Our Process
Learning
Green-washing has become a common practice in the beauty industry. The average consumer isn't aware of just how much plastic waste makeup and personal care products create, not to mention that only 14% or less of that plastic actually gets recycled. As avid makeup users and lovers, we found ourselves struggling to reconcile our love for makeup & the endless possibilities it offers us with the alarming reality of its effects on the environment. We knew we wanted to do something, so we turned to the knowledge & skills we developed as Product Designers. We started by researching how circular design principles are being employed by other brands that are trying to be sustainable, and we ended up getting inspired by different refillable deodorants with similar mission to ours.
Concept Generation: Sketches
We conducted user interviews to better understand who we are designing for, and what matters to them. This led us to imagine a refillable makeup system that rejects single use plastics and centers reusability & durability, which we slowly brought to life through our initial sketching process.
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Studying Mechanisms
Our initial concept design explored how we can reimagine makeup liquid containers, such as foundation, but quickly diverted to rethinking how lipstick and blush are consumed. Through more user interviews and research, we found that stick form products appeal to a wide audience and are versatile in their use.
3D Models
We created 3D models of our designs using Fusion 360 which we could 3D print and test for usability.
Prototyping
After many iterations and attempts to perfect our design, we finally arrived at a form that met most of the design requirements we set at the beginning of our journey. We continued to iterate on this design, tweaking the mechanisms until it worked seamlessly.
Envisioning the Experience
We created an experience blueprint for MAiA, encompassing all of the components of the service. This was crucial in defining and communicating our project to various audiences.
