A future-facing skincare mobile application that matches your skin's needs
Overview
When I was a high school freshman, I had my first pimple and told my mom I wanted to invest in a good face wash. We went to Target the next day and I got myself the famous $6 orange pump bottle, the Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash. I had really high expectations of having really clear skin by the end of the month. However, the product was too drying and my skin turned into a cactus patch. It was a nightmare.
I later found out as a young adult that I have dry and sensitive skin so I shouldn't have used Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash because it was geared towards people who have oily skin. As a young adult, trying to figure out a skin care routine, I didn't know what I was doing. I had a lack of resources and didn't have enough knowledge on what type of skin I even had.
I wondered if other people also have a similar problem so I asked around to my friends, their friends, friends of friends, and acquaintances. 60% of people I asked said they either self-diagnosed their skin or had no idea what skin type they had, leading to the use of incorrect products for their skin.
The Problem
Users who are unsure about their skin type need a way to understand what type of skin care products will be the most beneficial for them because they find it difficult to find products that work for their skin.
Taking the Dive
My approach to understanding the problem was to see how other people figure out what skin care products they use. I created a list of questions that target user needs, wants, goals and habits to have a better understanding of the target user for this mobile application. I conducted remote user interviews with ten participants (five men and five women) who would like to take care of their skin more.
User interview responses from participants
Some key findings from these user interviews were:
-
80% of participants said their skin does affect their self-esteem and also plays a factor in their appearance.
-
100% of participants said they are open to any skin care brand, but would gravitate to brands that are reputable and trustworthy in the beauty industry.
-
60% of participants have self-diagnosed their skin type and have never been to a dermatologist.
-
60% of participants said they have a lack of resources and information to stay informed about skin care products.
-
Participants said they look to social media, friends, family, and word of mouth to recommend products they should use.
Who are the Users?
After getting a better understanding of specific pain points through user interviews, I had a better understanding of the habits and lifestyles of ideal users that would use the application.
The Making of Prism
With the problem statement, solution statement, user interview responses and key findings, I was able to break down the specific features that would be the most ideal in the mobile application, Prism I created sketches to get a visual sense of what each screen would look like and how users would interact with the design.
Bringing the App to Life
I wanted to focus on some key features of the app that could help visualize even further a skin analysis via photos, a skin quiz, and product recommendations based on their results.
Discovering User Pain Points
After creating digital wireframes, I performed five remote and moderated usability tests to discover pain points in the design and figure out where the design could be improved. Here are some key frustrations that users expressed while accomplishing tasks:
"How accurate is the result of this skin quiz?"
When participants were asked to go through the skin quiz, many of them were skeptical if they could answer accurately for themselves and where the source of truth was coming from. 4/5 participants stated that they would prefer speaking to or going to a professional to get further education and knowledge of their skin.
It feels like I'm guessing and going off my own opinions so I'm curious if this is actually accurate.
Are these questions enough to provide me with an accurate skin analysis?
Is the result just based on data and tech?
"Is the information accurate when it comes to image capture?"
When participants were asked to take images of their skin to get a skin analysis, 3/5 participants questioned the accuracy of the image capture. Though many platforms provide a similar feature, participants said they preferred a professional to give them advice on their skin.
I'm skeptical of the accuracy and would prefer an actual human to tell me my results.
I would probably take the information I receive with a grain of salt.
Final Design: Expertise Matters
After going through user testing and seeing the flaws in the flow, it was crucial for this app to provide expertise opinion. Users preferred to hear from real professionals that could give accurate and concrete advice with their skin. In order to still provide flexibility, we decided to keep the skin type quiz, but provide users the opportunity to speak to a real live human to receive professional guidance on their skin.
Have AI capabilities, but provide a more intuitive and tech-savvy approach for users who may be skeptical of technolocy and security issues.
Resources to chat with a
real live human and learn at users' own pace.
Provide flexibility to users who like making decisions for themselves, but providing professional help to those who want more guidance.
A skin-focused quiz that helps bring knowledge to users who might not know their skin type.
What's Next?
There's still a lot to explore with Prism! What if resources of professional dermatologists are not available? Is AI an effective enough tool that people will be able to trust? Is there a better way to go about providing help to those who need more clarity around their skin? What other features would be beneficial to bringing more education to people about their skin? These are just a few questions and thoughts I'd love to further expand on in the future.