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Helping Indian community to find Indian style salons in the words they know

Client: IMMT, Centennial
Category: User Research, Product Design, Prototype, Testing

The Story

 

At centennial college, we had a task to create a high fidelity app or a website envisioning user problem and how this product would make create a positive impact in their life.


As a new comer to Toronto, I did and still struggle to find salons that suit my needs. I have had bad haircuts in the past. Once, I asked for a hair smoothing service at one salon and no one understood what it was. Therefore, I used this opportunity to implement the user-centered design process I had been studying for a few months now. This was the first project where I was designing a user's experience rather than just a redesign. 

 

Goal

 

The goal of the project is to create an app specifically for the Indian market to find salons that suit their needs and allow users to book an appointment instantly.

 

 

Problem

 

Canada is culturally diverse and a common issue for Indian immigrants is finding salons that suit their needs. People are:

 

  • Unable to find salons easily who understand Indian culture and style

  • Words used for beauty services differ from country to country. 

  • Waste a lot of time searching either online or over call to figure out salons that offer services at affordable prices

  • Unaware of different languages spoken at salons

Solution

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This product targets Indian immigrants, men and women of age 19-55 in Toronto, allowing them to make better decisions while searching for a salon where they have an opportunity to change the app’s language to Hindi, read reviews, read salons’ skills and strengths in their description.

 

This product will help users find Indian style salons, in the words they are aware of. This platform also provides a new motive to empower stylist, highlight salons’ strength and make them discoverable on the app.

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Audience

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According to my research, I defined three target audiences

 

  • Student

  • Business Professional

  • Salon Owner

 

 

Blueprint

 

Once I arrived at a clearer problem definition and target audience, I collaborated with my team members to validate the premises behind my thinking before I started designing.

 

I created a paper prototype and tested it with the target audience. I started the testing process by understanding their pain points before asking them to perform a task on the low fidelity paper prototype. It was fast and focused on concept rather than detail.

The major improvements come from gathering feedback as early as possible. I had to focus on creating content that is inviting, reliable and personal, in a way where the user feels the product is meant for them.

 

Medium fidelity prototype

 

I transitioned from pen and paper to medium fidelity with Axure to get a clear picture of user flow. I focused a lot on emphasizing, in the beginning, the value of the product for the user. I added bridal packages, sari draping, festivals that signifies who the intended users are.

 

I worked with one of the content writer "Madeleine", She collaborated on user journeys with me using personas to create narrative structures to guide users throughout their journey.

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High fidelity prototype

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