Merkén
Caviar topped e-commerce website
Merkén is a vegan catering business specializing in authentic Latin American cuisine. The company brings the vibrant flavors of Chile and beyond to Berlin through plant-based empanadas, tamales, and traditional dishes reimagined for conscious eaters.
ROLE
UX/UI Designer
TOOLS
Figma, Figjam
SKILLS
UX Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, Mobile UI Design, Usability Testing.
CHALLENGE
How might we help event organizers discover a variety of vegan and gluten-free dishes so they can eaiser select and plan inclusive menus?
Merkén had only an instagram account to communicate with their clients and they wanted to grow and get to more clients. Also after interviewing Karina, the owner she told us about wanting to specialize in catering and having a website would help her to organize herself and efficiently communicate with her clients. operated exclusively through Instagram, relying on DMs for orders and inquiries.
This created several pain points:
No centralized ordering system - customers had to message back and forth to place catering orders
Limited visibility - potential clients couldn't easily discover menu options or pricing
Scaling difficulties - manual order management prevented business growth
Missed opportunities - no way to capture leads or showcase their full story
Brand perception - lack of web presence made them appear less professional than competitors
The goal: Create Merkén's first digital home - a website that would streamline the catering quote process while showcasing their unique plant-based Latin American identity.
USER PERSONA
IDEATION
We knew we needed a website so we decided to sketch must-have features:
Visual category selector (events, corporate, weekly menus)
Step-by-step quote form
Photo-rich menu gallery
About section (brand story)
Contact information
Clear CTAs
MOODBOARD
Before jumping into wireframes, I created a moodboard with Karina to capture Merkén's spirit. We landed on warm, earthy tones reminiscent of Latin American markets - terracotta, sage green, cream - paired with vibrant food photography. The aesthetic needed to feel authentic and welcoming, not corporate or sterile.
WIREFRAMING
Our first wireframes were rough, focusing purely on structure and flow. We tested these low-fidelity prototypes with five participants, asking them to request a quote and find specific menu items.
The task flow needed clarification because users weren't sure what would happen at each step.
The landing page didn't clearly communicate the product offering within the flow. A confusing "check sent booking" step added no value and should be removed.
And the button copy "accept and pay" created false expectations, users preferred "send for confirmation" since most catering doesn't involve immediate payment.
We went back to the drawing board and made significant changes. We studied competitor flows to understand industry patterns, restructured the landing page completely.
SOLUTION
The final website opens with a full-width hero image showing Merkén's founders in their kitchen, with the neon "All vegan, baby!" sign glowing behind them. It's personal, inviting, and immediately communicates what makes them different.
Throughout the site, food photography takes center stage. The menu gallery uses a grid layout with hover states that reveal dish names and descriptions. Users can filter by dietary needs and add items directly to their quote request. Every design decision was made with mobile users in mind, since we knew from Merkén's Instagram analytics that most of their audience browsed on phones.
CATERING ORDER
EXPLORE MENU
LEARNINGS
This project was my first experience working with a real client, and it taught me that designing for someone else's business is fundamentally different from creating speculative portfolio pieces.
Balancing business needs with user requirements.
I learned to embrace feedback as the fastest path to better design.
Working as part of a team also taught me the value of clear communication and shared ownership.
Regular check-ins, presenting design rationale, and being open to pushback from teammates with different perspectives made the final solution stronger.
