Ember Beauty

The Client

Beauty subscription boxes have become very popular as they allow customers to experiment with new products. Ember Beauty combines the exploration of beauty subscription boxes with the instruction of of a certified makeup artist. Our team was tasked with exploring the target demographic for this site while creating a positive user experience for that demographic.

Research

In conducting our research we hoped to gain an understanding of the relationship our users had with makeup. The main question we asked in our research plan was:

who is our user and what is their relationship with makeup?

Key Takeaways from Interviews

• Women over the age of 22 were set in their makeup routines and not interested in instruction.
• Women ages 15-21 were experimenting with makeup and interested in learning new techniques.
• Online makeup tutorials were not personalized and often difficult to follow.
• People wanted more control of the products they received in subscription boxes.
• Matching foundation is difficult for EVERYONE.

Guerrilla Research

Our team went to Sephora and asked salespeople for help buying products. We wanted to observe the process of how the consultants at Sephora guided their customers in finding the right makeup for them.

Sephora Experience

• I asked an associate for help with buying concealer.
• "Do you want full coverage or more natural lightweight feel?”
• She recommended products based on my answer and helped me test them.
• Tested 3 products and asked which ones I liked best.
• She gave me a card with a step by step instructions on how to use my project.

Key Takeaways from Sephora

• Highly focused on customer service and low pressure sales
• Sales people gave a lot of information
• Asked personalized questions to help customers find the right products for their needs

Persona, Problem Statement, and Design Principles

Primary Persona

Problem Statement

Teenage girls want a way to explore new makeup styles with a trusted makeup mentor because they want to learn techniques that match their developing styles.

Design Principles

Personalized

Show me what works for me specifically.

Features that fit this principle: quiz, having a choice of mentor matching, and product recommendations

Relatable

Let me know that you understand my needs: trust and comfort.

Features that fit this principle: quiz and having a choice of mentor

Prototyping and Testing

Each member of our team created a prototype using Balsimiq. We printed our prototypes and tested them with 7 girls between the ages of 15-21 years old.

Flow Tested

1. Home Page/Sign Up
2. Quiz with Content
3. Match with Mentor
4. Confirmation of Mentor Appointment
5. Meeting/Video Chat

Home Page/Sign Up

Our team tested 3 versions of the home page. 

Quiz with Content

Quiz 1 had more visual content and less questions.

Quiz Key Takeaways

• Testers wanted to take the quiz before creating a login
• The content of the quiz is more important than the length
• One question per screen

Match with Mentor

Choose a Mentor 

Confirmation of Appointment 

Meeting/Video Chat 

Key takeaways from User Testing

• Upfront explanation of product and price on homepage is important
• Testers were excited at the prospect of having personalized content
• Teenagers were hesitant about video chatting with a stranger
• Control is continually a theme
  • Choosing mentor
  • Scheduling appointments

Final Prototypes 

Our team took the best features from each of prototypes and merged them into one final prototype.

Home Page

Quiz

Match with mentor 

Scheduling 

Future Recommendations for Ember Beauty

• Trial before purchase
• Pause subscription button
• Messaging system
• Test with target demographic

What We Learned

In working on Ember Beauty, our team learned the importance of finding your target demographic and testing with them. We learned about the right direction to take Ember after testing with people who were interested in using it. Finding your user and focusing on their needs is essential when working to build a successful product.