The initial UX audit revealed the core issue — cognitive overload. Users had to make too much effort to understand where to start: multiple CTAs, duplicated order scenarios, and no clear prioritization.

Instead of a simple “see → understand → act” path, they were forced into a confusing “maze.”

The website resembled a corporate portal from the early 2010s rather than a modern food service. For customers, interface = product quality: if the site looks “old” or “cheap,” that perception directly transfers to the food and service. This was especially critical for new users — trust could fail to form at all.

Content blocks, texts, and buttons were arranged chaotically, with no breathing space. The eye “catches” everything at once instead of being guided. There was no sense of a unified style: colors, fonts, and elements felt fragmented. Meanwhile, competitors like Dodo and Yandex.Eda were building entire visual ecosystems, while MAXX lacked this perception altogether.

Users often couldn’t tell which elements were clickable and which were static (hover/active states were unclear). Important information (like restaurant addresses and working hours) was hidden.

In food delivery, UI should evoke appetite and emotion — large dish photos, vibrant highlights, lively illustrations. On maxx.ru this was nearly absent: the focus was on text lists and links instead of appetizing, “tasty” visuals.