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Time: 8 weeks
My role: Research, Design concept, Personas, Site Map, Customer Journeys, Flows, Wireframes, UI, Prototyping
Deja is a startup business with a mission to bring Ayurveda traditions to the 21st century. Modern and urban but still rooted in 5000 years of ancient medicine tradition. I entered this project when it already had its presence on instagram and a basic website. Tone of voice and brand personality were already established. Deja is cool. It’s that girl who knows how to have a good time and is down to earth, but also does her meditation and rituals. She knows how to look after herself and has something about her that just makes you feel comfortable when talking to her about anything. Along with that there was an idea of who the customer group is and now it was time to test it.
50 responds for a survey
- from witch I chose people who already have an interest in natural medicine and balanced lifestyle and are spending between £50-100 on self care monthly. Then I spoke to them directly in interviews.
35 user interviews
- people from different spectrums - from yoga lovers to yoga teachers; busy people who appreciate meditation; men and women; those who take supplements; and those who have health conditions that they can’t battle with modern medicine. No nonsense people who want to see the science behind the treatment and understand why it would work. It turned out those who became teachers and dedicated their life to natural lifestyle often entered this space without earlier interest in it.
The idea for the brand was everything Ayurveda related. The first products in the pipeline were supplements. I looked at a broad range of companies in the field and got inspired to look beyond, in search for products that we can create.
I looked into:
• Supplements - range: targeted at problems; personalised vitamins; herbal and natural; targeted at ageing; CBD; Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Yoga - brand and influencers
• Lifestyle - brands and courses
• Ayurveda - range of products
Few things were more than clear. Similar to yoga, which used to be something reserved for long haired, spiritually oriented individuals, practicing Ayurveda has to become as normal as going to the gym and using conventional treatments. It is time for it to enter people’s life and adapt to their current, busy lifestyles. With the amount of feedback came lots of information but I decided to focus on two main personas that emerged from the research.
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I studied how Ollie experiences his journey when he’s trying to solve his problem with his allergy till the point when he - being impatient - gives up before any results can be seen. We needed to present our product to him as credible and maintain his engagement and expectations when he’s using it.
For Alice it was more about the imaginary journey that she would have with a product that will bring her what she is looking for. She wasn’t looking for a solution to a particular problem but a way to improve her life. We had to create a path for her where she can deepen her knowledge and integrate this philosophy into her life.
As the idea of the product wasn’t limited, I was considering different solutions for the business. Knowing there is a big need for a self development path I came up with an idea of creating a cycle of courses. These courses will bring people closer to their balance but also to the brand.
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Being rooted in long tradition and stemming from nature, Deja had to be modern and speak to urban crowds. I created a mood board to remind me who I am designing for.
I followed a simple layout build of rectangles, keeping things symmetrical to create a feeling of balance and harmony.
To see more details flip the phone or visit the website
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Based on our two main journeys, the main page is going to focus on taking one of two actions. First, choosing a remedy or choosing a course. Second, taking a quiz, that helps discover your body type, and, finally, a consultation with a specialist.
People may want to read a bit about Ayurveda first or get inspired after reading a more specific article. Below the article there are links to relevant courses and remedies and also links to related articles, so users can keep on reading.
From the product/course page they can go through check out or continue exploring the website. As they go through check out they have an option of creating an account. This will be necessary to access the courses.
Designed for someone looking into self development and mastering life's balance, four courses are bringing you slowly into the depths of rich Ayurvedic tradition. From diet advice to new routines, and the insides of this ancient philosophy. Each level is delivering different teachings along with practical tips on improvements that can transform daily life.
Courses are delivered through materials to read. Here is an example of what a daily lesson looks like after logging into a profile.
For Ollie his interaction with the website may finish after purchasing but to keep him motivated we will be sending him emails. We will let him know about it in a note added to his purchases.
Each email will include information about the stage that customers are at and what they can expect, along with additional read about what else they can do to help their condition.
Emails are going to help customers to stay motivated, while maintaining their expectations.
WEEK 1 - Acknowledge how they are feeling right now. Explain how this is a process, and request consistency to see long term results. Explain things that you can do to stick with it. Tie it with another activity. Brushing teeth, put it in a visible place.
WEEK 3 - As they get their second batch we also email them. Acknowledge that 2 weeks of sticking with it is a good achievement and a great start. Explain how they should be feeling right now (depending on their dosha), then clarify that to see results they need to keep going and finish this batch. After that they should see improvement but to maintain the balance we recommend doing it for at least 6 weeks. Explain why and how your body is changing.
Add advice on lifestyle changes that can help to improve the condition.
WEEK 5 - depending on if they ordered another batch or not.
Encourage them to keep going by sending a time limited discount. Explain the importance of staying on the right track. The changes in your body that have already happened are going to be a perfect base for the next treatment.
Congratulations on staying consistent. Ask for feedback on how they are feeling, advise on different things that can be done on top of taking the supplements.
I would be excited to continue working with Deja as they develop their products and expand. I see great potential for growth in a very interesting field of natural medicine and self-development. After interviewing over 30 individuals, it wasn't easy to narrow the research down to only two personas, but these two were the most significant ones and presented the biggest and quickest opportunity for the business' investments return. In the future, I would like to emphasise on building community and allowing users to build content. That would also bring feedback to us, that we can further use to design better products.
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