Gaucho Restaurants Website Re-Design UX / UI (Responsive)

UX Designer

Product Designer

UI Designer

Gaucho felt that their site at the time did not represent their brand as well as needing improvements in their multiple user journeys due to the existing system taking them to an external site. Their booking system was not user-friendly and they found their drop rate was increasing before conversion. The site presented an outdated layout compared to the web design standard at that time. As a result, users often ended up leaving the website before completing the booking process.

To tackle this, I carried out research into the specific user flows that would be using the site, studied competitor sites to see if there were similarities between them which could help the process which was then reported back to the client.

Key Responsibilities as UX/UI Designer

To re-design the Gaucho Restaurants website across multiple responsive screens.

Focusing on improving the new site’s conversion rates and bookings across the events, restaurants and shop areas.

Giving Gaucho’s site a fresh rebrand inspired by modern trends whilst also ensuring their brand is still portrayed clearly.

Creating a strong CMS for all of their users to navigate through and manage data when needed.

Key Considerations

Prioritising functionality above visual design to achieve the best results.

Ensuring both parties have clear expectations of what is in scope and what is not possible.

Ensuring the User’s journey is streamlined through testing of wireframes, prototypes and publication.

Stage 1 - Wireframing

After carrying out extensive research into the client’s user journeys on their existing site, and also into competitors’ functionality/designs, we created wireframes to present to the client. Initially, we created the homepage which displays available restaurant locations via interactive maps and cards, upcoming events, available restaurant menus, shop, blog posts and careers. The homepage also features a slide-out booking system which allows the user to navigate through the options with ease by using various drop-downs.

Following my extensive research into both the client's and competitors’ user journeys, the findings and suggestions were presented to the client during a brainstorming session. This led to us mapping out clear expectations of what we would love to achieve in our wireframing and testing stages.

Initially, we focused on creating a wireframe for booking at the restaurant which consisted of the booking module in the homepage hero area, followed by the pop-up allowing users to input their requirements/needs, thus then taking them to the corresponding

Following the homepage’s wireframe, we created the tabbed booking functionality which is found positioned site-wide in the sticky navigation for one-click access. The functionalities shown are used to book a table, an event or a private dining experience. As well as the previous screens, we also created the individual restaurant page (Which includes vital information upon land), events archive (featuring filterable content) and finally the individual event page.

Stage 2 - Design

After the wireframe stage was approved by the client, we began creating the homepage using the brand guidelines provided by the client which we carefully adapted into a digital presence. Using dark tones across the website, photography which was supplied by the client’s branding team as well as accent colours to give a clear focus on the available call to actions to enable the user towards their desired journey.

After numerous rounds of amends through the wireframe, initial design and full site design stages, the Gaucho site now allows users to reserve a table with just a few clicks. We then improved the website's functionality by allowing event tickets to be purchased online, as well as increasing wine store bookings by linking the shop's checkout process with the main website.

Key Results

My user experience-focused website redesign, twinned with an effective SEO migration, delivered the following results in the first 5 months post-launch;