restaurant lists.
Branding Alignment: Ensured the design was consistent with Liverpool’s unique cultural vibe, using a colour palette and fonts that evoke warmth and excitement.
Development and Implementation
User-Friendly Navigation: Developed an intuitive menu with clear paths to the most important pages, such as restaurant listings and reservation options.
Mobile Optimisation: Focused on a mobile-responsive design that included touch-friendly buttons, optimised images, and easy scrolling to accommodate users accessing the site from their phones.
Interactive Map Integration: Integrated a map feature to help users locate restaurants quickly and efficiently, enhancing the experience for tourists.
Testing and Refinement
Usability Testing: Conducted testing sessions with local users to gather feedback on site navigation, layout, and functionality.
Iterative Improvements: Adjusted the design based on feedback, enhancing mobile interactions, improving page loading speed, and clarifying navigation for a smoother user experience.
Key Features
Highlighted Restaurant Listings: Created a visually engaging directory where each restaurant profile features key details, images, and direct links to download exclusive offers.
The Hot Plate: Developed a section showcasing restaurant menu offers with an engaging ticker of images, helping to put the restaurant's amazing food at the front of the site.
Success-Focused Downloads: Each restaurant listing featured an offer that users could download in exchange for their email address. This was aimed to help propel future restaurant weeks by developing a data list that can be used to re-market offers in the future.
Results
High User Engagement: The new design led to high-levels of engagement, with more visitors spending time on the restaurant listings pages, and a high influx of offer downloads that required the email send limit to be increased twice!
Positive User Feedback: Attendees and restaurant partners praised the site for its clean design, ease of use, and mobile accessibility, enhancing the event’s digital presence and getting people into the city to explore the amazing food options it has to offer.
Reflections & Next Steps
This project exemplified the balance of vibrant design with practical functionality. The Liverpool Restaurant Week website now serves as a lively, engaging platform for event-goers to discover new dining options. Future enhancements could include personalised recommendations and an integrated booking system for an even more seamless user experience.