SK–II SPA App

Super Powered Assistant

Product & UX Design

Project Details

  • Client

    SK–II and P&G

  • Team

    Retail X

  • Date

    2017 – 2020

In-store Beauty Counsellor platform

UX lead and product designer for the experience design team responsible for creating a best-in-class store admin and beauty counsellor platform for P&G's largest skin care brand in APAC and globally. Currently in its third iteration, this platform represents the culmination of four years of research and collaboration to arrive at the most advance feature set so far including automated business processes, new counselling experience, learning library and employee management through work shift planning and timesheet management tools.

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Case Study: SK-II SPA App

Download an in-depth case study PDF that includes process work, example artifacts, concept sketches, and stakeholder collaboration.

View Case Study PDF (46MB)

SPA - Tablet Hero Image

Background

The SK-II Super Powered Assistant app was developed as part of P&G's strategy to engage Young Professionals, a key demographic of young women who are passionate about skincare and intrigued by how technology can enhance their lives. Recognizing the need to connect with these consumers on a more personal and tech-savvy level, P&G aimed to deliver an innovative digital experience that aligned with the evolving expectations of this audience.

To achieve this, P&G shifted its focus from a traditional product-centered approach to one that prioritized the customer experience. This change led to a series of rapid innovation projects designed to disrupt their business practices and reshape brand perception. The SPA app became a flagship initiative in this effort, offering a personalized skincare solution that resonated with the modern, tech-forward consumer.

SPA - Store Visit
SPA - User Interview 01
SPA - User Interview 02

Ethnographic research activities, including store visits and user interviews, provided valuable insights during the discovery phase

SPA - Tissue Session

Tissue sessions were held to explore initial design concepts, gather feedback, and refine ideas early in the development process

SPA - Tissue Session Landscape
SPA - Tissue Session Ideas

Research of similar apps led to a more informed approach to feature development and user experience.

Concepting

The concepting phase of the SK-II Super Powered Assistant app focused on envisioning how Beauty Counsellors (BCs) could enhance their daily interactions with customers using a next-generation tool. This phase included an animated product walkthrough presentation that illustrated a "day-in-the-life" experience of a BC, showcasing how the app could streamline their work, offer valuable information, and elevate customer engagement.

The app concept incorporated learning content from SK-II HQ, with features designed to make education fun and contextual. These included celebrity-driven content, product information, the iconic Pitera story, and practical tips on product application and skincare regimens. Additionally, the app provided conversation tips for customer interactions and advice on how to excel as a Beauty Counsellor, ensuring the tool not only educated but also empowered its users.

SPA - Concepts - Home Screen

App concept home screen featuring videos and a novel swipe navigation

SPA - Concepts - Tips
SPA - Concepts - Social Feed
SPA - Concepts - Trends

Curated tips, social media insights, and industry trends to guide counsellors in every sales scenario

Design Sprints

The UX and Product design phase of the SK-II Super Powered Assistant app focused on creating a seamless and intuitive interface to support Beauty Counsellors in their daily tasks. A key feature was the "Daily Snapshot," the app's central hub, where counsellors could access important updates and features that empower them with essential tools for their work. The app also incorporated an Inventory section, allowing BCs to manage stock, initiate damage reports, and handle transfers. Additionally, the Calendar function provided daily, weekly, and monthly views, as well as a Sales Manager perspective, to streamline scheduling and planning.

During this phase, workshops were held with the Beauty Counsellor team in Osaka to ensure the app addressed their specific needs. The "Counselor Admin" section included features like timesheet management and the ability to fix timesheets, making scheduling easier for managers. The "Workshift" feature enabled counsellors to select their days off, while store planning tools allowed Sales Managers to plan work shifts, avoid potential issues, and assign tasks, ensuring the app was a comprehensive tool for both counsellors and managers alike.

SPA - Daily Snapshot

Daily Snapshot is the app's hub and shows events and updates to prepare counsellors for their day

SPA - Calendar - Today

Calendar with daily agenda

SPA - Calendar - This Week
SPA - Calendar - Event View

Weekly calendar view and counselling session with linked customer profile

SPA - Inventory Review
SPA - Inventory Scanning

Inventory review and item scanning for more efficient and accurate stock counting

SPA - BC Admin User Journey Workshop

BC Admin User Journey workshop at P&G Osaka

SPA - BC Timesheet
SPA - BC Workshift Planning

Workshift planning across multiple stores and an inventory task assignment

Counselling

The Counselling UX and Design phase of the SK-II Super Powered Assistant app was centered on understanding the full range of SK-II products and how the app could enhance the counselling process for BCs. Research during this phase involved a thorough investigation of the product lineup and a hands-on demonstration of the Magic Ring, a key tool used in SK-II consultations. This exploration helped define the app's role in supporting counsellors as they guided customers through personalized skincare solutions.

Workshops with the R&D team in Kobe were key to refining the counseling experience. These sessions included counselling demos, CRM discussions, product catalog reviews, and the development of the "Daily Ring" feature for scheduling activities. The phase ended with service enactments, where the R&D team tested interaction sequences using their proprietary skin scanning product and provided feedback on previous app versions to enhance user experience.

SPA - Osaka Visit - Demo Session
SPA - Osaka Visit - App Review
SPA - Osaka Visit - Magic Ring Demo

Workshop activities with the R&D team in Kobe, Japan

BC - Counselling Session

Customer history used to prepare for an upcoming counselling session

BC - Counselling - Scan Results
BC - Counselling - Product Reviews
BC - Counselling - Product Recommendation

Magic Ring scan results and product information used during a counselling session

BC - Counselling - Product Regimen
BC - Counselling - Appointment Confirmation
BC - Counselling - Session Notes

Personalized regimen and session summary with handwritten note attachments

Daily Ring

The Daily Ring design phase of the Super Powered Assistant app aimed to track and score Beauty Counsellors' daily tasks. The team refinded the logic behind it and sketched ways to depict activities such as logging in, arriving on time, reviewing the Daily Snapshot, and completing consultations. The score reflected overall performance, including tasks like checking messages, tidying up fixtures, Magic Ring consultations, and taking hygiene breaks.

The Daily Ring was ultimately incorporated into a new Store Manager section, allowing managers to track how counsellors are staying on course. Store managers could view performance across all stores and drill down to evaluate specific BCs within a specific store, providing detailed insights into both team and individual performance.

SPA - Daily Ring

Staying on track with a recommended next action

SPA - Daily Ring Staff
SPA - Daily Ring Staff Performance

Daily Ring performance for stores and individual counsellors

Outcomes

The SK-II Super Powered Assistant app achieved significant outcomes within a tight three-month timeline, with design, QA, and UAT testing completed successfully. After its launch in Japan, the app proved highly effective, saving each Beauty Counsellor up to 40 minutes of daily administrative tasks. Additionally, the redesigned Skin Counselling experience created a more immersive interaction for customers, with counsellors proudly showcasing the app during their sessions. Now in commercial use, the SPA app serves as both a sales and administrative tool and is available at select retail locations throughout APAC.

Key learnings from the project emphasized the importance of building and supporting a modular design system. Since both customers and counsellors interact with the app, it required a cohesive visual design that blended front- and back-of-house elements, ensuring familiarity for both users. Another important takeaway was the value of early experimentation. Each sprint began with exploratory work, allowing the Engineering team to identify and address potential roadblocks caused by ambitious design solutions that, while valuable, were not always feasible for development.

Case Study: SK-II SPA App

Download an in-depth case study PDF that includes process work, example artifacts, concept sketches, and stakeholder collaboration.

View Case Study PDF (46MB)

I’m currently leading the User Experience team at Taoti in Washington, D.C.

As Director of UX Design I'm looking after (and growing) an innovative, lean and effective team that delivers value to our clients. Get in touch with me to discuss speaking engagements and other professional opportunities.

My full work history is available on LinkedIn at btiny.link/linkedin

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