Glamsquad
How do we get brides to trust an on-demand beauty service where they don't get to pick the person doing their hair and make-up for their big day?
Introduction
Glamsquad is (well, was, before the pandemic ended the company) a leading provider of on-demand beauty services—they send out stylists to customers' homes or hotels. While their core audience is women who frequently get their hair blown out, they also provide hair and makeup services tailored to brides. However, they don't show artists' portfolios, because users can't pick their stylists. ​While this is fine for the average blowout, brides tend to have more concerns about their specific stylists.
Challenge
Redesign the bridal website for an on-demand beauty services provider to create a better experience for bridal customers
Resources
Type: Redesign
Team: 3 UX designers
Timeline: 2 weeks
​
Methods
Screener surveys
User interviews
Affinity mapping
Persona development
Customer journey mapping
UX Writing
Usability testing
Stakeholder presentations
​
​
​
​
​
01 RESEARCH
Business Goals
Understand the bridal customer
Increase the number of bridal services booked
Streamline the current email-heavy booking system
We began by researching the business and the users, in order to gain a better understanding of the landscape.
User Interviews
We interviewed 6 brides who had used Glamsquad and 7 brides who hadn't. After affinity mapping, we found the following insights:
Portfolios
Brides wanted to see pictures of artists' past work
Communication
Brides wanted to see reviews from previous customers
Reviews
Brides wanted to be able to speak to their stylists before their appointments
Price
Brides wanted to know the cost of the services before booking
Usability Testing
We asked 6 brides whom we had not interviewed to look at the Glamsquad bridal site.
Pictures
6/6 brides said they couldn't relate to the models and stock photos featured on the site
Process
3/6 brides were not clear about exactly how the service worked
Usability
4/6 brides were unaware that they had to scroll past the initial C-T-A button to see the rest of the site
Representation
Latinx, African-American, and Asian-American brides didn't feel the site was marketed towards them
Persona
Marissa
31 Years Old | Project Manager | NYC
SCENARIO
Marissa is a newly engaged bride just starting to plan her wedding. She gets referrals from her friends and family but always makes sure to do her own research. With four of her best friends in her bridal party, she wants to be sure that everyone is well taken care of. However, her own look is her top priority.
NEEDS
-
To have clear communication
-
To plan an affordable wedding without compromising quality
-
To feel comfortable with her stylists' skills and see some of their past work
GOALS
-
To look and feel like the best version of herself on her wedding day
-
To stay within budget while getting the best value for her money
-
To not worry about logistics on the day of
PAIN POINTS
-
Not being able to reach her stylists when she wants to
-
Vendors who are not transparent with their costs
-
The fear that something will go wrong on her big day
BEHAVIORS
-
Uses Instagram and Pinterest to find looks, inspirations, and stylists
-
Is expeditious with her replies to vendors and expects the same in return
02 SYNTHESIS
Problem Statement
There are many different things that a bride has to consider when deciding on who will style her on her wedding day, including the experience, price-point, and skillset of the artist.
​
Marissa has to go back and forth with Glamsquad to dig for information in order to make a decision about her style team.
​
How might we help Marissa get all of the information she needs in a more concise way and reduce the back and forth between her and the Glamsquad team?
03 IDEATION
Feature Prioritization
Since adding portfolios and allowing users to pick their stylists wasn't an option as it isn't part of Glamsquad's business model, it was clear that Glamsquad needed to find ways to earn the trust of potential customers.
​
We decided the website redesign would focus on the following aspects:
​
-
Making it clearer how the service worked
-
Adding in pictures of real Glamsquad brides
-
Changing the representation of the brides on the site
-
Making the pricing structure more prominent
04 DESIGN
Since we weren't changing any of the site's functionality, we went from a paper prototype directly to a high-fidelity clickable prototype.
We changed the site's welcome banner to reflect more diversity. (Note: We suggested that the image be replaced with a video showing how the process works, with a bride getting styled.
The banner no longer takes up the full screen, making it obvious to the user that there's more to the site.
Bridal services are now featured at the top of the page.
Bridal photos on the page have been changed to reflect more diversity.
A "How It Works" section was added to make it clearer that stylists travel to brides.
We added a "Why Glamsquad?" section outlining the business' value proposition.
Pricing was grouped together in one section.
In order to garner trust, we emphasized that the bridal beauty specialists have special training in wedding services.
To make the site more relatable to potential customers, we added in pictures of real brides who had been styled by Glamsquad.
We added a Testimonials section showing glowing reviews from brides who used Glamsquad's service.
05 NEXT STEPS
We recommend that the business review communication between the bridal specialist and brides to see if some of the information and questions can be consolidated in order to cut down on the number of emails. We also suggest that they re-evaluate their bridal information request form.