Client
Self Study
Self Study
Role
UX Researcher
UI Designer
Visual Designer
Illustrator
Duration
4 month
Background
The Illinois Department of Public Health reports that an estimated 90% of skin cancers are caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Sunscreen offers the best defense against skin cancer, but individuals committed to sun safety face various challenges. The diminishing effectiveness of sunscreen over time makes it difficult to determine the optimal time for reapplication. Moreover, selecting the appropriate sunscreen tailored to specific skin types and preferences poses a formidable challenge, alongside others.
As a UX designer, I sought to address these challenges by creating SunCare. SunCare is an innovative mobile application dedicated to simplifying and educating users about sun safety and protection.
Objective
To develop a mobile app that empowers users to protect their skin effectively. SunCare streamlines the often overwhelming realm of sun protection to serve as a comprehensive guide for navigating the complexities of sun exposure. It aims to reduce skin damage, lower cancer risk, and promote lasting skincare benefits, fostering a sun-conscious and healthier lifestyle for all users.
To develop a mobile app that empowers users to protect their skin effectively. SunCare streamlines the often overwhelming realm of sun protection to serve as a comprehensive guide for navigating the complexities of sun exposure. It aims to reduce skin damage, lower cancer risk, and promote lasting skincare benefits, fostering a sun-conscious and healthier lifestyle for all users.
✦ Process
01 | Empathize
Research Goal
Uncover users' needs and pain points to develop a user-centric app that simplifies the practice of maintaining healthy sun habits, while tailoring the app to individual preferences and specific requirements for a personalized experience.
Research Objective
1. Conduct extensive market research to gain insights into the current sun protection market landscape. Who are the competitors? What features do they offer? What are consumer preferences?
2. Employ user interviews as a strategic method to examine specific sun protection requirements and challenges experienced by individuals.
3. Identify key motivational factors that drive users to adhere to sun protection practices consistently.
Market Research
To understand the current sun protection industry and identify any gaps or opportunities for differentiation, I assessed three primary categories of direct competitors: UV weather apps (focused on UV Index), skincare apps (like Charm), and specialized sun safety apps (such as REAPPLY).
While many sun safety apps, including REAPPLY, typically offer basic features like tracking local UV index, sunscreen reapplication reminders, and generic product recommendations, they often fall short in addressing the broader spectrum of sun protection needs. Recognizing the importance of holistic sun protection beyond these features led me to research skincare apps. I found that these apps excel in providing personalized product recommendations and maintaining a skin log to monitor skin health— a key factor absent in many sun safety apps.
In response to this identified gap, my app design aims to combine insights from UV weather, skincare, and specialized sun safety markets. The goal is to create a more inclusive and educational sun protection app that goes beyond the ordinary. Moreover, I intend to integrate advanced technology features like a UV camera and health tracking— features observed to be missing in existing specialized sun safety apps but vital to sun protection. This aims to offer users a comprehensive and technologically advanced solution for effective sun protection.
User
Interview
Interview
I conducted ten one-on-one interviews with individuals aged 18-36, representing our primary target audience. The questions were carefully crafted to understand their current understandings, needs, interests, preferences, and pain points. These interviews helped me to gain firsthand insights to enhance my understanding of this demographic and refine solutions to be more tailored.
Here are the key findings from the interview that will guide me in alleviating their challenges and improving the overall experience.
02 | Define
User Persona
By utilizing insights gathered from the interviews, I developed a user persona named Lily Jane, representing the characteristics of the interviewees from my research. This persona provides a deep understanding of the similar background, goals, motivations, and pain points shared by the majority of the interviewees. It serves as a valuable tool in guiding the design process, ensuring that the solutions developed are finely tuned to address their unique needs.
Journey Map
The journey map condenses key interactions, emotions, and improvements throughout a user's engagement with the app. It provides me with insights into the minds of future SunCare users. Given the potential scenario, it becomes apparent Lily, as a user, may experience certain emotions within the process. This approach ensures I design with empathy and a user-centric perspective.
Site Map
The site map helps me structure the hierarchical layout of content and features within SunCare. This organization makes it easier for users to navigate and access the app. The main features I wanted to highlight include local UV index, Products, UV Camera, Log, and Profile.
User Flow
The user flow illustrates Lily’s anticipated path while interacting with SunCare. It highlights key touchpoints and decision points to identify areas for improvement, ensuring a seamless and user-friendly interface. My focus was on personalizing the initial screens and streamlining processes within the main features screens.
03 | Ideate
Brand Identity
Before diving into visual designs for SunCare, I first compiled a list of goals and values that the app aims to embody: empowerment, health and wellbeing, fun, engagement, motivation, education, and community.
Wireframe
First, I sketched low-fidelity wireframes to outline the general placement and design of my app.
Next, I transitioned to Adobe XD to develop medium-fidelity drafts, further refining the gist of the layouts. This step allows me to concentrate on the design elements before proceeding to finalize the entire app with colors, text, and graphics.
04 | Prototyping & Testing
User Testing
I asked four participants to navigate through the high-fidelity prototype, aiming to assess its intuitiveness and usability. My goal was to encourage them to identify any issues they may have encountered and further refine my design to ensure optimal user-friendliness, while still meeting the needs for sun protection.
Feedback
Overall, participants provided generally positive feedback on the app. Users encountered few errors while navigating, indicating that the app's flow was recognizable and familiar. The vibrant use of colors was well-received, contributing to an energetic and enjoyable experience. Users particularly appreciated the color-coded "Hourly Forecast" section on the homepage, making it easy to distinguish different UV indices within the day. New features, like the UV camera, intrigued users, who found the screen easy to navigate despite being unfamiliar with the feature.
Although I received positive responses, some participants expressed concerns. They noted that the current UV index on the homepage isn't immediately identifiable. There were questions raised about how users can determine the time remaining until sunscreen reapplication without having to open the "View Timer" button, which can be a hassle to do repeatedly. Additionally, there were challenges with the visibility of the navigation bar icons due to the color choices.
All participants presented good and valid points, which I proceeded to reflect on to come up with solutions to address these issues, making sure the app meets user expectations and provides a seamless and user-friendly experience.
✦ Outcome
Interactive
Prototype
Prototype
The link below is an interactive prototype, offering a brief simulation of SunCare's functionality and features.
