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The Gloss Up Booth
The Gloss Up Booth
A smart mirror booth experience designed for confident make up choices: A systemic service design approach for the beauty industry.
A smart mirror booth experience designed for confident make up choices: A systemic service design approach for the beauty industry.
Tools
Figma, Blender
Timeline
11 Weeks (2025)
Team
Solo
My Role
End to End UX /UI for Physical & Digital Touchpoints, Service Design
Client
Glossier (academic project)
''How can I help customers confidently choose make up that suits them across different environments, while reducing discomfort, uncertainty, and reliance on trial and error?''
''How can I help customers confidently choose make up that suits them across different environments, while reducing discomfort, uncertainty, and reliance on trial and error?''
Accurate Face Analysis & Shade Matching
The smart mirror performs a facial and undertone analysis under controlled lighting conditions.
Users receive accurate foundation and concealer shade recommendations and can immediately see how products look on their own face applied in real-time..
The benefit:
Less trial and error -> More time efficient
Builds trust in recommendations
Removed reliance on testers -> more hygienic
The smart mirror performs a facial and undertone analysis under controlled lighting conditions.
Users receive accurate foundation and concealer shade recommendations and can immediately see how products look on their own face, applied in real time.
The benefit:
Less trial and error -> More time efficient
Builds trust in recommendations
Removed reliance on testers -> more hygienic
The smart mirror performs a facial and undertone analysis under controlled lighting conditions.
Users receive accurate foundation and concealer shade recommendations and can immediately see how products look on their own face, applied in real time.
The benefit:
Less trial and error -> More time efficient
Builds trust in recommendations
Removed reliance on testers -> more hygienic
Virtually Test Personalised Looks for Different Occasions
Users can explore full-face makeup looks — such as causal, professional, or party — virtually applied to their face.
They can adjust products, mix and match shades, and view results across multiple lighting scenarios.
The benefit:
Hygienic and pressure-free testing
Supports contextual decision-making
Encourages creative exploration with confidence
Users can explore full-face makeup looks — causal, professional, or party — virtually applied to their face.
They can adjust products, mix and match shades, and view results across multiple lighting scenarios.
The benefit:
Hygienic and pressure-free testing
Supports contextual decision-making
Encourages creative exploration with confidence
Users can explore full-face makeup looks — such as causal, professional, or party — virtually applied to their face.
They can adjust products, mix and match shades, and view results across multiple lighting scenarios.
The benefit:
Hygienic and pressure-free testing
Supports contextual decision-making
Encourages creative exploration with confidence
Order, Save Results & Receive Personalised Tutorials
Users can optionally save their face analysis and selected looks to a digital account, extending the experience beyond the booth. Now users can seamlessly order saved recommendation online and benefit from personalised makeup tutorials via a companion app.
Note:
For this project, the design focus was on the smart mirror interface and physical booth. The app concept represents a natural extension of the service.
Users can optionally save their face analysis and selected looks to a digital account, extending the experience beyond the booth. Now users can seamlessly order saved recommendation online and benefit from personalised makeup tutorials via a companion app.
Note:
For this project, the design focus was on the smart mirror interface and physical booth. The app concept represents a natural extension of the service.
Users can optionally save their face analysis and selected looks to a digital account, extending the experience beyond the booth. Now users can seamlessly order saved recommendation online and benefit from personalised makeup tutorials via a companion app.
Note:
For this project, the design focus was on the smart mirror interface and physical booth. The app concept represents a natural extension of the service.
My Design Process
My Design Process
~8 min read
RESEARCH THEMES & KEY INSIGHTS
Testing Makeup Is Necessary, But Uncomfortable
Testing Makeup Is Necessary, But Uncomfortable
41.6% struggle to find shades that suit their skin tone
45% don’t enjoy testing makeup in-store, but do it anyway
64% have hygiene concerns, even with disposable applicators
Online shade tools alone are not trusted without real validation
41.6% struggle to find shades that suit their skin tone
45% don’t enjoy testing makeup in-store, but do it anyway
64% have hygiene concerns, even with disposable applicators
Online shade tools alone are not trusted without real validation
Personalisation & Transparency For More Confident Purchases
Personalisation & Transparency For More Confident Purchases
Users want clearer product representation (texture, real-skin results)
Online Reviews and customer support are difficult to find
40% would love an in-store face analysis for personalised looks, 40% only if it is accurate, as interest drops if results can't be trusted
Lighting variation (office, evening, daylight) strongly affects perception
Users want clearer product representation (texture, real-skin results)
Online Reviews and customer support are difficult to find
40% would love an in-store face analysis for personalised looks, 40% only if it is accurate, as interest drops if results can't be trusted
Lighting variation (office, evening, daylight) strongly affects perception
Users want clearer product representation (texture, real-skin results)
Online Reviews and customer support are difficult to find
40% would love an in-store face analysis for personalised looks, 40% only if it is accurate, as interest drips if results can't be trusted
Lighting variation (office, evening, daylight) strongly affects perception
Experience Matters — But Confidence Is Lacking
Experience Matters — But Confidence Is Lacking
Customers enjoy engaging, novel in-store moments (e.g. Glossier’s conveyor-belt pickup)
Minimal, chic brand aesthetics increase trust
However, enjoyment does not equal confidence in product choice
Customers enjoy engaging, novel in-store moments (e.g. Glossier’s conveyor-belt pickup)
Minimal, chic brand aesthetics increase trust
However, enjoyment does not equal confidence in product choice
Affinity Diagram: Research Analyses & Categorisation
An affinity mapping exercise helped synthesise qualitative and quantitative insights, revealing recurring tensions around trust, hygiene, accuracy, and confidence in decision-making.
An affinity mapping exercise helped synthesise qualitative and quantitative insights, revealing recurring tensions around trust, hygiene, accuracy, and confidence in decision-making.
USER PERSONAS
Based on research patterns, I synthesised three personas to represent distinct attitudes toward makeup exploration, confidence, and reliance on support. They helped with decision-making and evaluating interventions.
Based on research patterns, I synthesised three personas to represent distinct attitudes toward makeup exploration, confidence, and reliance on support. They helped with decision-making and evaluating interventions.
USER JOURNEY MAPPING
Identified Opportunity: Supporting Confident Decision-Making at the Moment of Choice
User Journey Mapping revealed a critical breakdown at the exploration and decision phase. Uncertainty peaks here, leading to prolonged experimentation or purchase abandonment.
EXPLORING INTERVENTIONS
I explored multiple interventions before converging on a single system.
Why not a digital-only path?
Research showed a lack of trust in existing virtual try on tools, due to inconsistency and inaccuracy.
Without a reliable first experience, digital-only solutions risk reinforcing uncertainty.
However, a successful in-person experience can establish trust and enable future remote virtual try-ons.
Why not in-store staff-led solutions?
Social discomfort
Scalability limitations
Inconsistent customer experience
In conclusion, a holistic system, such as the smart mirror boot was needed to integrate accuracy, autonomy, hygiene, and personalisation in a single experience.
I explored multiple interventions before converging on a single system.
Why not a digital-only path?
Research showed a lack of trust in existing virtual try on tools, due to inconsistency and inaccuracy.
Without a reliable first experience, digital-only solutions risk reinforcing uncertainty.
However, a successful in-person experience can establish trust and enable future remote virtual try-ons.
Why not in-store staff-led solutions?
Social discomfort
Scalability limitations
Inconsistent customer experience
In conclusion, a holistic system, such as the smart mirror boot was needed to integrate accuracy, autonomy, hygiene, and personalisation in a single experience.
PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL TOUCHPOINT DEVELOPMENT
I developed physical and digital concepts in parallel to ensure the system would work together. With early sketches I explored spatial comfort and privacy, while wireframes focused on clarity, control, and progressive disclosure of information.
I developed physical and digital concepts in parallel to ensure the system would work together. With early sketches I explored spatial comfort and privacy, while wireframes focused on clarity, control, and progressive disclosure of information.
USER FLOW
I focused on minimising cognitive load while still preserving user control, allowing customers to explore, adjust, compare and exit seamlessly.
I focused on minimising cognitive load while still preserving user control, allowing customers to explore, adjust, compare and exit seamlessly.
SERVICE BLUEPRINT
The service blueprint helped align frontstage experience, backstage systems, and operational feasibility, highlighting where digital, physical, and staff touchpoints interact.
The service blueprint helped align frontstage experience, backstage systems, and operational feasibility, highlighting where digital, physical, and staff touchpoints interact.
2 USER TESTING ROUNDS, 5 USERS
Improving flexibility, visual hierarchy and support for a more intuitive & personalised experience
Improving flexibility, visual hierarchy and support for a more intuitive & personalised experience
Feedback
Feedback
Image 1 - Where is there room for improvement?
Improvements
Improvements
Image 1 - Experiment with make up shades & benefit from full product transparency
Image 2 - Better hierarchy and easy support access
Image 3 - Flexibility to print a receipt
Image 1 - Experiment with make up shades & benefit from full product transparency
Image 2 - Better hierarchy and easy support access
Image 3 - Flexibility to print a receipt
FINAL PROTOTYPES
The final digital prototype demonstrates the smart mirror interface at tablet scale to communicate interaction design, information hierarchy, and user flow.
The physical smart mirror booth was designed separately in 3D to explore spatial experience, privacy, and brand integration.
While not fully integrated into a single prototype, together they represent one cohesive service experience. They show how the system feels and how it functions.
The final digital prototype demonstrates the smart mirror interface at tablet scale to communicate interaction design, information hierarchy, and user flow.
The physical smart mirror booth was designed separately in 3D to explore spatial experience, privacy, and brand integration.
While not fully integrated into a single prototype, together they represent one cohesive service experience. They show how the system feels and how it functions.
Physical Gloss up Booth
Let's connect, to build something great together!
Copyright
© 2025 Elisa Gruosso
All rights reserved
Contact
Become Friendly
Let's connect, to build something great together!
Copyright
© 2025 Elisa Gruosso
All rights reserved
Contact
Become Friendly
Tools
Figma, Miro
Timeline
14 Weeks (2023)
Team
Solo
My Role
End to End UX /UI Process
Organisation
University Project