Alyssa Forman | UX/UI Case Study | 2026

Mop

Time Frame

3 months

Skills

UX/UI

Research

Branding

Marketing

OVERVIEW


Mop bridges the gap between community and commerce by creating a frictionless hair-care shopping experience built around trusted recommendations, personalization, and shared routines.

OVERVIEW


Mop bridges the gap between community and commerce by creating a frictionless hair-care shopping experience built around trusted recommendations, personalization, and shared routines.

PROBLEM


The problem isn't a lack of information; it's a lack of relevant information.

Despite abundant reviews and user generated content, users still struggle to find hair-care products that work for their unique needs, defaulting to trends or aesthetics and ending up with a pile of products that never deliver.

PROBLEM


The problem isn't a lack of information; it's a lack of relevant information.

Despite abundant reviews and user generated content, users still struggle to find hair-care products that work for their unique needs, defaulting to trends or aesthetics and ending up with a pile of products that never deliver.

RESEARCH

RESEARCH

36%

36%

of consumers feel frustrated when shopping is impersonal

of consumers feel frustrated when shopping is impersonal

90%

90%

of consumers are influenced by UGC over other forms of marketing

of consumers are influenced by UGC over other forms of marketing

~60%

~60%

of consumers struggle to find answers about their haircare.

of consumers struggle to find answers about their haircare.

During user interviews, participants consistently expressed frustration with the hair-care shopping experience. Hair is deeply tied to confidence, culture, and identity. When users can't properly care for their hair, participants reported that all three took a hit. That emotional weight is what shaped Mop's core: personalization isn't a nice-to-have feature, it's the whole point. At the same time, the global hair-care market is projected to surpass $100 billion in the coming years, and beauty e-commerce keeps growing — meaning more people are buying hair-care products online without personalized guidance or trusted community support to guide them.

During user interviews, participants consistently expressed frustration with the hair-care shopping experience. Hair is deeply tied to confidence, culture, and identity. When users can't properly care for their hair, participants reported that all three took a hit. That emotional weight is what shaped Mop's core: personalization isn't a nice-to-have feature, it's the whole point. At the same time, the global hair-care market is projected to surpass $100 billion in the coming years, and beauty e-commerce keeps growing — meaning more people are buying hair-care products online without personalized guidance or trusted community support to guide them.

JOURNEY MAP

Understanding users' current struggles finding hair-care products that work for them

JOURNEY MAP

Understanding users' current struggles finding hair-care products that work for them

USER PSYCHOGRAPHIC

SOLUTION


To begin I started thinking of what would be the best way to solve our user’s problems. I began to look at competitors and user’s current experiences dealing with existing apps. When journey mapping and interviewing what stood out to me was the lack of personalization. Competitor apps such as Ulta and Sephora push products that don’t always align with a user’s needs while social media pushes products based off views and likes over relevance. Again the problem is the lack of relevant information.

SOLUTION


To begin I started thinking of what would be the best way to solve our user’s problems. I began to look at competitors and user’s current experiences dealing with existing apps. When journey mapping and interviewing what stood out to me was the lack of personalization. Competitor apps such as Ulta and Sephora push products that don’t always align with a user’s needs while social media pushes products based off views and likes over relevance. Again the problem is the lack of relevant information.

Key Feature | AI-Profile Builder


I wanted to explore how AI could enhance an app like Mop without losing the trust and personalization that users were looking for. Throughout user interviews, people repeatedly described wanting their own “hair assistant”—something that understood their hair history, hair type, preferences, and routines, and could provide personalized answers without requiring them to start from scratch every time.


AI felt like a natural solution to this need, but introducing it also raised an important design challenge: How do you make AI feel trustworthy when users are concerned about inaccurate or incorrect information?

Rather than overlooking this concern, I designed around it. I reimagined Mop’s onboarding experience to make the information AI uses feel transparent and user-controlled. After completing a short hair profile quiz, users are shown a series of summary cards that reflect back the information Mop has collected about their hair, preferences, and needs.


By giving users the opportunity to see and confirm what Mop knows about them, the experience establishes trust before introducing AI-powered recommendations. The result is an AI experience that feels less like a black box and more like a personalized hair assistant that users can understand and confidently rely on.

Key Feature | Showing the Why


As I moved into early rounds of user testing, a new question emerged: users wanted to understand why specific products were being recommended to them. It wasn’t enough for Mop to know their hair profile—the recommendations needed to feel intentional and relevant.


I explored different ways to make the connection between a user’s needs and each recommendation more visible. The final design pairs a highlight section, which surfaces the product’s most relevant features, with a recommendation section that explains how those features align with the user’s hair profile.

This gives users the context behind each recommendation, turning a product suggestion into something they can evaluate for themselves.

Key Feature | Community Page


Hair is more than just hair. That became clear early in the design process, when I started interviewing people about how they care for their hair. More of them turned to friends and family for advice than they did social media. Hair is personal, and people trust the people who know their hair, their texture, their history, over a stranger's tutorial. 

Community wasn't a feature I decided to add, it was already how people were solving this problem. My job was to design for that.

Key Feature | Community Page


Hair is more than just hair. That became clear early in the design process, when I started interviewing people about how they care for their hair. More of them turned to friends and family for advice than they did social media. Hair is personal, and people trust the people who know their hair, their texture, their history, over a stranger's tutorial. 

Community wasn't a feature I decided to add, it was already how people were solving this problem. My job was to design for that.

BRANDING


To figure out where Mop's branding should live, I started by looking at competitors — Ulta, Sephora, Prose. A pattern emerged fast: most were leaning on the same outdated, gendered color palettes, paired with a polished, intimidating aesthetic that felt more exclusive than welcoming.

That gap was the opportunity. Mop's values — confidence, self-discovery, empowerment — needed a visual language that felt approachable instead of aspirational. I moved away from the gendered palette convention and built a design system around softer, more neutral colors and slightly imperfect, human shapes. The goal was a brand that felt like a knowledgeable friend, not a beauty authority —so users could feel confident.

BRANDING


To figure out where Mop's branding should live, I started by looking at competitors — Ulta, Sephora, Prose. A pattern emerged fast: most were leaning on the same outdated, gendered color palettes, paired with a polished, intimidating aesthetic that felt more exclusive than welcoming.

That gap was the opportunity. Mop's values — confidence, self-discovery, empowerment — needed a visual language that felt approachable instead of aspirational. I moved away from the gendered palette convention and built a design system around softer, more neutral colors and slightly imperfect, human shapes. The goal was a brand that felt like a knowledgeable friend, not a beauty authority —so users could feel confident.

DEFINITION


A "mop of hair" is an informal term for a large, thick, and often untidy mass of hair.


"Mop of hair" is usually said with a sigh — shorthand for hair that's too thick, too big, too much to deal with. Growing up, I heard it plenty, mine included. I named the app Mop on purpose, because that sigh is exactly the feeling I wanted to get rid of. The name takes a phrase that usually sounds like a soft complaint and turns it into something worth celebrating. Big hair, thick hair, hair with a mind of its own — that's not a flaw to manage, that's just what natural hair looks like.

DEFINITION


A "mop of hair" is an informal term for a large, thick, and often untidy mass of hair.


"Mop of hair" is usually said with a sigh — shorthand for hair that's too thick, too big, too much to deal with. Growing up, I heard it plenty, mine included. I named the app Mop on purpose, because that sigh is exactly the feeling I wanted to get rid of. The name takes a phrase that usually sounds like a soft complaint and turns it into something worth celebrating. Big hair, thick hair, hair with a mind of its own — that's not a flaw to manage, that's just what natural hair looks like.