2022
Second Skin: Improving young adults' skin health through education and habit-building
Second Skin is a case study that serves as a comprehensive guide for users in diagnosing and treating acne vulgaris and acne rosacea, two common skin conditions.
The Challenge
The Status quo
Self-diagnosis or self-treatment of acne rosacea and acne vulgaris is more popular than a dermatologist because it’s easily accessible. However, people who self-diagnose and self-treat are susceptible to mistreatment and misdiagnosis. Therefore, there needs to be an easier way to help Filipino young adults properly address their acne rosacea and/or acne vulgaris.
My role
My role was to conduct a year-long research assignment regarding the creation of an intervention for Filipino young adults dedicated to managing their acne vulgaris and/or acne rosacea. I acted as a researcher, graphic designer, and product designer for this project.
Short-term goal:
Give primary users convenient access to teleconsultation with dermatologists and information.
Mid-term goal:
Educate primary users regarding the diagnosis and treatment of acne vulgaris and/or acne rosacea and importance of getting a consultation with dermatologists.
Ultimate goal:
For primary users to diagnose and treat their acne vulgaris and/or acne rosacea
Research
Identification and Ideation
I engaged in several crucial steps to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the application's design and subject matter. This involved identifying key users, defining the scope of the application, and conducting an extensive review of relevant literature. Additionally, I examined the current circumstances surrounding the reluctance of Filipinos to seek dermatological appointments, as well as the prevalence of self-diagnosis and self-treatment practices for acne. After, I started the process of ideation which was focused on creating components and the low-fidelity prototype of the application to present to testers. Before any wireframes were made, I interviewed the primary users regarding which features would be most helpful to them in an application dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of their acne.
Primary Users
Filipino young adults (aged 18-30)
Have acne vulgaris and/ or acne rosacea
No expertise in dermatological knowledge
Self-medicate or self-diagnose their skin diseases
Want their acne to be treated
Secondary Users
Filipino dermatologists (aged 30-65)
Practicing in a hospital or in their own clinic
See acne vulgaris and acne rosacea patients
Treat and diagnose patient’s skin diseases
Site Map/ Information Architecture
Information architecture and proposed site map of Second Skin
Proposed application components
Proposed components of Second Skin
Mid-fidelity wireframes of Second Skin
Prototyping
Low to mid fidelity
To create the low-fidelity prototype, sketches of the application’s pages were done on paper. This was done to get a general gist of what the application’s UI will look like. After the low-fidelity prototype has gotten feedback from informal testing, a mid-fidelity prototype created which is characterized by the application of the style guide to the prototype and the creation of images and 3D models.
Second Skin style guide
Design and Style of Second Skin
The design style of the Second Skin app embraces a clean, modern, yet colorful user-centric aesthetic, aiming to create a visually pleasing and intuitive experience for its users. The overall design philosophy revolves around simplicity, functionality, and accessibility, ensuring that users can easily navigate the app.
Testing & Results
Testing procedure
The application underwent a thorough testing process using Bravo Vision, an online platform. Testers interacted with a prototype of the app and provided feedback through a Google Form. Participants were recruited through Facebook. The testing process consisted of three rounds to ensure the application's effectiveness and usability.
The first round focused on assessing usability and interactions, while the second round evaluated content effectiveness and visual appeal. Lastly, a habit test was conducted to assess the effectiveness of tasks and alarms in promoting desired habits
Second Skin application demo
Second Skin testing results and analysis
Findings
The application's effectiveness and usability have been demonstrated through positive testing results. However, testing has also shown that there would need to be minor improvements in its user interface, visuals, and functionality. Moreover, testing over a longer amount of days with the app would also give more accurate data, especially in regards to testing the habit building feature of the application.
Reflection
My thoughts on this project many years later…
Second Skin, the research project, is very much a labor of love. I look fondly on the year I spent making it. My peers thought I was strange because I found the RRL and general research part of the project to be enjoyable. If I were to remake this now, I would do more robust testing with more participants and would refine the spacing and styling of the application to make it more straight-forward. The graphic and colorful approach is unique but I think I could refine it.