Author: Kim Nguyen (UX Designer)

Project Background

The demand for skincare is thriving due to the growing desire for health-promoting and self-care products, increasing interest in the power of regimens and routines, social media influences. However, 46% of Americans still experienced skin problems in their youth, and 67% say skin issues affect their confidence. As the data can tell, the struggle for clear skin is real even there are myriads of skincare lineups.

The Problem

Entering the skincare journey for a beginner in this day and age is just like visiting Times Square. It's bright and shines, yet it's all about the advertisement, and it's overwhelmed. With the advance of technology and ubiquitous of the Internet, people access the information easier than ever. However, the massive amount of information created on social media like Tiktok, Youtube, Facebook also cause information overload. People felt getting lost and frustrated in picking up or maintaining an effective skincare routine that can help to either improve their skin health or treat their skin problems.

Hypothesis & Assumptions

• People have difficulty figuring out which skincare routine works best for their skin because of the paradox of choice in skincare products, the jargon of product, ingredient information, the lack of skincare related knowledge (ingredient impact, skin-related understanding, to name a few).
• The pandemic has impacted on their skincare routine.
• GenZ who are in the age group 13-24 years old might be the target audience since late adolescence is a critical period in both physical and psychological development. Skin conditions are very common in this age group, and are known to impart a considerable psychological burden, with higher rates of both anxiety and depression in those with chronic skin disease.

Research Goals

We want to learn about people's lifestyles, self-care focused on their experience with skincare routines, such as skincare habits and emotional drivers. This will help to find the gaps in their experience that prevent them from being able to develop & maintain their skincare regimen.

Research Objectives

1. Understand the skincare industry before and during the Covid-19. Find out the target audience of the market.
2. Learn how people get into skincare routine. Understand user's pain points, needs and motivations with their current or past skincare routine
3. Identify key components necessary for following skincare routines, purchasing skincare products.
4. Discover user's needs, wants, motivations and expectations when it comes to choosing which skincare routine should they follow, which skincare products should they buy.
5. Uncover if are there existing products solving this problem and evaluate their value propositions, identify key opportunities.

Research Questions

1. How do users decide which skincare routine to follow/ which skincare product to buy? What are the key factors that affect people's decision on the skincare product they would like to try out? Which information they need to inform their decision-making?