Curled
I spent the Summer of 2021 as a product manager intern for Curled, the first AI-powered beauty platform designed specifically for curly and textured hair.
Overview
Curled is an AI-powered platform that helps people with curly hair find the perfect products. Curled’s platform can target the correct product for the customer’s hair, taking out the guesswork and frustration. I worked to create the homepage, quiz, and product page design of the platform.
Role
As a designer, I worked cross-organizationally to create a mobile experience.
Duration
3 months (June 2021 to August 2021)
Team
Managers: Marly Lake, Zehra Naqvi
Tools
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, InVision
Scope
UI/UX, Wireframing, Rapid Prototyping, User Testing, Motion Graphics
The Problem
Shopping for curly hair is a tangled mess. Even though there is an increasing number of products available on the market, customers are having an increasing distrust of big-name brand products. There are no industry experts or hair “doctors.” Not to mention, the best products are hardest to find and are not sold in major stores.
The Curled Solution
SAY HELLO TO THE WORLD’S FIRST DIGITAL AGGREGATOR AND REVIEW PLATFORM FOR CURLY HAIR
Curled is the first digital aggregator that brings together all hair care products and services onto one platform. Users will interact with AI and a customized shopping experience personalized to their hair needs after completing a short quiz.
Exploring the Market
Affinity Diagram
To identify the scope of the platform, we did an exercise that helped us figure out the main four points to focus on throughout this project.
Insights
People with curly and textured hair struggle to know about, find, and purchase effective products.
More than 65% of the US population has curly hair, but curly hair products are less than 10% of what’s available in major stores.
Customers waste time and money looking for basic product information.
Over 90% of women in this space are consistently looking for new products.
Customer Archetypes
MEET NAOMI.
Naomi Osaka is a professional tennis player who loves to take care of her hair and is always on the lookout for the next best product.
Moreover, due to her intense training, she has to spend many hours in the sun, which immensely damages her hair. She wants to try more products without having to leave her house but doesn’t know where to look.
MEET SZA.
SZA is a musician who is always in the spotlight — whether it be for live performances or photoshoots. She needs products that keep her hair healthy and beautiful.
She wants a more customizable and personal experience when searching for and trying new brands.
MEET ZENDAYA.
Zendaya is an actor who was born with coarse, textured hair but has struggled with finding the right products all of her life — to the point that she gets a magic straight perm twice a year. Getting perms often is not a sustainable lifestyle because perms are expensive and are often linked to severe illnesses. Zendaya wants to finally embrace her natural hair and find the right products.
LO-FI PROTOTYPES AND SKETCHES
Ideation
We took our brainstorms and made them into drawings and quick prototypes to gain a better sense of what we wanted.
HI-FI PROTOTYPES
Hair Quiz
Designed to maximize efficient purchasing flow. Immediately after taking the quiz, customized recommendations get automatically added to the cart for an easy shopping experience.
Customized Homepage
Curled generates product recommendations specific to your hair type after taking the quiz. Reviews are based on an online forum meant for a transparent shopping experience. Users are encouraged and incentivized to leave honest reviews for their hair type through a points and perks system.
Passion Project
Throughout my internship, I also wanted to help on other design fronts as well. I was thrilled to be able to create running Instagram ads as well as posters across various social media platforms.
Reflection
EYES WIDE OPEN
Working with the founders of Curled was an incredible experience. Not only did this project help me expand my skills as a designer, but it also made me realize how much this problem affects minority communities. Most importantly, it opened my eyes to how passion drives innovation in the social landscape.
UNDERSTANDING THE ASSIGNMENT
Oftentimes, I found it important to return to the key questions asked and goals set at the beginning of the project.
PROACTIVE VERSUS REACTIVE
Instead of patiently waiting for feedback on iterations of screens, I learned to immediately begin working on another task, conducting research, and proposing new ideas. As the project went on, I become increasingly independent and proactive in taking action — there is always much to learn and improve.