The Problem // Context

Through personal experience, I found the process of finding a skin care routine to be daunting, expensive, and overwhelming. I asked close friends and family for their experience and was told similar tales of frustration and dissatisfaction. With this in mind, I set out to discover whether this was a pain point that most people faced with this marketplace and what solutions, if any, were available to aid in the process.

My Role

For this 10-week project, I was the lead product designer for all aspects of the project.

Main Responsibilities

1. Project Management

2. Research

3. Data Synthesis

4. UI Design

5. User Testing

Design Toolkit

Figma | OptimalWorkshop | Miro

Research

What We Wanted To Learn

1. Was the assumption that, in general, people find the process of finding a skin care routine overwhelming valid?

2. What other pain points do people have under the skincare umbrella?

3. What solutions, if any, exist in the marketplace.

Methodology

1. Discovery User Interviews

2. Competitive Analysis

3. Industry Research

4. Card Sort

5. Feature Prioritization

6. User Testing

What We Learned

Through our discovery interviews*, we found:

1. The assumption that, in general, women felt overwhelmed by the skin care marketplace was validated.

2. Women had many more needs and goals for their skin care routine than we initially were aware of.

3. Product samples were extremely important, especially for those with sensitive skin types.

4. The women interviewed did not feel that they had found a single service or company that provided them with options personalized enough to meet their specific needs

5. Cost was a concern or major factor when considering skin care products

*Note: Women were the only respondents to our request for user interviews so focus was shifted to this demographic; further research will be done with a male-centered focus.

Through our competitive analysis, we found:

1. The marketplace did not specifically offer a product or service that would personalize a selection of skin care products that could adjust for budget without removing products completely

2. The “routine finder” solutions that existed only offered a single brand of products.

Context Scenario

Erin, a 31 year old digital marketer who just got married, wants to up her game when it comes to skin care but she has sensitive skin and a budget and doesn’t know where to start. In the past she’s used subscription services, such as Ipsy and BirchBox, but felt that these boxes were not skin care focused, and she could not personalize her sample boxes to the degree of specificity that she needed. She needs an easy way to discover and sample a routine that works safely for her without breaking the bank.

Concepts & Testing

Our initial solution to this need was a product that would allow the user to input her specific needs into a platform which would then curate a set of recommended products of varying brand and price point, that would best match her inputs.

Userflow & Initial Concepts

Concept Testing & Validation

Testing included two rounds of moderated user testing and open questioning (in-person & virtual, 17 responses).

Round 1 Research Goals

1. Was the user able to successfully navigate through the “Routine Finder Quiz”?

2. Did the user understand how to review, and remove/replace/confirm each product from their recommended products?

3. Were the skin needs and concerns lists exhaustive and easy to use?

Round 1 Research Findings

1. Users were successful in navigating through the “Routine Finder Quiz”

2. Users found it difficult/overwhelming scrolling through the list of concerns/needs - a search function that would draw from the list was added to solve for this

3. The back button for the flow was not initially apparent so it was adjusted to be more obvious and easy to use

4. Users were concerned not all of their specific concerns would be available so additional research was done to ensure all lists were exhaustive as possible

5. Users didn’t notice or were confused by the alternative product suggestion section, so additional labeling was added and the section was changed to a slider

_______

Round 2 Research Goals

1. Did the search function in the needs and concerns lists ease the use of adding the user’s selections?

2. Did the user understand how to navigate the app interface after completing the Routine Finder Quiz?

3. Was the user able to successfully update their routine by searching for new products or updating their needs/preferences?

4. Did the user understand how to add reviews to the products that had been recommended for them?

5. Was the user able to update their account information, re-order products, and get support within the app?

Round 2 Research Findings

1. Users found the “Routine Finder Quiz” easy to use and selections easy to make with the addition of the search functionality

2. Users were slightly confused about the organization of the main navigation of the app, after the Routine Finder Quiz had been completed

3. Users were able to add reviews and find alternative products from the app homepage once they had been made aware that this functionality existed

First Release // Next Steps

• Users loved the ability to scroll through alternatives to the products recommended to them and then purchase the entire set in one place

• Users were ecstatic by the ability to sample before purchasing each/all their recommended products

• Once the routine curation flow has been completed, app users will be able to view the personalized instructions for their routine, add or remove products and update her needs and goals, as well as provide reviews of products used to ensure the app can make the most accurate and personalized recommendations for them.

Next Steps

• Conduct a card sort for the main navigation items to ensure the app is easy to navigate

• Develop onboarding screen flow to make users aware of features and their location within the app

• Conduct further research to ensure the list of skin care needs/preferences/goals is exhaustive

• Continue usability testing to ensure the skin routine finder flow is smooth and easy, and avoids decision fatigue

• Curate an extensive database of skin care products to make accurate recommendations and develop partnerships to enable purchasing directly through the app

• App development + desktop version of the app

• Research expanding the hook model, content, and marketing to be inclusive for a male audience