REDESIGN OF GASTRONOMIXS
Gastronomixs is a platform with inspiration and knowlegde for chefs. They offer recipes that chefs can use as building blocks for their own recipes. Since its launch in 2012, Gastronomixs has grown to more than 28,000 subscribers, mainly in the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK. But the ambition is big: Gastronomixs wants to grow nationally and internationally. To capitalize on this growth, we worked with Gastronomixs to realize a completely new platform and automate their back-office processes.
PERIOD
September - November 2020
PROJECT GOALS
Rebuild the platform with improved data structure and technology
Improve the user experience
Increase the conversion rate from trial to paid membership
MY ROLE
User analysis, interaction design, user testing, technical design
Background
I was involved in this project from start to finish. I redesigned Gatronomixs together with another designer who was responsible for the branding and visual design.
Some key achievements for me personally:
I collaborated with development early in the design process
Prior to this project, I often experienced the limited options I had when designing for an existing platform due to the data structure. Changes that seemed very small were very expensive to develop because they affected the data structure. In this project, we had the ability to restructure the data to best support the user. Once we had the high-level design, I had a full day with the architecture and lead developer to create the taxonomy and data structure to make sure it supported the user flows in the best way possible.We tested our ideas with the target audience very early on.
I created low fidelity prototypes to test the new branding, high level design and some new feature ideas we had. I tested these with 7 chefs and got valuable feedback that we used to roadmap and detail the designs.We were able to make informed roadmap decisions based on user data and user testing.
There was no budget to rebuild all the features, so we had to remove some features. Instead of arguing about priorities, we were able to prioritize based on user data and user testing.
The process
We used the Triple Diamond process for this project up to the first release. Since there was no budget for a final user test, we made sure that after the new platform was launched, we would be able to collect user feedback via chat and check the most important flows in the analytics.
Our research insights
To gain a deeper understanding of the creative process and routines of professional chefs, we interviewed seven chefs about their daily workflow and sources of inspiration.
The chef's average working day
A chef’s day is long, high-paced, and driven by timing and precision. With minimal downtime, chefs often find themselves under pressure to make quick decisions. During service hours, they typically rely on Gastronomixs for on-the-fly inspiration, using their phones or a shared tablet in the kitchen. The platform becomes a go-to resource when they need fast substitutions—like finding allergy-friendly alternatives or managing unexpected ingredient shortages.
After the rush subsides, the time for after-work drinks becomes a moment to decompress and reflect. It’s often during these relaxed conversations that chefs begin exploring ideas for new recipes and creative dishes for upcoming menus.
Finding inspiration
The chefs we interviewed are deeply proud of their craft and committed to originality. They don’t seek to replicate others but rather to create unique, signature dishes that capture their personal style. Inspiration often comes from what’s available seasonally, so many chefs plan at least one season ahead, keeping in mind the time required to source specific ingredients. Using a seasonal calendar, they start by exploring what’s fresh and available, which then serves as the foundation for building their menus.
Interestingly, they often don’t need to read full recipes—just a visual reference, such as a picture and a dish name, provides enough spark to imagine new variations and combinations. Many chefs still favor traditional methods for cataloging their creations, such as handwritten notes and physical binders, which they use to organize and revisit their evolving repertoire.
User flows
At the end of the discovery phase we had a list of the most important user flows and the criteria. I listed a few below.
Examples of user flows
I quickly need an egg-free alternative to mayonnaise
I have a lot of X left over, and am looking for ideas of what I can do with it.
I am looking for inspiration for fish menu for next season.
After ideation, we tested ideas with 7 chefs
I created the test setup and the prototype in 2 days, did 1 day of tests and 1 day of analysis.
Goals
To test if the new branding resonates with the most important values of Gastronomixs
To test new features and flows
The prototype
I created a low fidelity prototype in Axure that the user could open and interact with in their browser.
The test setup
We created a remote setup, using Google Meet with screen sharing. This way we could, hear and see the participant and see their actions on their screen.
Findings
The new style was very well received and the new structure of the website was experienced as very intuitive. We found a few improvements in the flow to collect inspiration and I found why chefs with an expired trial account were still using their account to search for inspiration.
““I use the search to find inspiration what I can do with a certain ingredient. I never open the recipe itself, because I know how to make it. Seeing all the recipes in one overview is enough for me to get inspired.””
Based on our insights, we created hypothesis driven designs
I further detailed the flows, screens and data structure
User flows
For the more complex flows, f.e. the upgrade flows, I made a user flow with the happy and unhappy scenarios.
Interaction Design
I worked out all the screens in an interactive Axure file. This file contains all the pages per user type, the possible states and interactions, and showed which content should be shown.
Technical design
Together with the lead developers, I created a new data structure and taxonomy that would enable us to link entities, so that we would be able to add filtering in the future and create flows that would guide the users in the most optimal way. And also to save time for the people responsible for the content and avoid duplicate content. F.E. that allergenes would showing up automatically at components, because they are linked to the ingredients.
The final design
For new users
a visual attractive homepage that guides them through the possibilities and benefits of Gastronomixs
highlight ‘free’ components to showcase the professional and detailed level of content
a simple and fast flow to create a free trial account
For logged in users
The search bar is always on top of the page, because chefs should be able to use it as quick as possible.
We added a filter to quickly search for recipes without a certain allergy or dietary restriction
The new design supports the chef in organizing inspiration in so called ‘collections’.
The redesigned seasonal calendar is clear and fast to use on mobile
For expired account users
We limited their view and added a paywall. This increased the amount of upgrades with 20%.
We made upgrading to a paid account simple and fast