BigOven Build
01 - The Challenge
The platform needed to support several types of interconnected content, different publishing workflows and increasingly complex functionality without becoming difficult to navigate or maintain. The challenge was to create a structure that could support that complexity while still feeling consistent and understandable to users.
02 - My Role
I led the product design from the ground up, covering information architecture, workflows, interface design, reusable components and developer-ready delivery. I worked closely with product and development throughout implementation, reviewed the product as it was built and continued improving it after launch.
03 - Designing The System
I approached the platform as one connected system rather than a collection of separate content areas. This helped establish consistent navigation, page structures and interaction patterns across the product. Complex workflows were broken into clearer steps, while repeated actions such as creating, editing, selecting, linking and managing content followed shared patterns.
04 - Key decisions
Designing around relationships
Recipes, products and supporting content needed to work together rather than exist as isolated records. I designed patterns that made these relationships easy to understand and manage, allowing users to move between related content without losing context.
Creating consistency
Reusable components and shared interaction patterns reduced unnecessary variation across workflows and made the platform easier to extend as new functionality was added.
Balancing information with usability
Some screens needed to present a large amount of information. Stronger hierarchy, grouping and progressive disclosure helped keep important actions clear while making advanced functionality accessible without overwhelming users.
05 - Outcome
The platform launched as a unified system for managing recipes, products and related food content, replacing separate workflows with a more consistent structure for creating, connecting and publishing information.
The shared design language and reusable component system also created a foundation for extending the product as new requirements emerged. After launch, I continued refining existing areas, designing new functionality and evolving the system alongside the product and development team.
