Glowify
Glowify is an e-commerce website dedicated to curating and selling skincare products that are formulated with clean, non-toxic ingredients. It provides a curated selection of skincare brands that prioritize ethical sourcing, sustainability, and transparency in their product formulations. The goal of Glowify is to empower consumers with the knowledge and tools to make informed choices about their skincare routines, supporting a healthier, more sustainable beauty industry.
Project Type
E-commerce
Research Methods
Competitor Analysis, User Interviews, User Personas, Affinity Mapping, Site Architecture, Wireframes, Usability Testing
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Discipline
UX Design, Web, product, UI Design, Visual Design
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Time Frame
Aug - Nov, 2024
Overview /
The Problem
Many skincare products containing harmful chemicals are sold daily, as their marketing often misrepresents them as being safe and beneficial for the skin, despite not being so.
Glowify was created to address the growing demand for safe, non-toxic skincare products in a market that often lacks transparency and clarity. With consumers increasingly seeking clean beauty options free from harmful chemicals, navigating the crowded landscape can be overwhelming. Glowify simplifies this process by offering a curated selection of skincare brands that prioritize clean ingredients, ethical sourcing, and sustainability. The platform empowers consumers to make informed, confident choices about their skincare, ensuring they can achieve healthy, glowing skin without compromising their values.
The Goal
To empower consumers with the knowledge and tools to make informed choices about their skincare routines, supporting a healthier, more sustainable beauty industry.
Glowify’s mission is to offer a reliable platform for discovering clean beauty products from a variety of reputable skincare brands. By focusing on clean ingredients, Glowify aims to help users achieve glowing, healthy skin without compromising their health or the environment. The platform promotes holistic beauty, ethical practices, and transparency in the beauty industry, building trust with consumers who care about what goes into their skincare products.
Discover /
To identify potential issues, research was needed on existing products that address these user challenges. First, market research and competitive analysis were carried out to evaluate the competition and determine if there was an opportunity for a better solution. Then, user interviews were conducted to gain insight into the needs and pain points of both users and skincare brands.
Competitive analysis
To better understand the competitive landscape, I conducted research on both direct and indirect competitors offering similar features, such as clean ingredient skincare, brands who take sustainability into account, and transparency between user and brand.
While some platforms were restricted by location firewalls, I identified four key competitors to analyze in depth. This gave me valuable insights into their solutions and features. By studying their approaches, I gained a clearer understanding of which features would be essential for my app and how to position it with a competitive edge in the market.
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User Interviews
User interviews were conducted with nine participants, each interview lasting between 15 to 30 minutes.
To prepare for these interviews, I developed an interview guide featuring open-ended questions to allow for the most exploration of user pain points. Following the interviews, I synthesized the findings using post-it notes in order to identify and analyze common themes.
Online Shopping
Users expressed that they enjoy shopping online due to the convenience of having user reviews and rating available
Less is More
Users often realized their skin goals were met when they used less products
Influential Points
User Reviews and Aesthetically pleasing packaging influence their product choice
Ingredient Conscious
Many users expressed the difficulty of understanding ingredients in products
Budget Conscious
Most users go into their shopping experience with a budget in mind
Skin Goals
All users buy products to achieve their skin goals such as wrinkles,, acne, or hydration.
Define /
The Challenge
How might we help individuals achieve their skincare goals by offering a wide range of truly clean, budget-friendly products with transparent ingredient information, optimal application guidance, and effective formulas tailored to different skin types and concerns, all while promoting products with good reviews, attractive packaging, and multiple benefits for both day and night routines?
User Personas
Target Audience - Glowify caters to individuals mostly women who are conscious about the ingredients in their skincare products and are seeking non-toxic, cruelty-free, and eco-friendly alternatives.
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Health-conscious individuals who want to ensure the safety of the products they use on their skin.
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Eco-conscious consumers who care about sustainability, ethical sourcing, and reducing their environmental impact.
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Skincare enthusiasts looking for a one-stop shop for quality products across multiple trusted brands.
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Those with sensitive skin or specific skincare concerns (e.g., acne, aging, dryness) who seek clean solutions.
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Site Map
A site map was developed to create a clear and organised structure for the platform, based on user interviews that revealed the need for flexible navigation. Users wanted the ability to complete tasks through various sections of the platform, and this insight was central to the site map's design.
The site map was refined throughout the project to ensure intuitive navigation and a logical flow of information. It helped define the hierarchy and relationships between pages, guiding users efficiently and minimising confusion as they moved through the platform.
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Feature Roadmap
A feature map clarifies user needs by directly linking features to user behaviors and pain points, ensuring that design decisions stay grounded in real user problems. It also improves collaboration with product managers and developers by providing a shared visual framework that aligns everyone on priorities and expectations. Additionally, feature maps support lean UX and agile development by simplifying the process of scoping MVPs and planning sprints, helping teams deliver value quickly and iteratively.
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User & Task Flows
Task flows provided a high-level view of each user’s process on the platform, mapping out the key steps to ensure efficient interactions. This helped identify potential obstacles and allowed me to streamline the overall user journey.
User flows went a level deeper and focused on the user’s decisions at each step in completing their task. By highlighting various paths, it ensured that interactions were intuitive and aligned with user needs.
Together, these tools were essential in refining the platform for a smooth, user-friendly experience.
Task Flows
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Create Account Flow
Check Out Flow
Choosing Product From Best Seller Flow
User Flow
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Create Account Flow
Clean Ingredient Glossary Flow
Wishlist Feature Flow
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Wireframes
Deliver /
Low-fidelity
Based on research and key insights, I began the design process with low-fidelity wireframes, prioritising ideas around critical user pain points identified in user interviews. Low-fidelity wireframes allowed for quick iterations on flows for features, providing an initial sense of the platform’s layout.
This wireframe demonstrates how a user would shop for a product, learn about the ingredients in it or add it to their wish list if they are not ready for check out just yet.
Mid-fidelity
Based on peer and mentor feedback, significant changes were made between the low- and mid-fidelity wireframes. Key updates included adding a sign up section, an ingredient glossary, a wishlist feature, and preview of products on the homepage.
Additionally, I consolidated the search feature into a single page which aimed to improve the user experience by reducing the multi-step search process to a single page, therefore improving what is seen on competitor platforms. The page hierarchy was also refined after further feedback.
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Branding
I chose the color palette based on that commonly seen in skincare websites and products evoke a natural, clean but fun sense of humor.
I selected the League Spartan and Libre Baskerville fonts for its modern, minimalistic feel and strong legibility on small screens, despite its limited range of font weights.
The logo design was inspired by the organic look of ingredients, symbolising the connection between skincare and the organic feel of using clean ingredient products. I believe this design works well as both a combination mark and an abstract mark.
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Usability Test
I conducted usability tests on five users within the target audience which provided valuable insights on how the users complete their tasks and interact with the platform. All users successfully completed the tasks with minimal errors. Feedback indicated that the platform's clean and straightforward design made tasks easy to complete.
Success metrics included a) Time taken to complete the task, and b) Error rate when completing the task. After conducting usability studies, all five users were able to complete the tasks in an average of 5 minutes or less. The errors that occurred during testing were simple details such as adding a wishlist heart on the product overview and adding a go back button on the order summary page now that those have been added, I expect that the error rate to be much lower.
Priority Revisions
After user testing was done, it was apparent that some buttons needed to be added to make the design 100% user friendly.
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Final Prototype
View Final Prototype
Reflection
What I learned
Engaging with users of diverse needs early in the project proved crucial for designing an inclusive e-commerce skincare platform. By focusing on empathy, features were developed that truly resonate with users, meeting their needs effectively in a short time.
Next Steps
1. Feature Development
2. User Testing & Iterations
The next phase involves fully developing the platform's existing features to ensure they function seamlessly. This will lay a solid foundation for subsequent testing and refinements.
Once development is complete, further user testing will be conducted to evaluate and improve usability. Iterative adjustments will be made based on feedback to achieve optimal success metrics.