OpenTable was looking to update its organizational experience without the constraints of its current aesthetic. They wanted to tell the story of OpenTable in an approachable manner while garnering interest for people to work there. We ended up creating a modular, extensible collection of screens which solved their immediate needs while creating a foundation to build upon. Six months later we're working with OpenTable on new initiatives using the system we created together. For the latest...
No one can tell the story of a company better than the people within it. We always advocate for collaboration, but it was paramount for this project. There was communication across many OpenTable stakeholders, outside copywriters and photographers—it was a lot to coordinate. We worked onsite for a large portion of the project—which allowed us to share ideas and make decisions without the constraints of calendar invites, email threads or conference codes.
Convincing talent to work for you is harder. Fit and team dynamics is a top consideration for where people decide to work. We wanted to place the team of OpenTable—specifically people visitors may know—on the careers page. Seeing their colleagues at OpenTable creates an immediate connection with the company.
Working with the OpenTable engineering team to understand their current workflow and processes, we developed a flexible framework and build system to support the creation of multiple language-localized sites. The english text used during development was abstracted from site templates into structured resource files ready for translation. Those resource files then plug back into the extensible build system for generating as many localized sites as needed.
The design for the project was wide open—OpenTable had an evolving brand and this gave us a chance to actualize concepts to build upon. Due to the focus of our project, we put an emphasis on the tone of copy, content of imagery and interaction patterns which laid out a tacit brand direction.
