Sephora cast members use a variety of digital and physical tools for managing client services. However, cast members have specific roles within the store that may limit them to the tools they can access at any one time. This setup has led to to the need of mobile specific solutions.
Enter the UCA pilot program, An app that acts as a wrapper to contain all tools a cast member might need throughout their day. This is a combined software/hardware solution to replace dedicated devices used throughout the store to one unified cast app.
Our hypothesis is that providing cast with a unified cast app that serves as a springboard to critical online flows will help them best assist clients in-store and improve their ability to sell products.
To initially test out our hypothesis and determine priorities, we produced a medium-fidelity prototype to use in interviews with beauty consultants.
MVP for this pilot program would include:
• Product Search
• Guided beauty services
• Receive appointments
Value added features:
• Cast education and brand-related news
Through contextual Inquiry (observing and interviewing cast members in store) and a day long focus group we explored the current state of app usage during client consultations and discovered pain points as well as what would help them thrive during a busy day at work.
The resulting qualitative data is rich and would serve as a guideline to blend with the more technical business needs.
We worked with a dedicated UX Researcher that led the research efforts with the help of designers and product mangers. Some key takeaways were:
"Time management is key. The more efficient a Cast member is with his/her time, the more care and attention the can give each on of their clients. "
"New Tech means that each Cast member has to re-learn and change their work flow. Each Cast member has developed their own 'hacks' or readjusted their work flows when a new technology is introduced to their role."
"Today, Cast integrate technology into the client experience. To form a trusting relationship, Cast often hand over dmg/dsg devices to clients to play and interact with. Bringing Clients along on the journey to beauty is imperative in a great client experience."
Some of the roadblocks and delays in this journey revolved around a legacy waterfall process that includes a 5 week engineering discovery phase that is only executed once full designs are received. This shortened our MVP list of features in order to ensure everything we need for launch was feasible and within budget.
Taking the learnings from research and feedback received from business stakeholders I designed a modern interface from scratch intended for efficiency. Strategically extending the internal brand language in order to use color combinations that would aid in denoting active states and time-sensitive content. At the same time deliberately increasing the use of white space to create a strong sense of hierarchy and remove any competing elements that would hamper clarity. Five main sections below.
The pilot program was launched in select Bay Area stores. We built a solid foundation for expected growth in the form of richer native features and more third party tools. By investing in research and prioritizing essential features we delivered a product that met business and user goals.
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