The Problem: How do you clean your makeup brushes?
Professionals recommend cleaning your makeup brushes at least once a week, but people rarely do so because of the time-consuming process. However, not cleaning your makeup brushes regularly is extremely unhygienic and the bacteria-infested makeup brushes may cause you numerous skin problems. One product on the market designed to address this problem is the StylPro MakeUp Brush Cleaner, which is featured in the image above. As helpful as the product may be, critics revealed there were numerous flaws with the product design-wise and mechanics-wise. We chose to redesign the StylPro MakeUp Brush Cleaner, which intends to make this process of cleaning makeup brushes automated and efficient. The product’s value proposition is unique and it appeals to many users. Yet, as we read reviews and observed users using the product, we realized that many aspects could be improved. For example, some users complained that the product looks clunky, and that the cleaning process is rather complicated. YouTube beauty gurus and casual makeup enthusiasts alike left their feedback on the product. Visually, it didn’t seem to work. “I thought that was a coffee pot in the thumbnail ?” read one user review. Additionally, the product’s 11 separate components made users feel confused and left them anxious that they may lose some of the parts. There was a slight cognitive load imposed upon the user with the many individual components designed to accommodate different-sized brushes. Multiple brushes could not be washed at once. The original StylPro was not characterized by ease or facility of use.
Our Solution: Meet StylPro+
The Mechanics
The StylPro+ is strategically designed to ease the makeup brush cleansing process, while offering users a more aesthetically pleasing product and a streamlined experience. The redesign is characterized by ease and facility of use. At its core, the StylPro+ aims to offer a pleasurable experience for users.
The StylPro+ comes equipped with five individual brush compartments that can fit different sizes and shapes. Unlike its slightly clunky and complicated predecessor, the StylPro+ has the ability to clean multiple brushes at once. Product assembly is simple: just fill the bottom half of the apparatus with water and the cleansing solution. Then, attach the top and bottom half of the device with the brushes strapped and secured in place. Activate the cleansing process with the touch of the start button on top. A blue light glows when the brushes are done washing and drying. After the cleansing process is complete, the user is welcome to store the product on a countertop or vanity. The redesign enables the StylPro+ to become a permanent fixture of the mantelpiece. The user has the ability to reassemble the device into one cohesive, beautiful unit.
Points of Pleasure
- Psycho-pleasure: StylPro+ plays into the “oddly satisfying” trend of consumer goods. It provokes a strong cognitive and emotional reaction. With each use of the product, StylPro+ allows users to derive satisfaction from the cleansing process itself; users exit the process armed with the underlying psychological sense of rejuvenation and renewal. At the end of a cleaning cycle, a soft blue glow from the top of the StylPro+ tells users their brush is clean, giving a satisfying feel.
- Ideo-pleasure: Makeup lovers connect on social media to share and review products that are fresh and smart. StylPro+ can become the product that unites the beauty community, the gold standard of keeping your brushes clean. Additionally, the StylPro+ promotes sustainability and continuation of use, reducing the need to replace your brushes with frequency. Eventually, every member of the beauty community will have one!
- Physio-pleasure: The product lends a sense of health and wellbeing, since the process of cleansing prevents the cross-contamination of makeup. The StylPro+ has also been redesigned to look aesthetically pleasing, and can sit on your makeup table as a permanent fixture. The product is beautiful and minimalist, adding to the ambiance of any room.
User Profile
StylPro+ targets both the professional cosmetologist and the casual makeup enthusiast alike. Today, makeup celebrates and welcomes all genders and identities. The global beauty community is more diverse and more accepting than ever before, with the shade range to accommodate. We thus perceive the product’s appeal to be highly broad. The professional cosmetologist goes through many brushes and many products per day; they employ a mix of colors and shades to suit each client’s needs. Both ease of use as well as the prevention of cross-contamination are key. Similarly, the casual makeup enthusiast faces a need to maintain cleanliness with each use of the brush to avoid the contamination of colors and shades. With all spectrums of the beauty community united in the quest for reuse, the StylPro+ was strategically redesigned to reach this vast and global market.
Project Links
The StylPro/StylPro+ UX Journey Map – https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10RnhjlXfE16Z87bHbWBvq9dBobB1a_YuV0J7MAbmtDU/edit?usp=sharing
StylPro+ Google Slideshow – https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1yD3k5tYqRT8Ls-YwO54L3L5fgRiXsfgPfeoVnHDmAGg/edit?usp=sharing
StylPro+ Essay Text – https://docs.google.com/document/d/16C0RX8KcUfKH2UbAQkBeOR_m2ebL-WE8f3clLkaW6UY/edit?usp=sharing
I really like the engagement of ideopleasure in the way the product triggers one to want to clean their brushes by virtue of seeing it on their counter. Because of the sleek-ness of the design, it seems like consumers would be willing to keep the product “on display”. In thinking about the future of the product, I wonder if it might be useful to add a feature that tells you how long it’s been since the machine has last been used. This would push the triggering aspect of the product even further, making people want to use the product.
That the new aesthetic of the StylPro+ engages more amateur audience I think was a super successful element to the re-vamp for me… the possible customer base for your product really just explodes once you make the shift from targeting professional artists to include amateurs as well. This cleaner is also exceptionally relevant in our specific cultural moment, given how invested so many are in their makeup consumption/upkeep… in other words, this product capitalizes on the existing makeup/beauty industry on that it targets customers who have already actively invested in their makeup ritual and thus are more likely to spend more to maintain the products they already have.
I really love this product revamp! I think the best part about it is that it’s very practical and streamlined, in stark contrast to the original product. In addition, I think it helps overcome the problem of people not wanting to embark on the long and involved process of cleaning their brushes, even though this is something they should do often. The brush storage component is really nice, because it can be surprisingly challenging to figure out an effective way to dry your brushes. However, I do wonder if you guys have considered how to keep the brushes clean and disinfected during that process? I imagine that since the wet brushes are hanging in a small, enclosed space, it will probably get moist and have potential for bacteria to grow.
As someone that likes makeup, but does not consider herself an expert at all, I think this idea would be very useful! Cleaning makeup brushes always feels like way too much work, and this simplifies the process by a lot. I think my one concern about actually buying this would be the price point, and I think the price of the item really determines the target audience. For example, if the product were very expensive, it might only appeal to makeup artists, who are used to cleaning their own brushes anyway. However, if the product were cheaper, I think it could appeal to a much larger audience.
The design of the new StylPro+ is definitely effective in both its form and its function! Its sleekness and elegance makes it an easy addition to a dresser/dressing table, while its ability to quickly and conveniently clean multiple brushes makes it an easy sell. Given the wide range of makeup brushes that are available today, I was wondering if the attaching apparatus could be slightly more flexible? Similarly, wondering if the drying of the brushes could be incorporated into the device itself (maybe by switching on a button that creates airflows/ventilation?
This was one of my favorites today– I think that the ease of how it does the job for you was extremely clear during the presentation and just the description alone was enough to convince me. However I feel like there is room for improvement where the aesthetic language of the brand lies. The likeness to Apple was mentioned during the presentation and I would have loved to see a chic webpage or platform for the product which exhibits the product in this way. I also felt that the name of the product (unfortunately) let down the appeal factor as it still ties the product to its predecessor. To completely refresh this product I think a new name would be great to make the brand stand alone but also for communities which might use this (such as the MUA/Beauty communities, which tend to use hundreds of new products each week) this may be a missed opportunity to keep the product in the forefront of other beauty products.
I also was curious if this cleans AND dries brushes and also what the full procedure is in terms of the solution, whether it is just water or whether a soap or detergent needs to be bought also!
I think the design is brilliant and very aesthetically pleasing. I would be super excited to buy one to use and also would like the way it would look in my room. I think you are absolutely right about alleviating the cognitive load of cleaning makeup brushes, and that your design is a terrific solution. My only question was about changing the solution? I wonder if there is a design that would minimize mess when changing the liquid.
Washing my makeup brushes is so difficult for me at school because the sink is far away, there’s no counter space, and I have nowhere to put my brushes when they’re done. It takes a lot of time, and if my roommates need the bathroom, then I have to stop in the middle. It’s such a pain that I rarely do it. I’d buy this product in a heartbeat, because you take all the pain out of it. I especially love the light indicator to say when it’s done, because then I don’t need to think about it. Finally, the vertical drying is super clutch. No more weirdly shaped eyeshadow brushes. AND you speed up the process immensely by letting me wash multiple brushes at once. Wow! My only suggestion could be an upgraded version that has a UV sanitation option for an even deeper clean.
If I used makeup, this seems like the tool for me. I appreciate the streamlined process along with the discrete nature of the design. It looks like an air freshener (which I think could be good or bad– I lean good). I’m impressed with the rendering of the design and I’m wondering which program was used for it. I question I have would be the effectiveness of cleaning the brushes merely by swishing it around in water. I have never cleaned make up brushes before but I have cleaned oil paint brushes and it takes a lot of effort to get out the paint. Overall, I’d buy it.
My favorite part of this product is the physiopleasure! The product itself is incredibly aesthetic and desirable to use. On top of that, the idea seems a great solution to a very intuitive problem of dirty, gross brushes that I’m surprised doesn’t have good solutions yet. The mockup sketches are also incredible, whoever made them!
I think this is a beautiful design and it makes cleaning your makeup brushes so much easier. I hate cleaning my brushes because of the time and labor it takes to make sure the brush is clean. If this was real, I would try it out to see how well it works. My only wonder is what would happen to the water at the base of the product and if it would drain at all. It would be not great if the brush was left sitting in water for a while because the user forgot to take them out, so maybe thinking about the drainage would give the product an additional allure for people who would forget their brush in the device.