Summi

Overview:

This is a concept project based on a design brief that was assigned to me through bootcamp. I approached it as a contracted designer hired to help the company with their business goals. My responsibility was to create a visual design language for the company and execute the entire end-to-end experience from scratch.

Roles: Research, Strategy, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing, UX/UI

Team: Me, myself, and I

Duration: 2 months

Problem

Summi shoppers cannot determine which serum is best for them based on relative descriptors. In addition, Summi needs to enhance their browsing and checkout experience to greatly improve their product’s usability.

_{Goals & Statistics}

What motivates users to select a product that’s right for them so that they continue through the checkout process and make a final purchase?
What causes users to abandon the checkout process?

_{Data Summi shared with me shows that:}

50%

70%

of shoppers open an average of 7 items
per page without moving any items into
the cart.

of shoppers who place an item in the cart do not purchase.

Hypothesis

My assumption is that shoppers are abandoning because they aren’t confident buying the best, right product. There’s a certain level of risk associated with purchasing a product you’ve never bought before.

Research

I started by using the internet to conduct secondary research to deepen my understanding of the problem space, and to better understand skincare shoppers, their goals and the environment where the action occurs. In the past, shoppers weighed factors like price, brand and quality when choosing beauty products. Of course, these factors still matter. But increasingly, beauty shoppers also seek out products and brands that align with their values.

Insights

76% of shoppers focus on buying products that are sustainably made. -PowerReviews Feb 17 2021
59% of shoppers would be interested in trying new products from other brands if they are clean. - Danziger Sep 1 2019
Shoppers are more critical of brands— whether it’s about the ingredients, how the products are tested or the overall quality.
Consumers thoroughly investigate and research products with the help of ratings and reviews but what else motivates them to buy or try something new?

What People Had To Say

Secondary research helped me better understand current market trends with skincare shoppers, but I wanted to hear from the shoppers themselves. I reached out to friends, family, and coworkers who fell into Summi’s target market; I asked them about their shopping habits and here's what they had to say:

Meet Mila

I created a primary persona based on patterns I found when talking to shoppers about how they currently shop for skincare products— this helped me gain a deeper understanding of who I was designing for. I would refer back to Mila often in my design process and used her as a reference point when making design decisions.

Mila is a beauty enthusiast who is always searching for the next beauty products and brands. Between work meetings and her kids’ web schooling, Mila Zooms all day. An hour rarely goes by that she’s not reminded of what she looks like via screen. Lately she’s been noticing her face looking dull and spots that weren’t there before.

Empathizing with the user

We live in a changing world and shoppers are smarter than ever. These savvy shoppers want to make an effort to be socially responsible and purchase products that are ethical and sustainable. When it comes to their next beauty purchase they are looking to buy from brands that are transparent about where their ingredients come from and how they make their products.

What does Mila want to accomplish and how does using Summi help her do so? Here are 3 scenarios I created based on her behaviors, needs, and goals to inform the MVP of the site.

User Stories

User Flow

“As a clean beauty shopper, I want to read user-generated content and compare serums so that I can confidently purchase a product that align with my values” —Mila, 33

The new user flow allows shoppers to read and see photos uploaded by other shoppers. I introduced a compare feature that aims to replicate the in store experience of physically comparing the products side by side, but with an added level of ease. Shoppers no longer have to painstakingly read through every detail of the label; special iconography will highlight key attributes of each product.

Wireframe

I know who I'm designing for and even have a blueprint of the inner workings of the site. It’s now time to get an idea of what the actual site will look like. This wireframe represents the basic structure and layout of the new site.

Vibe Check

I wanted to let the products speak for themselves so I chose to go for a look and feel that would complement them. I’m excited to introduce you to the new and improved Summi!

_{Hifi Screens}

Solve

"Why is that there? I didn't put that there." -Pilar, 40

In nearly every usability testing session, users were thrown off by the compare feature. The pre-generated content and drop down menus were more confusing than helpful. I tried to solve this usability issue by:

︎ Interact with Hifi Protoype here ︎

Retrospective

Next Steps

If given more time, I would continue to perform usability testing with users on the compare feature solution to better understand how users would actually use it. Currently users are more concerned with seeing user-generated content to inform their purchase as opposed to a compare feature. However, I feel more time focused on this would have allowed for the potential to truly innovate in this space; perhaps there is a way to make a combo experience of user-generated content using a compare type feature together.

Lesson Learned

Going into the project I focused on the deliverables for the business. My aha moment came during the first round of usability testing when users struggled with the compare feature— at that moment, I realized I was not designing with the user in mind. That’s when I went back to reframe the problem space by adding a user goal— clean beauty shopper seeking out products that align with their values— to supplement the business goal. This created a deeper sense of empathy with target users and brought me one step closer toward the goal of designing a solution that boosts confidence in consumers to increase conversion rates.