MY ROLE
Project Manager
Set deliverables, timeline, and project expectations.
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Product Research Lead
Led user and product research initiatives including user interviews, surveys, contextual inquiry, and a participatory design challenge using professional scoring methods.
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Interactions Designer
Created wireframes for mobile application and contributed to product ideation and design.
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Timeframe
5 weeks
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Tools
Figma
Photoshop
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DESIGN BACKGROUND
The true severity of sun overexposure is undermined, leading to increased skin problems.
Every year, over one million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma which is the most severe form. Due to excessive exposure to the sun, UV radiation causes genetic mutations in the skin cells, leading to disease and skin problems.
While most people have an understanding of long term effects (premature wrinkling, sunburn, and cancer), many don’t understand how quickly they can take place.
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DISCOVER
People have a general understanding of basic sun-care, but are still getting burned.
User Surveys
We conducted an online survey to gain a better understanding of people’s habits and behaviours when spending time under the sun. We gathered a total of 40 responses from our survey and found out the following:
spend 1-2+ hours in the sun everyday when doing outdoor activities (sports, hiking, lounging)
get sunburned doing these activities
check the weather app
(temperature, UV, humidity)
What do you do to reduce the effects of sun exposure?
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sunscreen
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wearing a hat
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long sleeves
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sunglasses
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staying in the shade
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melanoma/other skin cancers
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sunburn
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aging of the skin
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heatstroke
To what extent do you understand the effects of too much sun exposure?
Insights
From the initial data we gathered, it seemed like people had a general understanding of basic suncare and the effects of too much sun exposure. But is this really enough? Let’s backtrack a bit.
People used sunscreen most of the time and they understood most of the long term effects. However, at the end of the day, they are still spending excessive amounts of time outdoors and walking away with sunburns. This demonstrates a lack of understanding of the rate at which skin problems are attained, and the magnitude of damage received from the sun from their daily activities.
DEFINE
Competitive & Comparative Analysis
SPOTMYUV
pros
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visual representation of sun exposure
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easy to apply
cons
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doesn’t cover full scope of UV index.
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no user specific data taken into account
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very general indicator overall
cons
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poor UI
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premium features cost $$$
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very basic information with limited technology
UV INDEX WIDGET
pros
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​​quantitative tracking data
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“my skin” feature gives you personalized data
How Might We?
Given these insights, we formulated three "How Might We" statements:
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how might we integrate personal data to improve sun-care habits?
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how might we help users understand the severity of excessive sun-exposure?
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how might we reduce the frequency of negative sun-exposure cases?
IDEATE
IDEATE
We focused on convenience and simplicity when sketching.
Our research lead us to brainstorm a few ideations including an adhesive, smart ring, and sunscreen. This was eventually downselected to two designs, which were further refined. For the following designs, we focused on convenience and simplicity.
Smart Sun Ring
Sun Sticker / Adhesive
A sticker form would be discrete and suitable to the user's physical activity.
A ring is fashionable and minimal. It also allows user to visualize sun exposure progress.
Sun Earring
Similar to the ring, but users don't need to forget about putting it on.
Smart Sunscreen Bottle
The bottle would relay information back to the app on sun exposure recommendations relative to amount of sunscreen applied.
Participatory Design Study
To decide on the most optimal product, we conducted a participatory design study where participants had the opportunity to partake in the design process. We presented them with a scenario on how they would get ready for a day out in the sun.
Procedure
Using data from our preliminary survey, we gathered participants that reported daily outdoor activities. Using random assignment, we grouped participants with one of the four designs above and asked them to incorporate the product into their routines prior to going out. Each group consisted of 5 members and over the span of 5 days, used a basic version of the designs during their outdoor activities. At the end of the testing period, users were asked to rate their experience using a Likert scale.
Data Analysis
Each option in the scale was given a numerical value of 1 to 5, from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree” respectively. The total values were calculated for each design option by adding up the scores of each question and determining which designs had the highest scores.
From this, we were able to narrow down our design choices to the smart jewelry and adhesive. Participants enjoyed the subtleness of rings but had issues with inconvenience when it came to playing sports since the rings would obstruct the natural feel of their hands. Similarly, magnetic earrings often fell off during physical activity and not everyone has ear piercings.
The sticker was a lot more versatile in placement and less obtrusive. However, participants thought the biggest issue was design, which makes sense because we used placeholder stickers for this study. Upon some brainstorming, we were able to come to a solution which combined the two products.
PROTOTYPE
Users preferred minimal and discrete designs that did not interfere with daily physical activities.
Therefore, we opted for the sticker. We initially attempted to use the design from the sun earring but upon receiving further feedback from users, we had a design pivot and chose the second design below.
After deciding it wasn't minimal enough, we finally landed on this...
Rested State
Shows when there is no concern for current UV exposure conditions.
Alerted State
Shows when there is slight concern (re-apply sunscreen & UV condition).
Warning State
Shows when there is a major concern (UV conditon & skin warning).
Product-building process.
UV sensors absorb light that changes the colour of the rings on the sticker.
Solace tracks data and links it to our app to provide status reports and recommendations.
The sticker was cut into a circular shape on adhesive paper with a layer of film to protect it from water. We chose a circular shape because it balances size and versatility which will allow users to place it anywhere.
PRODUCT PACKAGING - BUSINESS CARD
Adhesive UV Sensor (Back)
QR Code (Front)
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE - MOBILE APP
I created a basic design of the user flow for our app, which was then made into a low-fidelity wireframe. Users could scan the QR code from the packaging to start their session, which took them to a homepage that displayed UV chart data, recommendations, and a current active session timer. The profile keeps track of all sessions and a summary of the session is provided after each use.
Scan QR Code
Homepage (Session Active)
My Profile
Summary (Session Ended)
FINAL DESIGNS & MOCKUP
A live tracking app available on mobile and smartwatch.
We settled on these final screens to make content digestible and easy for the user to understand. Along with the current UV Index, the live session tracker provides an estimated amount of time the user can stay out before sustaining damages. The app breaks down exactly what the numbers and charts mean so the user can truly understand their situation. The app is also available on smartwatch to account for users performing active tasks where it may be inconvenient to keep a phone.
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Press to start your session.
Using Data Collection to Bring Adaptive Data Analysis
People who participate in outdoor activities may move from location to location and go indoors at some point before going out again. Using UV sensors and nanotechnology, different types of UV levels from different locations/time are taken into consideration when analyzing risk, session timer, and suggestion tool data in the app.
Also Available in Dark Mode
CONCLUSION, NEXT STEPS, & REFLECTION
By creating a discrete and integrated product that allows users to actively track their daily sun-data with the complimentary mobile and smartwatch app, users can take better care of their skin in a more proactive manner and understand a current and updated status of their health. Ideally, this will contribute to the reduction of skin-disease cases upon mass adoption.
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Our next steps include refining the adhesive and possibly incorporating a transparent sticker which will require further research. We were also interested in expanding to different markets like East Asia, where people are more concerned about staying away from the sun due to beauty standards.
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Challenges and Takeaways
Creating a product from scratch is not easy. From ironing out the concept to fleshing out the tiny details of how the product would work, we ran into a couple of challenges:
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Establishing a reason to use our product. We initially struggled and took some time in figuring out the logistics of why and how a user would use our product in the first place because it might be a hassle for some to add an extra step to their routine. And what about existing products? The solution was to create a product that filled the gaps, while maintaining simplicity.
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Adapting to agile methodology. Due to time constraints, we were forced to take on an agile process to ensure efficiency. Especially since we all worked remotely, keeping track of everyone's progress simultaneously and setting mini-deliverables for each meeting was more important than ever. I had the pleasure of working with some very talented designers, and we were able to maintain a steady pace throughout the course of the project.
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One of the greatest challenges I faced was learning how to become a good leader. It was difficult to ensure that every goal each individual was responsible for was being met without being too overbearing. I realized that there was a thin line between maintaining structure and overexpressing my concerns and critiques. At times, this can make teammates feel restricted which will limit the amount of freedom a designer needs to do their job. Realizing this, I took a step back and re-evaluated my methods. Surely enough, the change of pace allowed for more creativity being bounced around the team, which allowed for a better product. My final takeaway in a general sense is to always trust in your team, work with them, and utilize their unique skills to succeed.
And thus, for our very first product design project, I am extremely proud of what we had accomplished.
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Thanks for taking the time to read this! If you have questions or just want to chat, feel free to shoot me an email or reach out to me on LinkedIn.
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