Lean UX Canvas

To get started I needed to conduct a Business Analysis to get a better scope of the company and its users. I entrusted my process with a Lean UX Canvas, which served as a framework for what I need to focus on and accomplish, by setting certain goals that would translate to user benefits.

Normally, you would have access to the stakeholders however as that was not the case here, I made an educated assumption based on secondary research.

With the Lean UX canvas, I was able to outline the Business Problem, possible Business Outcomes, defined the users I should focus on first, and User goals & benefits. 

Competitive Feature Chart

Now that I have a framework to guide me, I needed to delve a little deeper into research. I started with the Competitive Feature Chart, which allowed me to discover who the direct and indirect competition was. From there I started to list the features each had to uncover any patterns, mental models, and areas of opportunities there might be.

Main Takeaway: There seems to be a lot of areas of opportunities as there isn’t a lot of consistency across the apps

Market Positioning Map

In order to analyze Spotify’s current position and competitors' position within their market, I turned to the Market Positioning Map, which allows you to visually determine blue oceans (uncontested market space). Based on the list of features created with the Comp. Feature chart, I looked to define the axis for the Map, X-Axis, Personalized vs Generalized, and Y-Axis, Educational vs Promotional, provided the clearest blue ocean, a personalized & educational experience.

Quantitative Data

Having a better understanding of the market and where there were areas of opportunity, I was now interested in the targeted user and their needs and wants. I started my research by collecting quantitative data in the form of surveys and received 31 responses from Reddit skincare groups. I based my questions on areas of opportunities I uncovered while using the Comp. Feature chart.

The main takeaways here were:

•78% felt that skincare was important to them, yet only 12% knew their skin type

•52% felt lost & overwhelmed when choosing products

•85% unsatisfied with their current skincare routine and felt there was definite room for improvement

Qualitative Data

Having collected the quantitative data, I gained insights into the statistics associated with skincare habits. However, I now needed a more in-depth understanding of the perspectives and behaviors of the user. I approached this by collecting qualitative data in the form of 5 interviews.

The main takeaway here was the strong comparisons with the quantitative data.

•ALL feel strongly about skincare yet aren’t very knowledgeable

•ALL feel strongly about skincare yet aren’t very knowledgeable

I felt the interviewees had many valuable opinions on this topic but one of the quotes that was an aha moment for me was:

I honestly don’t know if the products I use are actually working for me.

And I think because of that I’m not really consistent in using them.

It made it clear that knowledge and consistency tend to go hand in hand. In order to want to be consistent, you need to feel like you not only know what you are doing but able to track the progress to fuel the motivation.

Affinity Diagram

I now wanted to dissect all the data gathered to find patterns and insights. I started with the Affinity Diagram and placed alike categories together. For instance, how often they use Spotify, where they use it, and what they use it for most. I was then able to label the patterns into groups and lastly color-coordinated the post-is to visually enhance the patterns. 

Main takeaway: The recurring theme of lack of knowledge of skin type and routine however ironically strong importance placed on skincare.

Value Proposition Canvas- Customer Profile

The Value Proposition Canvas consists of two sides; Products & Services and Customer profile. You start with the customer profile side, which is intended to define the customer’s “job to be done” and the associated positive (gains) and negative (pains) experiences, including Functional, Emotional, and Social jobs. 

‘Jobs to be done’ as defined by Strategyn proposes that “in order to understand customer needs in a way that makes innovation predictable, companies should stop focusing on the product or the customer and instead focus on the underlying process or “job” the customer is trying to get done.” Meaning, what does a user “hire” Spotify for.

We use the Value Proposition Canvas in its entirety ( I will talk about the Products & Services side later) to ensure the product or service we ultimately provide is a good market fit with the customer and adds value to their experience. 

A quick example of the jobs to be done, gains, and pains defined were:

JTBD: to buy safe & affordable products (functional), Build Confidence (emotional)

Gains: Improved skin, gain confidence, a personalized routine, consistency, save time & money

Pains: overspending, insecurity, overwhelmed

As-Is Map

I used Inconsistent Izzy (created from collected data) to brainstorm what she would do/think/ and feel during her current skincare routine from there I was able to find patterns that translated to phases.

Phase 1 — Selecting products

Doing: endless research tries a new product, looks for sample sizes, checks reviews, asks friends

Thinking: hope this product works for me, this is expensive, are these clean ingredients

Feeling: confused, skeptical, apprehensive, stressed, overwhelmed

Journey Map

From the insights gathered in the As-is Map as well as user research, I was able to hone in on a specific user journey in order to uncover specific pain points to address.

I was able to establish 3 pain points that when dissected would become areas of opportunities. 

Pain Points

• Unaware of their skin type and what products to use

• Frustrated with the number of products to choose from

• Unaware of specific ingredients

• Doesn’t really track progress

• Budget concerns

Problem Statements

I converted the pain points into more detailed problem statements.

Users are unaware of their skin type and what products they should be using

Users are frustrated by the unclear nature of product ingredients

Users find that the cult-favorite products are too expensive

IDEATE

I brainstormed solutions for the 3 pain points. Using the HMWs statements as the framework I time-boxed myself and allowed 10 minutes for each HMW and came up with 31 ideas. Areas of focus were Guidance & recommendation, awareness and education, and finally budget.

MoSCoW Method

I was now ready to dissect my ideas in order to prioritize features that would ultimately form the MVP. I applied the Moscow method in order to filter these ideas into Must-have, Should have, could have, and won’t have. By combining the impact vs effort and Moscow method I was able to visually see the impact an idea would have and how much effort it would take to implement. 

Value Proposition Canvas- Products & Services

I now needed to ensure the services we would offer were a good market fit. So I was ready to complete the value proposition canvas by addressing the products and services side to make sure the ideas I filtered down to indeed would offer gains and relieve pains or frustrations for the user.

Gain Creators: Feel More confident, organized & consistent, educated on skincare

Pain Relievers: relieves stress, frustrations when selecting products, eliminates rushed decisions at the store, inconsistency, overspending

Job Story

To back up the findings further I used the Jobs story framework as that allows you to focus on context instead of assumptions.

First I wanted to get a grasp on what the app’s overall job story is or why the user hires the app.

When selecting skin care products, User wants to make an informed decision

So that they can improve their skin and establish a consistent skincare routine.

Which makes them feel healthy, motivated and confident.

From there I focused on the specific feature story and the user’s intended outcome. By seeing a job in a specific context it allowed me to better determine the solution.

When following a skincare recommendation, User wants to have a personalized experience and a way to track their progress

So that they can improve their skin and feel motivated to be consistent with their routine while also staying within their budget.

User Flow

Now I was ready to start prototyping but first I needed to create a flow outline that would help me map out the User’s Happy Path, a scenario featuring no exceptions or error conditions.

I dividing the flows by feature tasks and onboarding:

•User flow for Onboarding of each feature + skin analysis

•Setting a goal/photo library feature

•Favorite products — affordable alternatives

•Appointment with coach (a requirement for this particular challenge)

Lo-fi Prototype

I start with a lo-fi prototype, as it is quick, easy, and inexpensive. It allows you to get the product testable quickly for feedback to then improve and iterate the process.

I submitted the sketched prototype into Maze and had 8 testers.

Lo-fi Prototype Usability Test

The overall results were based on 8 user tests:

•Average Misclick rate: 28%

•Average time (all tasks): 92 seconds

Main Takeaway: Consolidate the Onboarding as one user felt it was too many pages to click through.