Fresh Beauty
A mobile application that helps keep cosmetic items fresh and organized
I partnered with a team of UX and graphic designers throughout the design process.
My Role: UX research and design, usability testing
Key Words: Cosmetic Item management, mobile application
Duration: March - May 2020
Overview
Problem
A survey in 2018 revealed that the average woman owns 40 beauty products. However, typically 5 of those 40 products are used, meaning 87% of the collection goes to waste without regular use.
This not only hurts our wallets but also causes a great environmental burden. To solve this issue, we created Fresh Beauty to help people manage cosmetic items better.
Our Process
Research
We started the project by understanding users’ current experience of managing cosmetic items. We distributed surveys to friends, families, and Facebook groups. We received 30 responses and conducted 5 in-depth interviews.
Interview
We interviewed 4 participants to gain in-depth insights into their concerns and problems.
Challenge
After surveys and interviews, we came to realize that personal concerns and preferences varied considerably among users, making it difficult for us to determine prioritization.
Persona
To solve the problem, we decided that a persona is necessary for guiding design priorities and developing empathy with users. Based on both quantitative and qualitative data collected, we created a persona named Esther Choi.
We clarified that our key users are women from age 16 to 50 who wear makeup regularly. They are eco-conscious, self-regulating, and go about doing their daily tasks, activities, and responsibilities.
Design Outcomes
A list that shows everything
Users can see a list of all the items they own to keep track of their cosmetic items. Whenever needed, they can check out the collection based on various sorting methods, such as expiration date, ratings, and brand.
Expiration date calculator
For most cosmetic items, expiration information is not clearly identified as a specific date; instead, several figures are needed to determine the expiration date.
1. Batch code— provides the traceability of the product batch and its production date.
2. Shelf life— tells you the useful lifetime of a product after production.
3. Period after Opening (POA)— indicates the useful lifetime of an item after opening.
Fresh Beauty helps users determine which of the above limitations will come earlier and automatically calculate the expiration date.
Quick and Simple Scanning
What distinguishes Fresh Beauty from other cosmetic management apps is its scanning feature. Instead of manually typing in the batch code, batch number, and POA, users can add items simply through scanning.
Much needed reminders
When owning multiple items of the same category, users can find it difficult to decide which ones to use first. Ideally, they’d prefer to use items that expire earlier to avoid waste.
To solve this pain point, Fresh Beauty informs users before the expiration of each item based on the reminders set.
Evaluation
Four users helped us perform usability testing. As they performed tasks, we asked them to think aloud. Once the users completed their tasks, we asked several follow-up questions. Then they rated our design through the questionnaire based on SUS. The SUS result is 75, indicating that users are satisfied.
Satisfaction Question
SUS Results
