Trybe
Helping Black women find safe and effective alternatives for personal care products.
Role
UX/UI Designer
UX Researcher
Project Type
Academic Capstone Project
Timeline
18 weeks
Tools/Platform
Figma
iOS
The Problem
I came across a TikTok posted by Consumer Report about carcinogens found in braiding hair. The video quickly became viral as the comments became filled with Black women who have been wearing braids for "protective" styles since they were children, sharing their confusion and anger about this news. Unfortunately, there’s limited research on the safety of personal care products marketed to Black consumers.
This inspired me to investigate what solutions exist specifically for the Black community to navigate product safety.
Secondary Research
According to Environmental Working Group (EWG), personal care products specifically marketed to Black women are more likely to expose them to toxins that increase the risk of fertility issues, hormone disruptions, cancer, allergies & other diverse health effects. This is alarming considering:
13%
of US population is Black
22%
of consumers in personal care spending market are Black
Competitive analysis
ThinkDirty App
Yuka
Onskin
While analyzing popular ingredient scanning apps like ThinkDirty, Yuka and OnSkin, I found that none reflected the lives experiences and routines of Black women. Each focused on ingredient safety, but lacked cultural context, transition guidance, and community trust to help users make informed decisions.
This gap presented an opportunity for a solution centered on culture, care and confidence.
User Interviews
I conducted 3 user interviews with Black women with ages ranging from 30 to 60 years old. Overall, users wanted more than “clean” labels. They want confidence that products are safe for them and often look to trusted voices and relatable experiences over mainstream sources. The two themes I focused on where:
Trustworthy Reviews + Recommendations
Ingredient Awareness + Health Concerns
How might we address the confusion and lack of trust Black women face when trying to choose safe personal care products?
Persona
Patricia
The Ingredient Investigator
60
Personal Support Worker
Toronto, ON
Bio
Patricia prioritizes safety and trust when choosing personal care products. She avoids harsh ingredients, relies on relatable reviews, and wants to feel confident in her choices without going through trial & error.
Behaviors
Has basic tech literacy, uses social media, and YouTube
Only trusts reviews from people with similar demographics
Chooses product with fewer, recognizable ingredients or makes her own
Pain Points
Limited options for hair and makeup
Hard to trust mainstream product reviews
Past trial & error caused severe reactions and hair loss
Goals
Find safe products without harmful ingredients
Access credible & reliable reviews to avoid trial and error
Understand ingredients and their long-term health impacts
I chose to base Patricia on the experiences of the two older user interviewees from research stage. This is because, while the younger interviewee faced similar issues, the two older interviewees didn’t know how they could use their phones to help them make decisions. Focusing on a digital solution that’s easier for an older user, will ensure that more Black women, regardless of age, will be able to use this app with ease.
Design + Setbacks
The first task flow I designed was over complicated because it relied on Patricia to manually apply shopping filters and sorting options.
Click image to enlarge
The task flow I landed on was a refined and supportive solution that uses an intuitive quiz to help Patricia make faster decisions while shopping.
Click image to enlarge
Testing + Improvements
After two rounds of usability testing, I gained feedback from 10 participants. Here are the changes I made based on their feedback:
Round One
Round Two
The final product
Click to try the prototype
Click to see the marketing website
