---

Project: Masters Thesis FoodCreations.com | Role: Information Architect & Content Strategist

Logic Highlight: Skip to 05:50 to see the Site Architecture map and how I designed navigation paths for three distinct user mental models.

• 1. The Strategy: Audience Segmentation

  I moved beyond “content creation” to identify the Job to be Done for three unique audience segments. I designed the site’s hierarchy to respond to their specific time constraints and goals:

  • The Professional (Group A): Needs high-speed access to specific props.
    • Solution: Optimized for “Search” and “Scannability” with written instructions.
  • The Entrepreneur (Group B): Needs foundational, ground-up learning.
    • Solution: Created a “Techniques” taxonomy that links foundational skills to advanced projects.
  • The Hobbyist (Group C): Needs inspiration and “discoverability.”
    • Solution: Designed a “Scene Gallery” for visual browsing and high-engagement social hooks.
• 2. Information Architecture: Relational Content Mapping

  A primary goal was ensuring the site was “content-driven” but not “content-cluttered.” I designed a Relational IA where different post types supported one another:

  • Cross-Linking Logic: I mapped “Techniques” (e.g., Methods for Icing) as parent categories that feed into multiple “Tutorials” (e.g., Milkshakes, Cake Pops). This reduced content redundancy and improved SEO.
  • Navigation Nodes: Built four main pillars—Tutorials, Techniques, Scene Gallery, and About—to provide a clear roadmap regardless of how the user entered the site.
• 3. Technical Implementation & Operations

  • CMS Selection: Chose WordPress for its robust categorization capabilities and ability to handle a high volume of multimedia assets.
  • Omnichannel Workflow: Established a “Single Source of Truth” strategy where YouTube served as the video engine, TikTok served as the discovery funnel, and the Website served as the detailed instructional archive.
  • Visual Design Systems: Developed a muted, cohesive color palette and rounded UI elements to balance the “boxy” nature of video embeds, creating a more professional and creative user feel.
• 4. The Impact

  • Scalable Framework: Built a system that successfully housed 15 tutorials at launch with a pipeline designed to scale to 30+ without breaking the navigation logic.
  • User-Centric Design: By analyzing YouTube and TikTok search intent, I shifted the production focus to “Search-First” content, ensuring long-term organic traffic.

Real-World Application: While this project was a theoretical exploration of navigation logic, I successfully implemented these same relational architecture principles at scale for Nessy Learning. View the Case Study →