When setting out to create a webpage or web content of any kind, the first step is to visualize and plan what you want to create. In web design, this can include using mood boards, color palettes, site maps, and wireframes. As an exercise, I took the website for the restaurant Pizzeria Beddia and pitched minor changes that could be made to improve the user experience on the site.
First, I created a mood board to capture the overall tone of the company. Pizzeria Beddia came from a sort of DIY background and that is reflected in their logo and design, so I wanted that to be front and center. Their site and restaurant focus on a minimalist aesthetic with maximalist touches, so I wanted to keep the focus simple but artfully messy. Bright, busy photos displayed on a simple white background capture the feel of the restaurant. The general “vibe” they seem to be going for is a casual neighborhood spot where people gather and have a good time so I included a few wine stains to represent the type of artfully rumpled elements I think could be brought to their design.
The color palette for the site is pretty straight forward; mostly black and white. The restaurant’s main logo is a neon green peace sign so I felt that could be incorporated a bit more in the main design of the website, either as a highlight or an accent. A slight lavender gray compliments the green and brings a little more dimension to the simple black and white text.
For an extremely minimally aesthetic site, I felt some parts of the navigation and homepage were a bit cluttered. Information can be presented on the homepage but can also be given a tab for users who may not be inclined to scroll the site. The Hoagie Room and Pizza Parties (parties of 6 or more people) are both options that can be reserved so it made sense to combine these pages with the regular reservation page. Merchandise, gift cards, and rewards are all topics that are related to purchasing from the restaurant so I felt they could be consolidated under a general “Shop” option. I feel simplifying these pages into easily navigable search options will help customers find what they’re looking for faster while maintaining the site’s minimalist aesthetic.
Consolidating a lot of the information on the homepage allows for a simpler presentation of the elements. I know from experience that when I look up restaurants, I am usually using my phone, so I rearranged the first page you see to have basic information readily accessible. Location, hours, ways to contact the restaurant and the menu are all the first things you see. Going deeper, I consolidated the basic info on the homepage with FAQs that give more detailed answers to questions customers may have. The reservation page has all reservation options easily accessed with large buttons and descriptions of what each type of reservation entails. My thinking was maybe someone wants to make a regular reservation, so they navigate to that page and then see that larger party options and special dining experiences are also available to consider. Finally, all of the purchasing options are all under one tab. They’re all straightforward prompts that are easy to parse.
Pizzeria Beddia has a nicely cultivated aesthetic and feel to their website. Revisiting the iteration stage of the web design process and mocking up slight changes helps convey small tweaks that can improve the look of the site while also streamlining the experience for customers.
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