Simplifying the Journey Redesigning Yelp’s Homepage for Seamless Discovery
Project Type: Homepage Redesign
Role: Product Designer
Industry: Tech
Tools: Figma
Duration: 2 Hrs
I redesigned the Yelp homepage to create a more seamless and user-centered experience. The new layout simplifies navigation, prioritizes local discovery over promotions, integrates ads more naturally, and modernizes the visual hierarchy. This approach reduces cognitive load, builds trust, and helps users quickly find what they’re looking for.
The existing Yelp homepage feels cluttered and ad-heavy, making it harder for users to quickly find what they’re looking for. Important actions like search and local discovery are overshadowed by promotions and busy navigation, which increases cognitive load and reduces trust.
Top Navigation: The current top navigation feels outdated, with horizontal scroll capabilities even though all icons fit within view. Its placement at the top gives it unnecessary priority, while most users likely head straight to the search bar. Moving the search to the top would better align with user behavior and reduce friction.
Search Bar: I like how the categories automatically cycle through searchable options, but the search icon’s UI makes it look clickable on its own, which can be misleading. With little visual weight at the top of the homepage, the search bar could be emphasized more prominently, turning up its visibility to reflect its role as the primary user priority.
Ad Placement: The ad currently takes up nearly a quarter of the homepage, with a harsh gradient that disrupts the visual flow. While ads are important for revenue, this placement feels overwhelming. A slimmer banner, styled to blend more seamlessly with the overall design, would maintain visibility without compromising the user experience.
Featured Card: The “star-studded restaurant list” card pulls focus away from the search bar and distracts users from their original intent. Most visitors arrive on Yelp with a clear idea of the category or subcategory they want to explore. Since this card isn’t personalized, it adds noise rather than value, reducing the efficiency of the user experience.
Navigation Bar: Some of the categories in the navigation bar are misleading and could be labeled more clearly. For example, Collections is technically accurate but feels cold and generic, lacking the personal, curated feel users expect. Similarly, Projects is confusing since it doesn’t clearly describe saved searches or business messages.
I redesigned the Yelp homepage to create a cleaner, more seamless user experience. The new interface emphasizes the search bar as the primary entry point and simplifies the top navigation with clearer categories. I also introduced a consistent card system, customized categories to avoid dead space and ensure relevance, improved visual hierarchy, and refined the bottom navigation to better match user intent. Ads were restructured to blend more naturally into the layout without overwhelming the user. Overall, the redesign reduces clutter, increases engagement, builds trust, and helps users reach their goals faster.
Search Bar: The search bar is now placed front and center, immediately drawing the user’s attention. Its bold, vibrant color, aligned with Yelp’s primary red, which reinforces brand recognition while signaling priority. By giving the search bar greater visual weight, it becomes the unmistakable entry point for user actions. Since most searches are local, integrating a map-based search option provides valuable context by referencing proximity, enabling users to discover nearby results more intuitively and driving deeper engagement.
Top Navigation: Designing more captivating icons at the top of the page introduces a sense of playfulness and naturally draws attention to the most popular categories. By intentionally reducing the total number of options, the experience aligns with Hick’s Law, which states that the time it takes a user to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices. A streamlined set of top categories minimizes cognitive load, making it easier for users to quickly orient themselves and engage with the platform.”
Featured Cards: Introducing custom categories creates a sense of personalization while driving deeper engagement. The use of horizontal scrolling enables multiple options to be surfaced without adding extra clicks, reducing friction and encouraging users to explore more.
Ad Placement: A slimmer banner, styled to blend more seamlessly with the overall design, preserves visibility while avoiding unnecessary distraction. Instead of dominating the page, it integrates into the layout as a supportive element that guides users without overwhelming them.
Navigation Bar: Renaming the Collections icon to Favorites better captures its intended function and aligns with terminology users already recognize. Similarly, changing Projects to Activity more clearly communicates its role in showcasing both past and upcoming actions. These adjustments reduce ambiguity and create a more intuitive navigation experience, making it easier for users to understand and engage with the platform.