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BeautyWise
A mobile app that helps women and men understand the harmful ingredients in personal care products to aid them make better choices for their health and well-being.
Project Type
End-to-End Capstone Project
My Role
UX/UI Designer
UX Researcher
Timeline
February 2023 - May 2023
Tools
Figma
Illustrator
Procreate
Overview
Problem
What actually is in our products?
Many women are not adequately educated on the ingredients in their personal care products, which can have negative consequences for their health. For example, some ingredients commonly found in personal care products, such as phthalates and parabens, have been linked to hormonal disruptions and cancer. Despite this, many women continue to use products containing these ingredients because they are unaware of the potential risks. There is a need for better education and transparency around personal care product ingredients to empower women to make informed choices about their health and well-being.
Solution
That's where we come in.
I believe that by providing clear and accessible information about harmful ingredients in personal care products through an easy-to-use and engaging mobile application, we can empower women to make more informed decisions about the products they use. This experience will be designed for women of all ages and backgrounds who are interested in using safer and healthier personal care products.
I will know this is true when I see the personal care product industry acknowledge the growing consumer demand for natural alternatives and respond by reformulating existing products, removing harmful ingredients, and introducing new natural product lines.
Now, let's start from the beginning!
150
A woman applies over
chemicals to her body a day, and the skin absorbs every one of them.
Only 1%
of a product's ingredient composition has to be organic in order to be listed as organic. This means the other 99% of the ingredients could be filled with problematic pesticides and more.
10,000
Of more than
have ever been banned or restricted by FDA.
11
chemicals, just
The Natural Beauty Industry is...
experiencing significant growth as consumers become increasingly concerned about the safety of chemicals in traditional beauty products. A growing number of brands are promoting themselves as cleaner, safer alternatives to mainstream products.
The terminology used by companies is not regulated by any agency or governing body, making it hard for consumers to make informed decisions. The term ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ found on products is only a flashy way to encourage consumers to believe they are buying a healthy product, however this is not the case.
Primary Research
Participant Criteria
-
Female
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Age Range: 18-38
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Regular user of personal care products (e.g. makeup, skincare, hair care, etc.)
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Interest in learning about the ingredients in personal care products
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Access to a smartphone or tablet device to download and use the app
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Basic understanding of English
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Willingness to provide feedback and participate in surveys
I interviewed 3 participants all qualified under the participant criteria to gain some insight as to their perspectives and experiences on the personal care industry.
Lindsey, 33
Lawyer
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Nicky, 26
Marketing Professional
Beth, 22
University Student
This is what I gathered...
Cost
Women are willing to pay higher prices for products that they can trust that will give them the same results with a cleaner deck of ingredients. As prices add up, they want a clear way of knowing the money they are investing in their products will pay off in the end for the results they are expecting.
Ingredients
Women are concerned about the ingredients in their products but don't have time to research them always. or are not always successful with their findings. They enjoy when brands have a clear and concise call-out for "free form" ingredients or ingredients they can understand.
Chosen Theme:
Ingredients
I chose to focus on this theme because it was such a trivial point of concern from the majority of the interview insights I gathered.
How might we help women in North America understand the harmful ingredients in personal care products to help them make better choices for their health and well-being?
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I'd like you to meet, Jules!
I created the proto-persona of Jules Mayor from the insights gathered from the interview process as a way of stepping out of my own bias to truly immerse myself as the ideal user for my app.
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User Stories
Through the lens of the user's frustrations, goals and behaviours, a variety of 30+ user stories were created and categorized into 5 core epics.
1. Personalized Recommendations and Customization
2. Product Information and Ingredient Awareness
3. Information and Education
4. Community and Support
5. Shopping and Purchasing
I chose to explore the app through the core epic of Product Information and Ingredient Awareness as it addresses the user's frustrations, goals and behaviours most prominently.
Core Epic
Product Information and Ingredient Awareness
As a woman concerned with the personal care product industry:
I want to...
-
Be able to scan the barcode of a product and receive detailed information about its ingredients, so that I can make informed decisions about what I put on my skin.
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Be able to search for skincare and makeup products by specific ingredients or concerns, so that I can find products that are tailored to my individual needs.
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Be able to save my favorite products to a wishlist or favorites list, so that I can easily access them in the future.
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Receive alerts if a product I am using contains any ingredients that have been linked to harmful side effects, so that I can avoid them in the future.
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Be able to track my skincare journey and see the progress of my skin over time, so that I can adjust my skincare routine and products accordingly.
Task Flow
I created this task flow from the following user stories to exemplify the persona's goal within the context of using the app.
Ideas from this....
Following the task flow concept, these wireframe sketches were crucial to the development of BeautyWise as they provide a clear visual representation of the app's layout, features, and interactions, helping us refine and optimize the user experience before moving into the development phase.
To this...
It was important to note that creating the mid-fidelity wireframes for BeautyWise had to embody what the app represents. Clean, Transparent and Natural elements.
Now, to test!
I conducted 2 rounds of usability testing with 5 participants per round and revised screens based on the user testing feedback. This process allowed me to fully understand the user and their positive and negative takes on the app in the development phase. The feedback I received from 2/10 users was that the font was too small and the camera icon was unclear to be referring to a barcode scanner feature. I took these into consideration when revising the screens.
Before
After
Finalizing the mid-fidelity wireframes meant it was time to create the moodboard for what BeautyWise should look and feel, overall.
Let's get the vibe right
Natural, Refreshing, Clean.
It was important to make sure that the users felt the warm and inviting aesthetics from BeautyWise the way it was intended. Our app is all about natural ingredients and full transparency for the users. Starting with the inspiration from these images and colours, we were on the right track for the following brand development.
Narrowing it down
The following 8-grid moodboard was a result of narrowing down the colour palette, creating the logo, choosing the typeface and gathering patterns, images, icons and elements that resembled the desired characteristics that BeautyWise embodies.
The same goes for the UI Library..
How would BeautyWise look on a desktop?
Time to showcase
I created a marketing site for both mobile and tablet formats to act as a showcase for BeautyWise. By advertising the app with multiple CTA referring to downloading the application from the app store, the user can have a better understanding of what Beautywise's mission is, and how it aims help the user.
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Hi-Fidelity Prototype
To recap...
Problem Space
Many women are not adequately educated on the ingredients in their personal care products, which can have negative consequences for their health. For example, some ingredients commonly found in personal care products, such as phthalates and parabens, have been linked to hormonal disruptions and cancer. Despite this, many women continue to use products containing these ingredients because they are unaware of the potential risks. There is a need for better education and transparency around personal care product ingredients to empower women to make informed choices about their health and well-being.
How Might We
How might we help women in North America understand the harmful ingredients in personal care products to help them make better choices for their health and well-being?
Solution
I believe that by providing clear and accessible information about harmful ingredients in personal care products through an easy-to-use and engaging mobile application, we can empower women to make more informed decisions about the products they use. This experience will be designed for women of all ages and backgrounds who are interested in using safer and healthier personal care products.
I will know this is true when I see the personal care product industry acknowledge the growing consumer demand for natural alternatives and respond by reformulating existing products, removing harmful ingredients, and introducing new natural product lines.
