Minked by Mink

A B2C beauty app for an eyelash extension business that offers esthetician courses.

Process:

  • Research

  • Define

  • Ideate

  • Test

  • Finalize

Tools:

  • Figma

  • Sketch

  • Miro

  • Google Analytics

Role:

Product Designer

Duration:

5 months

OVERVIEW

The Minked by Mink is a B2C beauty e-commerce application that focuses on booking appointments and esthetician courses. This case study delves into the transformation of a beauty application platform's efficiency. By meticulously analyzing user pain points, preferences, I transformed the booking journey to enhance user and stakeholder satisfaction. 

PROBLEM

Users faced difficulties scheduling appointments due to the absence of a clear services menu. This rather unenjoyable process resulted in: 

  • Last-minute cancellations

  • Incorrect bookings information

  • No call, No-shows 

SOLUTION

I created a mobile application that gave users a more seamless booking process. Implementing key tools such as a service menu, a reminder option to reduce last minute cancellations, and a separate area to sign up for esthetician courses. This in turn established a platform that was not only easier to navigate, but inviting enough to bring them back.

ONE

RESEARCH

TWO

DEFINE

THREE

IDEATE

FOUR

TEST

FIVE

FINALIZE

RESEARCH

Stakeholder Meetings

I first conducted an initial interview with the stakeholders to help me drive key insights which ultimately became the primary guide for my design process. My key takeaways from the meetings were:

  • The booking process was difficult

  • There was no option for appointment reminders

  • Service menu was unclear and no descriptions

User Interviews

The client provided me with 5 consistent clients and conducted in-depth interviews to gain deeper insights into the user pain points. The questions is asked were:

  1. What is the most difficult task for your complete on the current booking platform?

  2. What do you think would make booking appointments easier?

  3. What details do you feel would contribute to making booking an appointment more seamless process?

  4. What is missing from the site that you believe needs to be incorporated in the new one?

“I don’t see a reminder option on the site causing people to forget about appointments leaving risk for no shows or last minute cancellations."

“There is no clear service menu with pricing included on the site making it hard to book the service I need”

“The time and effort it takes to book an appointment can be quite frustrating leaving me to abandon site at times”

IDEATE

By capturing my initial ideas on sketches, I set the stage for the design process’s next stages, where I could iterate and develop my ideas into actionable design solutions.

Sketches

Define

Below I used an affinity map to determine which elements should be included in the application and which elements can be left out.

Employing a hierarchical approach, I categorized each element based on its significance in terms of functionality. This led me to identify non-negotiable components, gradually progressing to those that could be omitted without disrupting the application's coherence.

Lo-Fi Wireframes

Building on my initial sketches, I transitioned to create low-fidelity wireframes. These wireframes provided a simplifies visual representation of the app, focusing on content display and layout. They served as a foundational blueprint, allowing me to ensure that all necessary elements and information were appropriately placed and organization paying close attention to information hierarchy.

Throughout the design process I used the iterative process to go through the user interface refining the design to align with WCAG accessibility. Rules such as typography, color scheme, languages, etc. helped me determine the ultimate design of the platform.

Style Guide

Hi-Fi Wireframes

Before & After

Below you will find some before and after views of the application design. Removing some of the harsh lines and confusing colors giving the app the more clean look it has now

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

FINAL PROTOTYPE AND REFLECTION

Important lessons

  • My lesson would still be to not rush the process. UX and Product is not something that is learned over night. I'm learning to give myself grace when it comes to my design journey.

Obstacles

  • Obstacles would be improving my eye for design. Since I'm coming from a non-design background, there has definitely been a learning curve when it comes to what I think looks good and what truly looks good​

Improvements

  • My biggest improvement would be my UI design skills. My UI work needed and still needs a lot of work, but I've come very far compared to my initial designs. Second improvement would be my storytelling; learning what it truly means to properly explain my design process.