Product UX / Strategy / Research
Role: Assoc. UX design director
The Context
McCormick & Company, founded in 1889, is a global leader in the flavor industry. Renowned for its spices, herbs, and flavorings, the brand is a staple in kitchens worldwide, balancing tradition with constant innovation.
The Challenge
While navigating McCormick's diverse digital landscape—comprising multiple public sites, intranets, and client portals—we faced the complex task of thoroughly understanding and mapping the current state. Amidst evolving technological expectations, our team had to dissect intricate web ecosystems to spot inefficiencies, potential improvements, and to bridge gaps. The dual challenge lay in formulating a comprehensive technological restructuring proposal for McCormick, while simultaneously crafting a forward-thinking visual and user experience design, ensuring that the proposed changes were both functional and aesthetically aligned with McCormick's brand ethos.
Methodologies & responsibilities
Collaborated closely with strategists and tech directors to assess the current state of McCormick's multiple public sites, intranets, and client portals.
Conducted numerous interviews to gather insights from stakeholders and end-users.
Performed site audits to evaluate the functionality and user-friendliness of existing platforms.
Analyzed current technologies to spot inefficiencies and potential improvements.
Identified gaps and opportunities, culminating in a technological restructure proposal for McCormick.
Led the design team in determining the optimal visual style for the proposed system.
Oversaw the definition and design of user interactions and overall user experience.
Key takeaways
We conducted interviews with main stakeholders, that provided insights which helped with the foundation of the Customer Journey map. We identified several inconsistencies in the global sites and both client-facing and internal platforms.
After sharing the results and recommendations, the client recognized the challenges in technology, operations, and design. This approach enabled us to plan the next phases thoughtfully, ensuring quality without overburdening our team with unrealistic demands.
Dealing with over 10 sites and internal platforms, each with diverse visuals and brand tones from different regions, along with a substantial amount of data, posed a significant challenge.
Testimonial
“I had the pleasure of working with Luis during our time together at AKQA. Luis was a counterpart of mine working across complex customer experience projects for McCormick, Mayo Clinic, and Four Seasons Yachts.
Within each project, Luis established a clear architecture and vision for creating Customer Journey Maps and Service Blueprints, enabling the organization of insights and opportunity identification. Any team would be lucky to have Luis in their corner and I hope to cross paths with him again.”
Sr. Account Director
"User-centered experiences are the key to success."
