3m internship
During the summer of 2022, I worked as an Industrial Design Intern for 3M's Consumer Business Group. I collaborated on a team project, with other design interns, to find new product opportunities for aging populations and I worked on a solo project researching/developing a line of dispensers made with sustainable materials.
Summer 2022
tEAM PROJECT
Sarah Gallagher, Ann Li, Meryem Maameri, Johanna Moreta, Bobby Omoregbee
How might we design for skin of an aging population, leveraging 3M Science, to reimagine what’s possible?
CHALLENGE
To start our process we began exploring opportunities in the consumer space and identifying common problems associated with aging skin. Our secondary research led us to analyze perceptions on aging skin.
Secondary Research
Discovery Mapping
Literature + Media Review
Competitive Analysis
Primary Research
Ethnographic Research
Subject Matter Expert Interviews
Human-Centered
Frameworks
Persona Generation
User Journeys
ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH TAKEAWAYS
Awareness + Knowledge Gap
Misconceptions and confusion due to lack of knowledge creates barriers to healthy care routines and access.
Hesitancy, Denial, Trust
Lack of self-confidence and comfort results in minimization and discounting, preventing proactive decision-making.
Inaction and Dismissiveness
“Too little too late”– procrastination and reactive care results in deprioritization of one’s own comfort and health.
As a result, individuals lack reliable, actionable information about the natural aging process and are not equipped to make informed decisions to care for their skin.
Traditional consumer offerings surrounding skin care are appearance-centric, resulting in a lack of knowledge
around holistic skin health.
Rather than focusing on solutions that target the appearance of aging, how might we provide individuals with the resources they need to make healthy decisions for their skin?
DESIGN CRITERIA
Education and Access
Empower individuals through information and resource provision, elevating awareness of skin health and functionality.
Instilling Confidence
Shift point of care to individuals and empower them to make healthy, science-backed decisions for their skin.
Continuous and Mindful Self-Care
Promote holistic, care-based functionality and equip individuals to understand and care for their own skin in nuanced ways.
After finalizing our design criteria, we ideated on different offerings that the criteria could manifest into. We decided to create a physical product concept, an in-store activation experience, a mobile app concept, and brand communications.
Product concept
Smart wearables
At-home product channels
In-store
activation
Merchandising and retail presence
mobile app
Mobile computing
Remote monitoring
brand
communications
Partner communications
Customer relationships