Skin Glow
AI-Powered Skin Analysis and Recommendation
Mobile App
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Project Overview
For my Mobile Design course at DePaul University, I independently designed Skin Glow, an AI-powered skincare app that helps users find personalized skincare recommendations, discover curated products, and receive AI-driven feedback about their skin. The app is mobile-first, optimized for smartphones and tablets. My work covered the full design process from research and competitive analysis through wireframing and prototyping.
Skin Glow is designed for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed with skincare, unsure which products are right for their skin type or what half the ingredients even mean. Users can explore products, build custom routines, learn about ingredients, and read reviews from others. The goal was to make skincare shopping and education simpler and more personalized, empowering users to make better-informed choices.
Role
UX Researcher, UX Designer, Presenter
Timeline
5 Weeks (Winter 2025)
Tools
Figma, Canva, Google Slides
01. The Problem
Finding the right skincare products can be overwhelming. With countless options, conflicting information, and ingredient lists that read like chemistry textbooks, most people are left guessing what actually works for their skin. Existing apps tend to address only one piece of this, focusing on either ingredient analysis or routine tracking, but none bring it all together into a truly personalized experience.
This led me to ask: How might I design an all-in-one skincare app that simplifies product discovery, breaks down skincare ingredients in an easy-to-understand way, and delivers recommendations tailored to each user's skin type?
From there, I defined three guiding goals:
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Build an AI-powered skin analysis tool that helps users understand their skin type, undertone, and concerns.
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Provide personalized routines and product recommendations tailored to individual needs and goals.
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Make ingredient education simple and accessible, empowering users to make better-informed skincare decisions.
02. Research & Insights
Competitive Review
To understand the existing skincare app market, I conducted a competitive analysis of two direct competitors: Skin Bliss and Charm.
Skin Bliss is an AI-powered skincare app offering real-time skin analysis, personalized recommendations, and science-backed insights. It helps users identify their skin profile, assess product compatibility, and build effective routines through ingredient analysis and product matching. However, it lacks direct product browsing and routine tracking, making it more of an analytical tool than a complete skincare companion.
Skin Bliss Mobile Screens
Charm focuses on building and tracking personalized skincare routines, exploring DIY treatments, and receiving curated beauty insights. It offers smart reminders, expert-backed routines, and wellness tips, integrating daily skincare management with educational content. Unlike Skin Bliss, Charm lacks AI-based skin analysis and offers limited ingredient education.
Charm Mobile Screens
Neither app offered the full package, which revealed a clear opportunity for Skin Glow to differentiate in three key ways: more comprehensive personalization through AI-powered skin insights, integrated product discovery with curated products and user reviews, and simplified ingredient education that helps users make truly informed choices.
Key Differentiators Chart
03. Design Process
Moodboard
Before jumping into Figma, I developed a moodboard to establish the visual direction for Skin Glow. I drew inspiration from clean, editorial skincare photography, minimalist app interfaces, and a warm neutral color palette. Typography options were explored with an emphasis on elegance and readability.
Skin Glow Moodboard
Preliminary Sketches
From there, I moved into sketching to map out the user flow and key screen layouts before committing to digital design. Sketches covered the full user journey, from the welcome and onboarding flow through to the homepage, AI skin analysis, product details, and curated routines.
Early Sketches
Mid-Fi Prototypes
Using Figma, I built a mid-fidelity mobile prototype covering six core user flows: onboarding, the homepage dashboard, community board, AI skin analysis, product details, and curated routines. These screens focused on structure and layout, ensuring the right information was in the right place before moving into visual design.
Onboarding
Account creation with email, Apple, or Google sign-in
Conversational setup collecting name, age, skin type, and skin concerns
Current routine assessment and goal setting to personalize the experience
Homepage
Personalized welcome message and AI-driven product recommendations
"Popular Today" section with category filtering for product discovery
Easy access to search and profile settings
Community Board
Ask questions about products, skincare recommendations, and receive answers from other users
Join groups based on skin type, concerns, or skincare goals
Connect with others who share similar skincare journeys
AI Skin Analysis
Face scan for real-time skin assessment
Personalized results including skin tone, undertone, and skin type
Targeted product recommendations and one-tap routine creation
Product Details
Product overview with brand, ratings, description, and ingredient list
Skin compatibility score and user reviews
Direct "Add to Routine" button for seamless integration
Curated Routines
Personalized morning and evening routines with step-by-step application guidance
Checkoff system to track completion of each routine step
Flexibility to customize and swap products within the routine
Design Considerations
Throughout the process, a few key design principles guided my decisions:
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Simplicity and Clarity — A clean, minimalistic UI to avoid overwhelming users in a space that's already information-heavy.
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Accessibility — High contrast, readable typography, and intuitive navigation to ensure the app works for everyone.
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Personalization — User-specific recommendations and routines rather than generic product listings.
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Seamless Onboarding — A guided, conversational setup experience that collects the information needed to personalize the app from the very first session.
Hi-Fi Prototype
After the course concluded, I developed high-fidelity screens to further explore the visual design of Skin Glow. Applying the app's warm neutral color palette, typography, and polished UI components, the hi-fi screens bring the mid-fidelity structure to life and give a clearer sense of what the final product could look and feel like. The walkthroughs demonstrate complete user flows across the six core features:
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Onboarding — A personalized setup experience where users create an account, input their name, age, skin type, skin concerns, current routine, and goals before being taken to the homepage.
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Homepage — A personalized dashboard with AI-driven product recommendations and a "Popular Today" section for product discovery.
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Community Board — A community board where users can ask about products, skincare recommendations, and join groups.
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AI Skin Analysis — Users scan their face to receive personalized skin results, targeted product recommendations, and a suggested routine.
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Product Details — A comprehensive product view including descriptions, ingredients, skin compatibility scores, user reviews, and seamless routine integration.
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Curated Routines — Personalized morning and evening routines with step-by-step product application guidance and progress tracking.
Mobile Walkthroughs
Onboarding
Homepage
Community Board
Product Details
AI-Powered Skin Analysis
Curated Routines
05. Reflection
Skin Glow addressed a genuine gap in the skincare app market by bringing together AI-powered skin analysis, personalized recommendations, curated product discovery, and ingredient education into a single, cohesive experience. In just 5 weeks, I took the project from competitive research through moodboarding, sketching, and a mid-fidelity prototype covering six core user flows.
If I were to continue, the next step would be conducting usability testing with real users to validate design decisions and uncover areas for improvement. I'd also love to explore expanding the community board feature and refining the AI skin analysis flow further.
This project reinforced how much can be accomplished with a clear problem, focused research, and intentional design decisions, even within a tight timeline.