The Estee Lauder Accessibility Hackathon tasked participants with devising an inclusive solution to tackle accessibility challenges Estee Lauder employees face within the beauty industry.
OUR PROMPT
Create an idea for an inclusive technology solution to help tackle accessibility challenges in the beauty industry. Ideas can address online or in-person shopping experiences, accessibility in UX design, equal access to beauty products, and more.
TIMELINE
Feb 4 – Mar 20, 2023
ROLE
UX Designer
DISCIPLINE
Design
Research
TEAM
3 people
TOOLS
Figma
Google Forms
Google Sheets
Making employee learning engaging
The Estee Lauder Accessibility Hackathon tasked participants with devising an inclusive solution to tackle accessibility
PODCAST PLAYLIST
PODCAST EPISODE
VIDEO PLAYLIST
EMPLOYEE PROFILE
CROSSWORD GAME
GAME SELECTION
INTRODUCTION
Creative Process
Understanding the Problem
Simplifying the Problem
To better grasp the disparity in the beauty industry, we conducted in-depth research by reviewing several articles. Our goal was to explore the gaps in representation and inclusivity from both the customer and professional perspectives. This research helped us generate actionable ideas to address these issues and foster a more inclusive beauty space.
RESEARCH
User Interviews
Based on the insights gathered from our foundational research, we were ready to begin conducting user interviews.
I conducted user interviews with both beauty professionals and customers with disabilities to explore gaps in service and identify opportunities for improvement. Professionals shared insights on their preparedness to assist customers with disabilities, while customers highlighted challenges they face, reinforcing the need for a more inclusive in-store experience.
Customers with disabilities:
Would you feel comfortable if I asked you a question about your disability?
How important is accessibility and inclusiveness in your decision-making process when purchasing beauty products?
What has been your experience shopping for makeup/skincare?
Can you share any positive experiences you have had with the beauty industry that made you feel included and accommodated?
What kind of features, support, or resources would you like to see from the beauty industry to better serve people with disabilities?
What do you wish more people knew about makeup and disabilities?
Do you prefer in store or an online shopping experience? Why?
Beauty Professionals:
Tell me about the last time someone came into the store with a disability. What was that experience like?
What has been your experience with company training? What about the topic of disability?
How do you normally learn on the job?
What technology have you used in the past to learn something new? What was your experience with that tool?
Do you have a favorite app? Why?
Are there any particular beauty services that are more challenging to provide for customers with disabilities? If so, which ones, and how do you address those challenges?
How do you think it can enhance accessibility in the beauty industry?
Beauty Bridge
A mobile application that helps store employees learn best how to help people with disabilities.
Major Takeaways
Employee Perspective:
Estée Lauder and other beauty employees admitted that they lacked proper training on how to assist customers with disabilities.
Employees felt unequipped to handle situations involving mobility, vision, hearing, and neurological impairments.
Customer Perspective:
Beauty enthusiasts with physical disabilities reported feeling neglected or misunderstood in stores.
Store employees often appeared uncomfortable or uninformed when asked about accessibility-related concerns.
How might we effectively equip Estée Lauder employees with the knowledge and confidence to assist customers with physical disabilities, ensuring a more inclusive and supportive shopping experience?
Organizing Insights to Identify Patterns
User interviews revealed that beauty associates often feel unprepared to assist customers with physical disabilities, leading to customer frustration during in-person shopping.
Discovering User Behaviors
We focused on the challenges faced by customers with physical disabilities and the employees assisting them. Meet our user personas:
Meet Our User Personas
Meet Our User Personas
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See how our platform has transformed content creation for teams and businesses, delivering efficiency, quality, and results they love.
Penélope
Estee Lauder Beauty Advisor
28 / Female
Penélope worked as a sales associate in the beauty industry for two years. She enjoys helping customers find products that make them feel confident and beautiful. Recently, she noticed that some customers with disabilities seem to be having difficulty navigating the store and accessing products.
Goals
To learn more about disability etiquette and how she can better assist customers with disabilities in store. She wants to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all customers.
Frustrations
Penélope feels unsure of how to best help customers with physical disabilities.
Trudy
Social Media Influencer
22 / Female
Trudy is an aspiring beauty influencer with muscular dystrophy. She has mobility issues that make it difficult to complete everyday tasks. Trudy creates content for social media because she wants to see more representation of people with disabilities in the beauty industry.
Goals
To improve representation and inclusivity in the beauty industry by ensuring that people with physical disabilities receive the support, understanding, and personalized service they deserve when shopping in-store.
Frustrations
Trudy feels frustrated when store employees are unsure how to assist her, leading to uncomfortable and unhelpful shopping experiences.
DESIGN
Core Principles
Considerations
Our design challenge was twofold:
1. Education: How do we create a user experience that effectively trains employees on disability inclusion?
2. Engagement: How do we encourage consistent use and knowledge retention through the app’s UX?
After pondering on key elements we wanted to include in the design, I created a chart to of the aspects to add to the initial low fi design.
Feature
Podcasts + Video
Scenario-
Based Quizzes
Daily
Challenges
Leaderboard
Reward System
Dashboard
Description
Bite-sized content on real-life scenarios
Employees test knowledge through real-world customer interactions
New "Question of the Day" feature
Points for correct answers and participation
Points redeemable for Estée Lauder products
Personalized progress tracking
Goal
Increase engagement and learning retention
Promote confidence and application
Encourage consistent use
Foster healthy competition
Motivate long-term learning
Encourage self-improvement
Creative Inspiration
To create an engaging and effective learning experience, we drew inspiration from platforms like Pingboard, Duolingo, and Noom. We combined Springboard’s structured learning paths, Duolingo’s gamification and rewards system, and Noom’s behavior-based engagement strategies to design a user-friendly app that motivates employees to learn and retain knowledge.
Unique Features
Employee Engagement:
Recognition and Feedback
Role and Skills Tracking
Daily Engagement
Habit Formation
Short Sessions
Sense of Achievement:
Progress Tracking
Visual Progress
Competitions
Unique Features
Gamification:
Points and Levels
Streaks
Badges
Short, Bite-Sized Lessons:
Convenience
Repetition and Review
Community and Social Features:
Leaderboard
Discussion Forums
Unique Features
Employee Engagement:
Recognition and Feedback
Role and Skills Tracking
Daily Engagement:
Habit Formation
Short Sessions
Sense of Achievement:
Progress Tracking
Visual Progress
Competitions
Wireframes
I created detailed wireframes to map out the user flow and core features of the Beauty Bridge app. The wireframes outline key elements such as the dashboard, profile page, quizzes, daily challenges, and leaderboard.
Beauty Bridge
Beauty Bridge is a gamified mobile app designed to engage Estée Lauder employees in learning about accessible customer service. The app uses interactive elements like quizzes, leaderboards, and rewards to promote retention and engagement while providing actionable insights on disability inclusion.
The Estee Lauder Accessibility Hackathon tasked participants with devising an inclusive solution to tackle accessibility challenges Estee Lauder employees face within the beauty industry.
OUR PROMPT
Create an idea for an inclusive technology solution to help tackle accessibility challenges in the beauty industry. Ideas can address online or in-person shopping experiences, accessibility in UX design, equal access to beauty products, and more.
TIMELINE
Feb 4 – Mar 20, 2023
ROLE
UX Designer
DISCIPLINE
Design
Research
TEAM
3 people
TOOLS
Figma
Google Forms
Google Sheets
The Estee Lauder Accessibility Hackathon tasked participants with devising an inclusive solution to tackle accessibility challenges Estee Lauder employees face within the beauty industry.
OUR PROMPT
Create an idea for an inclusive technology solution to help tackle accessibility challenges in the beauty industry. Ideas can address online or in-person shopping experiences, accessibility in UX design, equal access to beauty products, and more.
TIMELINE
Feb 4 – Mar 20, 2023
ROLE
UX Designer
DISCIPLINE
Design
Research
TEAM
3 people
TOOLS
Figma
Google Forms
Google Sheets
Making employee learning engaging
PODCAST EPISODE
VIDEO PLAYLIST
EMPLOYEE PROFILE
CROSSWORD GAME
GAME SELECTION
PODCAST PLAYLIST
The Estee Lauder Accessibility Hackathon tasked participants with devising an inclusive solution to tackle accessibility
The Estee Lauder Accessibility Hackathon tasked participants with devising an inclusive solution to tackle accessibility
Making employee learning engaging
PODCAST PLAYLIST
PODCAST EPISODE
VIDEO PLAYLIST
EMPLOYEE PROFILE
CROSSWORD GAME
GAME SELECTION
INTRODUCTION
Creative Process
Understanding the Problem
RESEARCH
User Interviews
Based on the insights gathered from our foundational research, we were ready to begin conducting user interviews.
I conducted user interviews with both beauty professionals and customers with disabilities to explore gaps in service and identify opportunities for improvement. Professionals shared insights on their preparedness to assist customers with disabilities, while customers highlighted challenges they face, reinforcing the need for a more inclusive in-store experience.
Customers with disabilities:
Would you feel comfortable if I asked you a question about your disability?
How important is accessibility and inclusiveness in your decision-making process when purchasing beauty products?
What has been your experience shopping for makeup/skincare?
Can you share any positive experiences you have had with the beauty industry that made you feel included and accommodated?
What kind of features, support, or resources would you like to see from the beauty industry to better serve people with disabilities?
What do you wish more people knew about makeup and disabilities?
Do you prefer in store or an online shopping experience? Why?
Beauty Professionals:
Tell me about the last time someone came into the store with a disability. What was that experience like?
What has been your experience with company training? What about the topic of disability?
How do you normally learn on the job?
What technology have you used in the past to learn something new? What was your experience with that tool?
Do you have a favorite app? Why?
Are there any particular beauty services that are more challenging to provide for customers with disabilities? If so, which ones, and how do you address those challenges?
How do you think it can enhance accessibility in the beauty industry?
Simplifying the Problem
To better grasp the disparity in the beauty industry, we conducted in-depth research by reviewing several articles. Our goal was to explore the gaps in representation and inclusivity from both the customer and professional perspectives. This research helped us generate actionable ideas to address these issues and foster a more inclusive beauty space.
INTRODUCTION
Creative Process
Understanding the Problem
Simplifying the Problem
To better grasp the disparity in the beauty industry, we conducted in-depth research by reviewing several articles. Our goal was to explore the gaps in representation and inclusivity from both the customer and professional perspectives. This research helped us generate actionable ideas to address these issues and foster a more inclusive beauty space.
RESEARCH
User Interviews
Based on the insights gathered from our foundational research, we were ready to begin conducting user interviews.
I conducted user interviews with both beauty professionals and customers with disabilities to explore gaps in service and identify opportunities for improvement. Professionals shared insights on their preparedness to assist customers with disabilities, while customers highlighted challenges they face, reinforcing the need for a more inclusive in-store experience.
Customers with disabilities:
Would you feel comfortable if I asked you a question about your disability?
How important is accessibility and inclusiveness in your decision-making process when purchasing beauty products?
What has been your experience shopping for makeup/skincare?
Can you share any positive experiences you have had with the beauty industry that made you feel included and accommodated?
What kind of features, support, or resources would you like to see from the beauty industry to better serve people with disabilities?
What do you wish more people knew about makeup and disabilities?
Do you prefer in store or an online shopping experience? Why?
Beauty Professionals:
Tell me about the last time someone came into the store with a disability. What was that experience like?
What has been your experience with company training? What about the topic of disability?
How do you normally learn on the job?
What technology have you used in the past to learn something new? What was your experience with that tool?
Do you have a favorite app? Why?
Are there any particular beauty services that are more challenging to provide for customers with disabilities? If so, which ones, and how do you address those challenges?
How do you think it can enhance accessibility in the beauty industry?
Organizing Insights to Identify Patterns
User interviews revealed that beauty associates often feel unprepared to assist customers with physical disabilities, leading to customer frustration during in-person shopping.
Major Takeaways
Employee Perspective:
Estée Lauder and other beauty employees admitted that they lacked proper training on how to assist customers with disabilities.
Employees felt unequipped to handle situations involving mobility, vision, hearing, and neurological impairments.
Customer Perspective:
Beauty enthusiasts with physical disabilities reported feeling neglected or misunderstood in stores.
Store employees often appeared uncomfortable or uninformed when asked about accessibility-related concerns.
INTRODUCTION
Creative Process
Major Takeaways
Employee Perspective:
Estée Lauder and other beauty employees admitted that they lacked proper training on how to assist customers with disabilities.
Employees felt unequipped to handle situations involving mobility, vision, hearing, and neurological impairments.
Customer Perspective:
Beauty enthusiasts with physical disabilities reported feeling neglected or misunderstood in stores.
Store employees often appeared uncomfortable or uninformed when asked about accessibility-related concerns.
How might we effectively equip Estée Lauder employees with the knowledge and confidence to assist customers with physical disabilities, ensuring a more inclusive and supportive shopping experience?
Discovering User Behaviors
We focused on the challenges faced by customers with physical disabilities and the employees assisting them.
Meet Our User Personas
Meet Our User Personas
Penélope
Estee Lauder Beauty Advisor
28 / Female
Penélope worked as a sales associate in the beauty industry for two years. She enjoys helping customers find products that make them feel confident and beautiful. Recently, she noticed that some customers with disabilities seem to be having difficulty navigating the store and accessing products.
Goals
To learn more about disability etiquette and how she can better assist customers with disabilities in store. She wants to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all customers.
Frustrations
Penélope feels unsure of how to best help customers with physical disabilities.
Trudy
Social Media Influencer
22 / Female
Trudy is an aspiring beauty influencer with muscular dystrophy. She has mobility issues that make it difficult to complete everyday tasks. Trudy creates content for social media because she wants to see more representation of people with disabilities in the beauty industry.
Goals
To improve representation and inclusivity in the beauty industry by ensuring that people with physical disabilities receive the support, understanding, and personalized service they deserve when shopping in-store.
Frustrations
Trudy feels frustrated when store employees are unsure how to assist her, leading to uncomfortable and unhelpful shopping experiences.
DESIGN
Core Principles
Considerations
Our design challenge was twofold:
1. Education: How do we create a user experience that effectively trains employees on disability inclusion?
2. Engagement: How do we encourage consistent use and knowledge retention through the app’s UX?
After pondering on key elements we wanted to include in the design, I created a chart to of the aspects to add to the initial low fi design.
Feature
Podcasts + Video
Scenario-Based Quizzes
Daily Challenges
Leaderboard
Reward System
Dashboard
Description
Bite-sized content on real-life scenarios
Employees test knowledge through real-world customer interactions
New "Question of the Day" feature
Points for correct answers and participation
Points redeemable for Estée Lauder products
Personalized progress tracking
Goal
Increase engagement and learning retention
Promote confidence and application
Encourage consistent use
Foster healthy competition
Motivate long-term learning
Encourage self-improvement
Discovering User Behaviors
PINGBOARD
DUOLINGO
NOOM
To create an engaging and effective learning experience, we drew inspiration from platforms like Pingboard, Duolingo, and Noom. We combined Springboard’s structured learning paths, Duolingo’s gamification and rewards system, and Noom’s behavior-based engagement strategies to design a user-friendly app that motivates employees to learn and retain knowledge.
Unique Features
Employee Engagement:
Recognition and Feedback
Role and Skills Tracking
Daily Engagement
Habit Formation
Short Sessions
Sense of Achievement:
Progress Tracking
Visual Progress
Competitions
Unique Features
Gamification:
Points and Levels
Streaks
Badges
Short, Bite-Sized Lessons:
Convenience
Repetition and Review
Community and Social Features:
Leaderboard
Discussion Forums
Unique Features
Employee Engagement:
Recognition and Feedback
Role and Skills Tracking
Daily Engagement:
Habit Formation
Short Sessions
Sense of Achievement:
Progress Tracking
Visual Progress
Competitions
Wireframes
I created detailed wireframes to map out the user flow and core features of the Beauty Bridge app. The wireframes outline key elements such as the dashboard, profile page, quizzes, daily challenges, and leaderboard.
Discovering User Behaviors
We focused on the challenges faced by customers with physical disabilities and the employees assisting them.
Meet Our User Personas
Penélope
Estee Lauder Beauty Advisor
28 / Female
Penélope worked as a sales associate in the beauty industry for two years. She enjoys helping customers find products that make them feel confident and beautiful. Recently, she noticed that some customers with disabilities seem to be having difficulty navigating the store and accessing products.
Goals
To learn more about disability etiquette and how she can better assist customers with disabilities in store. She wants to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all customers.
Frustrations
Penélope feels unsure of how to best help customers with physical disabilities.
Trudy
Social Media Influencer
22 / Female
Trudy is an aspiring beauty influencer with muscular dystrophy. She has mobility issues that make it difficult to complete everyday tasks. Trudy creates content for social media because she wants to see more representation of people with disabilities in the beauty industry.
Goals
To improve representation and inclusivity in the beauty industry by ensuring that people with physical disabilities receive the support, understanding, and personalized service they deserve when shopping in-store.
Frustrations
Trudy feels frustrated when store employees are unsure how to assist her, leading to uncomfortable and unhelpful shopping experiences.
DESIGN
Core Principles
Considerations
Our design challenge was twofold:
1. Education: How do we create a user experience that effectively trains employees on disability inclusion?
2. Engagement: How do we encourage consistent use and knowledge retention through the app’s UX?
After pondering on key elements we wanted to include in the design, I created a chart to of the aspects to add to the initial low fi design.
Feature
Podcasts + Video
Scenario-Based Quizzes
Daily Challenges
Leaderboard
Reward System
Dashboard
Description
Bite-sized content on real-life scenarios
Employees test knowledge through real-world customer interactions
New "Question of the Day" feature
Points for correct answers and participation
Points redeemable for Estée Lauder products
Personalized progress tracking
Goal
Increase engagement and learning retention
Promote confidence and application
Encourage consistent use
Foster healthy competition
Motivate long-term learning
Encourage self-improvement
Creative Inspiration
NOOM
To create an engaging and effective learning experience, we drew inspiration from platforms like Pingboard, Duolingo, and Noom. We combined Springboard’s structured learning paths, Duolingo’s gamification and rewards system, and Noom’s behavior-based engagement strategies to design a user-friendly app that motivates employees to learn and retain knowledge.
PINGBOARD
DUOLINGO
Unique Features
Employee Engagement:
Recognition and Feedback
Role and Skills Tracking
Daily Engagement
Habit Formation
Short Sessions
Sense of Achievement:
Progress Tracking
Visual Progress
Competitions
Unique Features
Gamification:
Points and Levels
Streaks
Badges
Short, Bite-Sized Lessons:
Convenience
Repetition and Review
Community and Social Features:
Leaderboard
Discussion Forums
Unique Features
Employee Engagement:
Recognition and Feedback
Role and Skills Tracking
Daily Engagement:
Habit Formation
Short Sessions
Sense of Achievement:
Progress Tracking
Visual Progress
Competitions
Wireframes
I created detailed wireframes to map out the user flow and core features of the Beauty Bridge app. The wireframes outline key elements such as the dashboard, profile page, quizzes, daily challenges, and leaderboard.
Beauty Bridge
Beauty Bridge is a gamified mobile app designed to engage Estée Lauder employees in learning about accessible customer service. The app uses interactive elements like quizzes, leaderboards, and rewards to promote retention and engagement while providing actionable insights on disability inclusion.
Home Page
The homepage is the central starting point, giving employees quick access to key learning tools. It features daily tasks to encourage consistent learning, educational videos for in-depth guidance, quizzes to reinforce knowledge, and podcast links for on-the-go insights.
Daily Tasks
Daily tasks provide quick, actionable learning opportunities to keep employees engaged and consistent in their training. These tasks are designed to build knowledge gradually and reinforce key concepts about assisting customers with disabilities.
Podcast
Podcasts offer an easy, on-the-go learning option where employees can listen to real-life stories and expert advice on providing inclusive customer service. This feature enhances understanding and empathy through relatable experiences and practical tips.
Interactive Games
Interactive games make learning fun and engaging by simulating real-world customer scenarios. Employees can practice responding to different situations, improving their confidence and decision-making skills in a low-stress environment.
Profile & Leaderboard
The profile page allows employees to track their progress, earned rewards, and completed challenges, while the leaderboard introduces a competitive element. Friendly competition encourages consistent app usage and motivates employees to improve their knowledge and ranking.
Home Page
The homepage is the central starting point, giving employees quick access to key learning tools. It features daily tasks to encourage consistent learning, educational videos for in-depth guidance, quizzes to reinforce knowledge, and podcast links for on-the-go insights.
Daily Tasks
Daily tasks provide quick, actionable learning opportunities to keep employees engaged and consistent in their training. These tasks are designed to build knowledge gradually and reinforce key concepts about assisting customers with disabilities.
Podcast
Podcasts offer an easy, on-the-go learning option where employees can listen to real-life stories and expert advice on providing inclusive customer service. This feature enhances understanding and empathy through relatable experiences and practical tips.
Interactive Games
Interactive games make learning fun and engaging by simulating real-world customer scenarios. Employees can practice responding to different situations, improving their confidence and decision-making skills in a low-stress environment.
Profile & Leaderboard
The profile page allows employees to track their progress, earned rewards, and completed challenges, while the leaderboard introduces a competitive element. Friendly competition encourages consistent app usage and motivates employees to improve their knowledge and ranking.
TAKEAWAYS
Core Principles
Business Impact
Estee Lauder has significant influence, making up 10% of the market share in the skincare industry and 24% of the makeup industry worldwide. Statista
By positioning itself as an inclusive brand, we expect that Estee Lauder will generate more revenue from new customers, both in store and online.
Creating a positive experience for customers with disabilities will allow them to find their perfect shades in-store, which will generate more revenue.
Employees will be better equipped to provide quality service to customers, leading to a more inclusive environment which benefits both parties.
Social Impact
With the Beauty Bridge app, Estee Lauder can leverage its success to position itself as a leader in inclusivity and accessibility within the beauty industry, setting an example for other companies to follow.
RESEARCH
User Interviews
Business Impact
Estee Lauder has significant influence, making up 10% of the market share in the skincare industry and 24% of the makeup industry worldwide. Statista
By positioning itself as an inclusive brand, we expect that Estee Lauder will generate more revenue from new customers, both in store and online.
Creating a positive experience for customers with disabilities will allow them to find their perfect shades in-store, which will generate more revenue.
Employees will be better equipped to provide quality service to customers, leading to a more inclusive environment which benefits both parties.
Social Impact
With the Beauty Bridge app, Estee Lauder can leverage its success to position itself as a leader in inclusivity and accessibility within the beauty industry, setting an example for other companies to follow.
TAKEAWAYS
Core Principles
Business Impact
Estee Lauder has significant influence, making up 10% of the market share in the skincare industry and 24% of the makeup industry worldwide. Statista
By positioning itself as an inclusive brand, we expect that Estee Lauder will generate more revenue from new customers, both in store and online.
Creating a positive experience for customers with disabilities will allow them to find their perfect shades in-store, which will generate more revenue.
Employees will be better equipped to provide quality service to customers, leading to a more inclusive environment which benefits both parties.
Social Impact
With the Beauty Bridge app, Estee Lauder can leverage its success to position itself as a leader in inclusivity and accessibility within the beauty industry, setting an example for other companies to follow.
