︎
INDEX


Overview

I designed a cosmetics e-commerce app that puts sustainability and product transparency first. The app aims to address sustainability challenges within the beauty industry by redirecting consumer demand, and encouraging producers to adopt cleaner and eco-friendly practices.
Timeline: March 2023 - May 2023
Role: Product Designer
Project Type: Product Design (Concept)

     




Problem Statement

If only there was an easier way to find truly sustainable, clean, and affordable products, then cosmetic consumers could significantly impact climate change by driving widespread adoption of environmentally-friendly practices. This would give consumers peace of mind knowing they’re making a positive difference.

As an advocate for the environment and regular consumer of makeup products, I’ve always found it difficult to find products that were both sustainable and worked well for my skin. And I found that this wasn’t an uncommon struggle among my friends.  As climate change worsens and impacts escalate, it should be easier for consumers to contribute to lessening their environmental footprint by having access to a wider range of eco-friendly and clean beauty products.



Research 

Secondary research revealed that:

  1. The cosmetic industry is a huge contributor to climate change. The industry produces 20 billion units of packaging waste every year.

  2. People are willing to pay more for sustainable products if they know and understand the specific reasons. The problem is that these sustainable product prices are much higher than consumers are willing to spend.  A study conducted by Kearney consulting firm found that 70% of all consumers are willing to pay up to 10% more with the rest of the 30% willing to pay even more.

  3. The term, “clean beauty,” is used loosely and frequently to engage in corporate greenwashing, because people associate it with sustainability -- when “clean” and “green” in the beauty industry are very different terms.  Articles suggest that to resolve this confusion, consumers should research for specific certifications for each product. However, this information is not readily available.







Process






Interviews

To investigate further the perspectives and experience of purchasing and consuming sustainable products, I conducted interviews with 5 individuals and found that:

  1. All participants prioritize sustainability in their purchasing decisions to some extent.

  2. Some participants considered sustainable products to be presented as a luxury good.

  3. When it comes to what factors participants consider during their purchasing decisions, all participants value price over sustainability.

  4. It’s challenging for participants to tell how sustainable a product truly is, and that seeing more certificates would help them identify the validity of a company’s commitment to sustainability.

  5. Participants feel good consuming sustainable products because of their contribution to climate change mitigation, moral decision-making, as well as seeing higher product value compared to conventional products (when the sustainable products were more successful).




Research highlighted that consumers value sustainability. However, high prices and deceptive greenwashing prevent them from meeting their needs in this regard.




Competitive Analysis

Looking into other relevant products, I found opportunities and pain points that I could look into.



Although e-commerce cosmetics platforms do take into concern environmentalism and provide initiatives for consumers to only see “green” products, they seem to make it difficult to find these sections from their main page. Additionally, the fixed labels and lack of transparent information fosters an environment of uncertainty.




Persona

I created a persona based on the interviews to center my work around. This was a critical tool for the design decisions made later on to focus the product around the main user I’m designing for.






Current State Journey Grid

Thinking through the current state journey of the cosmetics purchasing process through the eyes of the persona, Eliza, I detailed the main steps, touchpoints, feelings, and pain points, where I was then able to determine the missing opportunities. 



The missing opportunities I decided to take on were to:

  1. Publicize product sustainability info in a conscise and digestible manner,
  2. Make certification information clearer and more accessible, 
  3. And increase availability of financial support/incentivesfor sustainable products.




Problem Statement

From my current state journey map, and the HMWs evaluated, I was able to come to my problem statement:

If only there was an easier way to find truly sustainable, clean, and affordable products, then cosmetic consumers could significantly impact climate change by driving widespread adoption of environmentally-friendly practices. This would give consumers peace of mind knowing they’re making a positive difference.





Future State Flow Diagram

To visualize the ideal state for the interface design, I sketched a flow diagram. The golden user journey is highlighted at the top in green, indicating the main flow users will take to find and purchase a cosmetic product, with the rest of the supplementary pages below.

To further develop this, I analyzed the mobile user flows of similar apps such as Sephora and ULTA, identifying essential features and omitting ineffective elements.








Visual Style

I created a moodboard to establish an overall tone. I wanted the app to be visually unique, memorable, and to have a strong brand identity. The style guide was created based on the visual style from the moodboard, and was used consistently in the design process to make sure the app visuals were cohesive and structured.






High Fidelity Designs

Following the moodboard and style guide, I designed hi-fi screens of the product. The below shows the onboarding pages to help new users understand how the ratings work and establish the brand message, along with main pages with each of the tabs available - home, information, search, favorites, and profile. The secondary category pages on the left show the lists of product types within each category to guide users in their shopping experience.







User Testing & Design Iterations

After every few design and prototype drafts, I conducted some user testing to make sure the flow of the product was functional, helpful, and intuitive. Some key testing insights along with the design iterations that were made following these interviews are listed below.

  • There was so much complexity in user decision making when it came from choosing a product to purchase, so testing this constantly was important. Particularly, with the product info on the search page product list, adding the 2 ratings to key info made it extremely difficult to have the information seem readable and not overwhelming. This took a few iterations.



  • After the first draft, users weren’t exactly sure what products the app sold, which was due to the app initially not having any product category or hierarchy shown on the home page. I added this later on, which gave users a better sense of the products available and guide their shopping. I took inspiration from product categories and lists from Sephora and Ulta, compared them, eliminated what seemed to be redundant, and put the chosen categories on the home page. The below demonstrates the product homepage as well as the different category lists.





  • There were also issues on icon readability. I wanted a blog tab displaying FAQs and cosmetic and sustainability related articles for which I represented as a book icon. However, people didn’t understand what it was until I told them. So I changed this to an “i” information icon. Similarly, the profile tab icon as a smiley face wasn’t familiar to users, so I changed this to a commonly used profile icon.



  • When users were navigating the app, they thought it was frustrating that once they clicked out of search into another tab, they couldn’t go back to what they had previously searched. Adding a search tab on the bottom nav bar might solve this user flow issue.








Final Prototype






Evaluation


As the climate crisis continues to escalate, it’s crucial that producers and consumers can work together to make informed decisions on the ethical and sustainable impact they have on the world. Feeling frustrated during my own purchasing experience as a consumer, I decided to target the cosmetics industry.

Solutions & Innovations

Takings insights from my research, inspirations, and ideation, I designed an e-commerce app designed with sustainability and product transparency at its core. Innovations included publicizing product sustainability and cleanliness information in a concise, digestible manner through ratings and tags, reorganizing the list of products that are presented to users through sorting and filtering options, and increasing incentives for purchasing sustainable products by gamifying the entire experience.

Impact

The app has the potential to significantly impact consumer behavior by making it easier for users to find and choose sustainable, clean, and affordable cosmetic products. By encouraging the adoption of environmentally friendly and ethical practices, Ecoglow aims to contribute to climate change mitigation and foster a marketplace where sustainability is valued and prioritized. I hope that this study and concept design can be an example for other commerce businesses to reimagine their digital e-commerce platforms amidst the climate crisis.

Personal Reflection

Reflecting on the project, the journey from identifying the problem to designing and iterating on the solution was immensely educational. The process highlighted the importance of user-centered design and clear organization particularly when dealing with numbers/data, and the need for innovative solutions to address environmental challenges. It was gratifying to see how design could influence consumer behavior towards sustainability.

Future Directions

Looking ahead, there’s room for further development of Ecoglow. Other than filling in product gaps like certain pages that weren’t made for the presentation of this prototype, enhancements involve integrating real-time sustainability metrics, expanding the product range, and making the interface more visually appealing. Additionally, partnerships with eco-conscious brands could further bolster the app’s offerings and impact.