My role: UX Research, Lo-Fi and Hi- Fidelity prototyping, Brainstorming + Ideation, UI Design
Project time: 3 weeks
Tools: Figma + Visual Studio Code + Github
The problem: Many individuals eager to explore new personal fragrances lack in-depth knowledge about fragrance notes.
They struggle to find perfumes that match their preferences, especially as the overwhelming experience of in-person shopping or the uncertainty of online purchases without smelling the fragrance first deters them.
Collaborators: Gia Dimitropoulos
(Front End Development Lead, UI Design)
Hayley Morgan
(User Experience Design Lead, UI Design, Illustrator)
research + analysis
the process
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definition +ideation
prototyping
test + iterate
user research
HTML
Using the double diamond process and the project brief 6 key stages of the design process were identified and prioritised due to the time constraints and deliverables required
Digital mock up of arômes app.
A platform to help our users make scent decisions easier. A platform to be used alone or together with in-store assistance. An online fragrance connoisseur for you.
To develop an online personal fragrance discovery platform that not only educates users on fragrance notes in a user-friendly manner but also leverages innovative techniques to understand and match individual preferences, providing a reliable and enjoyable experience for users exploring the world of fragrances online.
research + analysis
Quantitative Data
We also had a survey with 19 questions to get quantitative data for our case study with results from 10 participants
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7 out of 10 say they have little to no knowledge of perfume scents and notes.
8 out of 10 would like to learn more about perfume scents and notes
Methodology
8 interviewees ranging from ages 20–50, who currently live in the Asia Pacific Region. They needed to purchase personal fragrances. The interviewees were a mix of genders to broaden the user testing pool.
Since we are prioritising the current user experience and due to 55% of women having a 55% share in the fragrance market, they were “overrepresented” in our sample.
In addition we conducted a survey with 19 questions to get quantitative data with results from 10 participants. A greater research sample is needed, however given the time constraints of the project, we were unable to accomplish this.
user insights
Interview 1
"I don't know that many scents... it could be labeled as clearly as it could be... and I'd still be like I don't know what that means”
Interview 2
“Describing the smell not only with its ingredients, but with, I guess, a vibe saying with words that the general public know. Like it's sweet, fruity, this, that, and the other... I need a lot of description and descriptive words”
Interview 3
“No explanation, the lack transparency on the label is just like really confusing. It's all branding”
brainstorming
user insights
01- Affinity Mapping
Users require a more trusted method for validating suggestions and a better understanding of a perfume’s true scent. To address this problem, four key areas emerged surrounding personalization, education and discovering user preferences for fragrance indirectly.
02- User Persona
A user persona was created to get an idea of the needs of our users and why they may be coming to Arômes.
03- Competitor Analysis
Since the beauty industry is heavily saturated, this helped us to understand our position in the market place and identify areas where we can prioritise improvement. We decided to analyse, primarily, scent discovery quizzes, to see where we could improve upon what existed.
We decided to analyse a non-fragrance competitor as a case study, Good Pair Days who had succeeded in our goal of taking a nuanced and complicated product and creating a relevant quiz using layman’s terms.
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user research summary
01
Most consumers are less educated on scent knowledge and top/bottom fragrance notes but do want to learn more
02
Users feel overwhelmed by the number of smells, number of options and amount of information in store. A less overwhelming and cognitively demanding interface is required.
03
Users need a better way to understand how the perfume truly smells. Due to the lack of information and guarantee of product satisfaction, they avoid purchasing online
04
Most consumers have a myriad of requirements and user needs before making a final decision. Users have many personal preferences when it comes to perfume and need the ability to filter for their preferences and get detailed results. This will allow users to narrow results as they desire
05
The similarities between each app is the onboarding process and sign in format, all provide lazy login in as well as manually inputting data.
definition+ideation
Problem Statement
Many individuals struggle to find perfumes that match their preferences, especially as the overwhelming experience of in-person shopping or the uncertainty of online purchases without smelling the fragrance first deters them.
How might we improve the way that users discover what they like and research recommendations that suit their needs online? How can we enhance the online personal fragrance discovery experience, providing users with an intuitive and trustworthy platform that guides them in discovering fragrances aligning with their unique preferences and lifestyles?
User Insight Statement
Savannah needs a platform that will help her discover what personal fragrances she likes. She has difficulty understanding fragrance notes and finding recommendations on brands and fragrances.
During user research, we discovered that a majority of users struggle to find personal fragrances that match their preferences. They are overwhelmed by experience of in-person shopping and feel uncertain about making online purchases without smelling the fragrance.
We believe we can help by developing an online perfume discovery platform that educates users on fragrance notes in a user-friendly manner and leverages innovative techniques to understand and match individual preferences, providing a reliable and enjoyable experience for users exploring the world of perfumes online.
definition
04- Empathy Mapping
5 interviewees ranging from ages 20 - 40, who currently live in homes they have needed to design themselves. The interviewees also are a mix of those living alone, or with families
feature prioritization matrix
05- I like, I wish, What If?
We as a group used dot voting to decide which ideas to implement. We prioritized the following:
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An experience in the form of an interactive quiz leading users to customize recommendations where users begin building a personal scent profile.
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Comparison page to showcase perfumes and their individual characteristics.
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Graphical representation of fragrance profiles to cater for visual learners.
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fragrance quiz user flow
scent related questions
user onboarding and app introduction
background knowledge
identifying user needs
personality, vibe + lifestyle questions
results
existing fragrances
6 distinct categories of questions were used to create a comprehensive profile and recommendations. This created a well-rounded questionnaire that gathers users' personal preferences and personalities. Due to time constraints we prioritized the building of the quiz as this addressed our design problem
prototyping
06- Wireframing
5 interviewees ranging from ages 20 - 40, who currently live in homes they have needed to design themselves. The interviewees also are a mix of those living alone, or with families
07- Low-fidelity prototyping
5 interviewees ranging from ages 20 - 40, who currently live in homes they have needed to design themselves. The interviewees also are a mix of those living alone, or with families
feature screens
main
home
page
scent discovery
quiz
pages
personalized
scent
page
feature
product
page
user testing feedback
08- Guerilla User testing
5 usability tests with users were conducted. All tasks were moderated remotely via Zoom.
All users were able to at least partially submit each task, with the key issue being in finishing profile set-up. A 2x2 narri
This research method helps identify potential user experience issues and uncover user feedback for iterations and improvements.
09- Prototype User Feedback
Things to implement after gathering user feedback on prototype:
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Weaknesses:
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some features are not striking enough for users to locate
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onboarding takes too long
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some screens are too cluttered
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Lack of visuals for users to browse
Opportunities:
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To provide more features targeted towards our users/allow for feedback
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Brand identity throughout app flow
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accessibility to all through dropdown customisation menu with features such as enlarging text, contrast etc.
Accesibility:
allowing users to customize text, screen brightness and clarity of text heavy pages
Human Error:
Users often perform actions by mistake. They need a clearly marked exit strategy to leave the unwanted action without having to go through an extended process.
Simplify sign up page:
Combining login/signup so app recognises if account has been previously created so users don't need to click through many screens.
Combine screens:
reduce amount of different screens to tap through, more productive user flow.
There is an option to skip features but how do we make users want to view our resources?
HTML prototype
reflection & key learning
10- Next Steps
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Build a wishlist feature for users to create lists under their profiles. Users could create different lists for different occasions and vibes
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Add search functionality for current brands and fragrances, with information about their scent profile displayed.
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Add pages about brands and information on their ethics and sustainability so users can make informed decisions about their purchases.
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Add reviews from past customers
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Create a dedicated dictionary page of scents and jargon words to help users increase their fragrance knowledge. There would also be a ‘more information’ icon over words that might need explaining in the quiz.
11-Takeaways
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There is a delicate balance between a quiz being comprehensive and being overwhelming. Further user testing could serve to reveal where users get fatigued.
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We had to learn to find a balance between being sophisticated and minimal whilst also being engaging and approachable.
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We had so many ideas for features and data to back them up, however we spread ourselves too thin given the time constraints.
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Designing a platform for a product that relies so heavily on a sense that cannot be conveyed through technology is extremely difficult.
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More work could have been done to simplify the jargon, however our limited knowledge on the topic made this task impossible without the help of professionals or the appropriate time to research.