"Second Skin" is a smartphone application available on all major mobile operating systems. This innovative app serves as a comprehensive guide for users in diagnosing and treating acne vulgaris and acne rosacea, two common skin conditions. By providing accessible and reliable information, as well as facilitating communication with dermatologists, Second Skin aims to empower users in managing their skincare concerns effectively.
• Research
• Ideation
• Design
• First prototype test
• Re-design
• Second prototype test
• Conclusion
• Recommendations
Filipino young adults are susceptible to acne rosacea and acne vulgaris which have negative effects on their physical and mental well-being. 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.
UX/ UI Designer and
Graphic Designer
“Second Skin” is a mobile application that helps stakeholders diagnose and treat their acne vulgaris and acne rosacea. The application is able to do this by offering components that can help create healthy skin care habits, disseminating information regarding skin diseases, and giving access to dermatologists.
In preparation for the project, I engaged in several crucial steps to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the application's design and subject matter. This involved identifying key stakeholders, defining the scope of the application, and conducting an extensive review of relevant literature. During this process, I delved into multiple research papers that explored the physical and mental effects of acne vulgaris and acne rosacea. 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. This investigation also encompassed evaluating the effectiveness of existing interventions available to Filipinos. The objective of studying related projects and the subject matter was to identify the gaps and unmet needs that the proposed "Second Skin" application could address for its primary stakeholders.
Primary Stakeholders
• 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 Stakeholders
• 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
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Short-term goal:
Give primary stakeholders convenient access to teleconsultation with dermatologists and information regarding acne vulgaris and/or acne rosacea
Mid-term goal:
Educate primary stakeholders regarding the diagnosis and treatment of acne vulgaris and/or acne rosacea. Stakeholders meet with dermatologists.
Ultimate goal:
For primary stakeholders to diagnose and treat their acne vulgaris and/or acne rosacea
I wrote a detailed research paper regarding the subject matter. Included is the complete review of related literature, methodology, results, and conclusion of the study. Click the button to access my paper and its multiple appendices.
This part of the process was focused on creating components and the low-fidelity prototype of the application to present to testers. Before any wireframes were made, I talked to the primary stakeholders regarding which features would be most helpful to them in an application dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of their acne vulgaris and acne rosacea.
It was important to understand what exactly users will want to accomplish when using the application. From this, I derived what components that can work together to help stakeholders with the diagnosis and treatment of their acne vulgaris and acne rosacea. I did this by conducting video interviews with stakeholders. Collecting data gave me a clear vision of how to accomplish the goals of the application. From the initial interviews and tests, the concepts of components were determined.
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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. These sketches are then translated into Figma. Using the shape, frame, and text tools, the researcher was able to create sample components and layout the UI of the different pages and navigation menus for the application. Moreover, navigation menus and certain buttons were given interactions to simulate user flow.
After the low-fidelity prototype has gotten feedback from informal testing, the research creates amid-fidelity prototype. The mid-fidelity prototype is characterized by the application of the style guide to the prototype and the creation of images and 3D models.
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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 and find the information and features they need.
A style guide was created to pitch the overall feel and visuals I wanted the app to portray. For a successful skincare application, I needed to ensure that the visual language would be digestible and pleasing to the stakeholders. My goal for this guide was to create a bright interface that can attract users without overwhelming them.
Following the style guide created during pre-production, the required components are created in Figma to create a high-fidelity prototype. To make the prototype more interactive, I used Bravo Vision (an app creating software), simple coding, and database creation through Airtable. As a result, testers and users were able to get a better ideal of how they would use the application in their daily life.
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 questionnaire. Participants were recruited through Facebook. The testing process consisted of three rounds to ensure the application's effectiveness and usability.
The first round of testing was conducted with stakeholders who provided initial feedback on the mid-fidelity prototype. This feedback helped identify areas for improvement before moving to formal testing. The second testing phase comprised two rounds, each involving ten participants. High-fidelity prototypes were used, with the second round incorporating enhancements based on feedback from the first round. The first round focused on assessing usability and interactions, while the second round evaluated content effectiveness and visual appeal. Moreover, this phase included pre-test and post-test evaluations to measure the efficacy of the application's content. Lastly, a habit test was conducted to assess the effectiveness of tasks and alarms in promoting desired habits. This multi-round approach provided valuable insights that were used to refine and enhance the overall user experience of Second Skin.
In summary, it is crucial to remember that the skin is an organ requiring proper care and treatment when affected by diseases such as acne vulgaris and acne rosacea. These conditions can have both physical and mental consequences if neglected. While self-diagnosis and self-treatment may seem convenient and cost-effective, they can be risky without access to dermatologists' guidance or reliable information.
To address this, Second Skin is a mobile application designed to assist Filipino young adults in managing their acne vulgaris and/or acne rosacea. It provides primary stakeholders with various tools, including the ability to develop healthy skin habits, access dermatologists through teleconsultation, and access in-depth articles on skin diseases. 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. Lastly, expanding the app's scope to cater to it's secondary stakeholder's needs would enhance the application.
As acne vulgaris and acne rosacea continue to be prevalent conditions, ongoing research aims to improve their treatment. Second Skin represents a potentially effective solution that can help Filipino young adults manage and potentially overcome these skin conditions.
The following are UX/UI design case studies and visual designs I have developed over the years. Check them out below to see related projects.
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