Stella Scheier's Portfolio

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Stella Scheier's Portfolio

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Stella Scheier's Portfolio

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The Problem

Product Developement

2022

About

BeUni is a company that began as a school project and has since become an LLC working to create ergonomic makeup brushes for people with disabilities.

The Challenge

Design Features

BeUni successfully designed a product that works to improve the experience people with disabilities have putting on makeup. Our solution targeted their challenges ultimately leading to an innovative and unique solution.

The Problem

Our team formed due to our shared love of makeup and passion for accessibility. Through research, we discovered that current makeup brushes are not ergonomically designed, causing challenges for all users. After market research and speaking with 10 people about their experiences, we identified 4 main struggles: thin brushes, difficulty picking up brushes, tapering making it hard to hold, and slippery materials. These insights guided our product development. We created 8 prototypes, tested with 10 users, and developed a final design incorporating grooves and compressible materials for grip, an optional strap, and a flat stopper.

Empathy

This process highlighted the importance of targeting a specific audience, enabling our team to focus on individuals with low grip strength. By honing in on this consumer segment, we gained valuable insights into the significant issues faced with current makeup brush options. Our analysis revealed a lack of human-centered design approach and the failure to utilize universal design principles in existing products. Drawing from my personal experience with people with disabilities, I facilitated interviews with individuals in the adaptive space, including makeup influencers with disabilities and the beauty director at Sephora.

The Solution

This product development process taught me valuable lessons about design and multidisciplinary teamwork. I led the ideation process, as my experiences provided me with the background to understand the importance of user feedback and designing with their interests in mind. Drawing from my experience with the Runway of Dreams Foundation, I learned that designing for people with disabilities requires collaboration with them, not just for them. Our result was an ergonomic and accessible makeup brush tailored to individuals with low grip strength. During our final presentation, we effectively conveyed our product and defended design decisions while quantifying the opportunity. Ultimately, we were awarded the most viable product and company and were then awarded a capital grant. Since them, our team's passion for this project transcended the class duration and we have continued developing and growing BeUni. We're excited to see where this journey takes us!

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© 2023 by Stella the Designer

© 2023 by Stella the Designer

© 2023 by Stella the Designer

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