Problem
There is a need for products that can help people find custom hair care solutions that cater to their unique hair qualities. With millions of hair and beauty videos available on our favorite platforms, it can be difficult to narrow down search results that cater to individual needs and provide real benefits.
Project Overview
In a self-initiated design sprint I ideated, strategized, and prototyped a responsive homepage design for Influence, a product designed to help people develop personalized, healthy, beauty practices.
Process
EMPATHIZE - Conduct market research to understand brand strategies, positioning, business and user needs. Use research to develop user persona and journey storyboard to help inform decision making.
EVALUATE - Review insights from research and findings to define goals and tangible strategies to achieve them.
DECIDE - Make final decisions on elements and develop content architecture for wireframes. In alignment with brand strategy, define UI style guide and page content.
SKETCH - Using Sketch, create low and high fidelity wireframes of a homepage design for various screen sizes.
User Persona
Name - Alec Tiffany Ph.D.
Age - 25
Work - Chemical Engineering
Family - Married with two cats
Location - Champaign, Illinois
Age - 25
Work - Chemical Engineering
Family - Married with two cats
Location - Champaign, Illinois
Alec is a newly wed, half African American and half Caucasian. Her ethnic heritage is very important to her and her family. Keeping her hair natural, healthy, and expressive defines her relationship with her hair and helps her feel connected to her heritage. Alec has curly hair but lives in a town where most residents have straight hair. Beauty product offerings and inspiration that cater to her hair texture and personal style are sparse in her area and social sphere. The internet is Alec's primary resource for purchasing beauty products, finding beauty inspiration, and consuming beauty media.
Goals:
Keep her hair healthy while increasing curl definition and hair length
Learn about and purchase beauty products that have been tested and reviewed by credible beauty influencers and have been vetted for quality
Learn about new hairstyles and beauty trends that cater to people with similar hair characteristics and needs as hers.
Low Fidelity wireframes distill the design to its core elements.
Visual Brand Strategy
The neutral typographic language conveys modernism and edginess but doesn't come across as overdone or inauthentic. Images are designed to appeal to a modern and diverse target audience that values good taste.
Content Strategy
The written voice of the Influence brand is a key factor in connecting with the 18-35 year old target audience. The tone is casual, best friendly, uplifting, and inclusive. Utilizing colloquialisms, pop culture references, trending topics, hashtags, and emojis are all part of establishing the voice of the Influence brand.
