Reimagining the beauty shopping experience.
Field research into beauty retail led to a concept connecting virtual try-on with thoughtful, personalized in-store service.
Try it. Explore it. Make it personal.
A concept combining on-screen makeup exploration with real-time guidance from beauty associates, product suggestions, and popular picks—designed to support confidence rather than replace human service.
Concept visualization reconstructed for this portfolio; not an original Ulta interface, prototype, or evidence of launch.
- Client
- Ulta Beauty / frog
- Approach
- Store visits, observation, customer conversations
- Direction
- Smart mirror + elevated service experience
- Stage
- Research-led concept exploration
Understand what beauty shoppers wanted to feel.
Ulta was exploring how to refresh its in-store experience and appeal to a broader audience. The opportunity was not simply to add technology—it was to understand where retail environments, service, and the product-discovery experience could feel more engaging.
Our team visited beauty stores and counters, observed different shopping environments, and spoke with customers about what was working, what felt awkward, and what made them confident trying something new.
Comparing experiences at other beauty retailers helped us examine how digital discovery, associate support, and the store environment influence the same purchase decision.
What stood out in the field.
Shoppers responded to opportunities to experiment with makeup shades and imagine how products could look before committing. Human guidance mattered too: people wanted recommendations and the reassurance of someone who understood their preferences.
Try before buying
Virtual try-on helped customers explore colors without the pressure of a physical test.
Personal attention
Helpful associates could translate preferences into appropriate products and guidance.
Better discovery
Bestsellers and relevant suggestions could make unfamiliar options more approachable.
Connect digital exploration with elevated service.
The resulting concept paired an interactive smart mirror for experimenting with makeup shades with a personalized service experience. Rather than treating a mirror as a novelty, we explored how an associate could help a shopper discover complementary products, popular choices, or recommendations aligned with their interests.
The goal was a more contemporary, welcoming journey that could appeal to a broader customer base while retaining the guidance customers value in beauty retail.
This was exploratory design work. The concept represents an opportunity developed from research, not a claim that the proposed mirror was built or deployed in stores.
I love following curiosity into the field—watching how people actually shop, listening to what matters, and turning the patterns into ideas worth exploring.