CASE STUDY:
A Mobile Marketplace for Brides to Book Trusted Hair and Makeup Artists in Cancun, Mexico
Contributions: This was a solo project where I was responsible for all aspects including Product Design and acting as the Product Owner.
The Context
Engaged couples are flocking to expensive destination weddings abroad, with Cancun, Mexico, being a top choice for most North American couples. According to a March 2024 article in the New York Post, there are no signs of this trend slowing down.
“Makeup artists typically get 2:00 minutes to chat with a bride before starting the wedding day makeup.”
“It’s estimated less than 5% of brides speak with their makeup artist prior to their big day, and rarely see any work samples.”
-Alejandra Léon (Makeup Artist, Cancun, MX)
Three key findings show gaps in the current process…
Brides have no direct contact with artists
All the communication prior to the wedding gets handled by the agency, wedding planner, or wedding coordinator. Brides want to speak with makeup artists, and makeup artists want to work directly with brides.
No time for a trial run
Brides typically arrive one to two days before their wedding day which leaves no time for a trial run. And since brides and artists cannot communicate directly, they cannot exchange ideas and share photos with each other raising concerns for the bride and fears of being scammed.
Artists are assigned randomly
In most cases, the bride does not get to chose their makeup artist. The artist is randomly assigned to a bride based on availability leaving a huge unknown for the bride.
The Problem
From the Brides Perspective
Fear of Scams
Lack of Trust
Vendors are Unverified
Booking is Complicated
Lack of Upfront Pricing
No Guarantees
No Escrow Holds
From the Makeup Artists & Hair Stylists Perspective
Sustainable Income
Direct Bride Communication
Showcase Portfolio
Highlight Experience
Grow Clientele Base
Build a Reputation Through Reviews
Higher Payment Share
The Goals
For Brides
Create a mobile marketplace that allows brides to safely locate, communicate with, and book trusted hair and makeup artists in Cancun, Mexico, with a money-back guarantee and secure payment portal.
For Makeup Artists and & Hair Stylists
For makeup artists, create a platform that enables them to share their work, connect directly with brides, grow their client base, and retain more of their earnings to build thriving businesses.
Two problem spaces and one thoughtful solution gave rise to a mobile marketplace thoughtfully design for brides, makeup artists, and hair stylists and it’s called GlamGuide.
A Booking Solution
For Brides
From the brides perspective, they want a market place where they can locate and book artists, and get a money-back guarantee on each transaction. They want a place where they can speak with makeup artists directly, and pay artists in a safe and secure transaction portal.
A Business Solution
For Makeup Artists & Hair Stylists
From the makeup artists perspective, they want to build a thriving business for themselves. To do so, they need to be able to connect with brides directly. They want a platform to share their work, grow their client-base, and keep more of the earnings from their work.
Supporting Research
Research Plan
Competitive Analysis
I started with a Google search to compile a list of brands offering hair and makeup services for brides abroad. Afterward, I reviewed each website and app to validate the list and analyze their features. This gave me a solid understanding of the competitive landscape. What stood out was how most platforms catered primarily to domestic bookings. In the few cases where international vendors were included, none focused exclusively on Mexico, offered upfront pricing, or provided secure in-platform transactions—key gaps that shaped my design strategy.
To dig deeper, I tapped into my connections in Mexico to explore the Apple App Store for wedding-related apps available there. Here’s what I discovered. Apps largely focused on logistics like dates, seating charts, creating invitations, wedding registries. None of the apps were designed to connect brides with makeup artists and hairstylists in Mexico.
After gathering all the data, I organized the findings into a competitive analysis chart. This helped bring clarity and context to my hypothesis about which features could make my product stand out in the market.
User Interviews
Next, I dove into user interviews. I started with a directed storytelling session with a makeup artist in Cancun, which gave me valuable insights into the industry—like how glam teams are typically booked. But I hit a roadblock: I couldn’t connect directly with brides, or other makeup artists or hairstylists as I’d hoped. Many of them didn’t speak English, which added another layer of difficulty. So, I improvised. My contact in Mexico, who understood the project and its goals, stepped in to help. I shared a list of questions for her to ask brides, wedding planners, and hairstylists. She conducted the interviews on my behalf and sent me their responses as audio recordings via WhatsApp.
User Personas
Once I had all the data I started synthesizing the information and organizing it into meaningful categories to better understand the needs and perspectives of different users. This helped me create user personas. These personas helped me prioritize who to design for and why. Through my research, I discovered that both brides and makeup artists wanted a way to directly connect with each other. This insight made it clear that the core focus of my design needed to be on creating a platform to facilitate that connection.
Information Architecture
Before moving into high-fidelity prototyping, I created an information architecture plan tailored to four user perspectives: bride-to-be, wedding planner, hair stylist, and makeup artist. By mapping out their journeys and weaving them together, I gained a clearer understanding of how to design efficient flows for each user. This process revealed that brides and wedding planners share a largely similar flow, as do hair stylists and makeup artists. Armed with this insight, I was able to focus my efforts on designing streamlined user flows for these two primary groups.
Development Plan
Discovery and Refinement:
Finalize features and validate user flows for the MVP.
Deliverables: Refined user flows, feature list, and technical blueprint.
Design Finalization:
Expand and finalize high-fidelity designs for all user flows.
Deliverables: Complete UI designs, interactive prototype, and design system.
Development:
Build the frontend, backend, and database infrastructure.
Deliverables: Fully functional platform with integrated APIs and documentation.
Testing and QA:
Ensure the platform is secure, functional, and user-friendly.
Deliverables: Bug-free, tested MVP ready for deployment.
Deployment and Launch:
Deploy GlamGuide to production and set up monitoring tools.
Deliverables: Live MVP with performance tracking.
Post-Launch Maintenance:
Fix bugs, update features, and roll out enhancements based on feedback.
Deliverables: Regular updates and continuous improvements.
Future Team and Roles
Product Owner (Chad David Novak): Oversee the project and prioritize features.
UX/UI Designer (Chad David Novak): Finalize designs and ensure usability.
Frontend Developer: Build the user interface and ensure responsiveness.
Backend Developer: Develop APIs and manage server-side logic.
QA Engineer: Test the platform for functionality, performance, and security.
DevOps Engineer: Manage deployment and monitor system performance.
Marketing Specialist: Promote GlamGuide and acquire users.