Let’s find your favourite MUA easily
— UX Case Study
Disclaimer : This is one of my last projects at Purwadhika Startup School in the UI/UX class. I’ve made some changes here and there, you know, based on my extra research and some tweaks to the UI.
What is MUA ?
Did you know that some folks feel a bit unsure about doing their own makeup? That’s where beauty services like Make-up Artists (MUA) come in handy. People usually book MUAs before big events to glam up. But sometimes booking them can be a bit tricky. I’m digging into this case to figure out solutions that make it a breeze for people to find their go-to MUA.
Hypotheses
Before diving into my research, I made hypothesis that “creating a special app or online platform just for finding MUA services could really simplify things for users who trying to find the perfect makeup artists.” Social media is the go-to nowadays for MUA, but let’s be real — it’s a jungle out there. With so much going on, finding the right MUA can take a little longer. So, my idea is to streamline the process with a platform that’s all about connecting users with perfect makeup artists.
First thing is — what problems are users really dealing with? To get the details on it, I’m digging into the design process through my research.
Design Process
Stage 1 — Discover user needs and pain points
Not too long ago, I found myself in a different town and and urgently in need of a MUA.” Not knowing the place well, I hit up a friend who lived there for some MUA suggestions. After looking at the recommendation list, I finally booked one of the MUA that suited my needs the most. Turns out, the results didn’t quite meet my expectations, and also the makeup ingredients didn’t quite go well in my skin. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any other option, so my face ended up a bit problematic after that. This experience got me thinking, I can’t be the only one facing this kind of situation; it’s likely happening to others too.
So, I kicked off with some assumptions based on my own experiences with these MUA searches:
- Trying to find a nearby MUA through social media hashtags turned into a bit of a marathon. Too many users, especially business accounts, mess with location hashtags just to boost their social media stats. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack.
- The whole thing about that overly complicated booking form? Total time-waster. I have to spill unnecessary details.
- And also, when I tried reaching out through Instagram DM, most of them were slow to respond, probably lost in a sea of other messages.
To gain deeper insights and understand more about different experiences, I conducted interviews with 8 potential users. All of them were women aged between 22 and 32. Check out some of the questions I threw at them.
After the interviews, I took a deep dive into the questionnaire results, and for the heavy lifting of sorting and grouping all that info, I turned to the affinity diagram. It’s like the MVP for making sense of the chaos — helps me pin down the pain points, figure out what users really need, and get a clear picture of their goals. It’s like organizing the puzzle pieces to see the big picture.
Let’s analyze the key takeaways from exploring the affinity map
- Makeup is practically a daily ritual for most folks — like 6 out of 8 are always glamming up whenever they step out.
- When it’s a big deal, calling up a makeup artist is the move instead of DIY-ing it.
- Social media is the go-to hotspot for finding a makeup artist.
- In the current jouurney of finding a makeup artist, users often encounter various challenges, leading to difficulties in locating a suitable MUA.
- Users are pretty picky when it comes to choosing their MUA — got a checklist and everything.
Post-interview, I did some exploring and stumbled upon several apps for tracking down makeup artists online. I conducted a side-by-side comparison to evaluate each one and compiled the results into a comparative table.
Based on the results of the comparative research, it appears that these applications do not provide some key features that users highly anticipate. It seems they missed the information about what users truly desire — either it’s completely absent or has not been created yet. It’s time to address this gap and design an application that delivers exactly what users want.
Stage 2 — Define / State user needs and pain points
Taking cues from the interviews, I’m all about crafting a persona that’s the true embodiment of our users. Think of it as creating a character sheet based on the goals, frustrations, and personalities spilled by the participants I’ve had a chat with. It’s like giving our ideal user a name, face, and a story that hits close to home. Time to bring this user to life in the design process!
Stage 3 — Ideate
After gathering all insights, diving deep into user pain points, and figuring out what’s working and what’s missing, I initiated a brainstorming session on how to render the entire experience seamless and delightful. The big question: Is creating a platform the golden ticket to solve these user woes, or do we need to cook up an even better idea?
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And here it is, now it’s the time to validate the hypotheses I mentioned earlier. To ensure that the goals of the upcoming application can be achieved effectively, I will begin by creating its user flow. Here are the details.
Prior to sketching the low-fidelity wireframes, I organized the features according to their priority, determined by the research data. Utilizing a 2x2 matrix will guide us in identifying which features to complete first, ensuring efficient management within the limited time allocated for this case study.
Stage 4 — Design
I began by crafting the lo-wireframes and moving on to design the application. This involves creating high-fidelity wireframes, initially sketching ideas on paper and then refining them digitally using Adobe XD. As the wireframe takes shape, it reveals some of the previously proposed solutions, and I’ve started contemplating the placement of crucial elements at this stage
Design System
To keep things on the same wavelength, I initiated the development of a design system using Adobe XD as outlined below. Let’s keep the vibes consistent and make this design journey a smooth and stylish ride!
Below, I showcase the Mua Mbayu mockup illustrating the sequence of registration, login, search, chat, order and also payment processes.
Stage 5 — Testing
Getting users feedback to measure how successful the solution had offered is the main goal at this stage and also to make sure whether the previous hypotheses were not just mere assumptions. I do user testing within recruited 3 female participants between the age group 24–30 years old who usually using make up as daily needs.
The objective of the usability testing was twofold:
a) Assessing users’ ability to navigate and use the application for booking a Makeup Artist (MUA).
b) Evaluating the efficiency of the process in finding an MUA that aligns with their specific needs.
After conducting usability testing, I identified several pain points, including:
- Users expressing frustration about being unable to share the link to the Makeup Artist (MUA) profile.
- Difficulty opening the location directly in Google Maps.
- Inability to select multiple MUA services.
- Lack of a promo box to apply promo codes during the booking process.
- Users feeling somewhat unfamiliar with certain interfaces in the app.
Based on these findings, I am currently working on modifying some features and interfaces to address the identified pain points. Here are the results of my redesign.
- I’m revising on the detail page, I’m adding an icon to indicate that the user can share the selected MUA profile on social media or simply copy the profile link.
2. Also, to snag user addresses, I’m tossing in a “Show Location” submenu that shoots straight to the user’s maps app.
3. Previously, there was a bit of a wonky flow where users couldn’t select the quantity of orders and couldn’t choose more than one service. Here’s my fix
4. During checkout, I haven’t yet provided a section to copy or enter promo codes (if any), and since there’s also a special promo section on the homepage.
And besides the UI revisions mentioned above, I also made minor revisions to several other UI elements. And for the final touch on this portfolio, I included a short video about the user flow in booking makeup artists. Here's the flow of the app I've created based on research and its revision results.
Thank you for taking the time to read my portfolio. I’m passionate about UI/UX, and I’m excited about the opportunity to collaborate and create meaningful projects together. Let’s connect and make magic happen! I also highly value constructive criticism and suggestions. If you notice any areas of improvement or have any feedback on my portfolio, I would greatly appreciate your insights. Your feedback will help me refine and enhance my work. Thank you in advance for your time and input!
You can reach me out at gracenaomi.damanik@gmail.com or linkedIn here.
