Estée Lauder

Digital Innovation Suite: UX Strategy, Product Concepts, Retail Experience

Redefining Beauty for the Digital Age

Estée Lauder approached us with two tasks: help them stake their claim in the digital space, and more importantly, drive the purchase funnel.

To do so however, would mean going beyond the standard category gimmicks and creating something that would truly resonate with their customer base.

By utilizing a user experience strategy and human-centric design, we did more than simply promote their products, we created utility and provided a customer experience like no other: online, in-store and on mobile.

Estée Lauder title frame: a model gazes forward beside the headline Redefining Beauty in the Digital Age

Title frame: “Redefining Beauty in the Digital Age,” under the Estée Lauder banner.

INTERACTIVE VANITY MIRROR

Housed on the Estée Lauder / Clinique website (and mobile), this application would access consumers' built-in webcams employing facial mapping and gesture recognition software, allowing the viewer to swipe, apply and test makeup, at home, in real-time, under a variety of lighting situations. No cosmetic wipes needed.

Vanity Mirror concept slide: a woman tries on Clinique makeup via webcam on a MacBook screen

Beauty @ Home, Vanity Mirror: a webcam try-on with Clinique shades applied on screen in real time.

USB LIP DRIVE

Distributed at the point of purchase, these USB flash drives would contain information on skin type, lifestyle and purchase histories, providing a more seamless retail experience, both on-site at in-store kiosks and at home, online.

Lip Drive concept slide: a metallic Clinique lipstick case opened to reveal a built-in USB flash drive

Beauty on the Go, Lip Drive: a Clinique lipstick case that conceals a USB profile drive.

Lip Drive retail slide: a shopper consults at a Clinique counter where her profile appears on a laptop

Lip Drive at retail: the shopper’s profile surfaces on screen at the Clinique counter.

CLINIQUE BEAUTY MOBILE APP SUITE

This suite of smartphone applications would work over multiple platforms (desktop + mobile) and provide utility to consumers.

Clinique Beauty Suite slide: four iPhones showing the Beauty Suite, Studio, Style and Boutique app screens

Clinique Beauty Suite: the app family lineup; Beauty Suite, Studio, Style and Boutique.

Clinique Studio app slide: an iPhone splash screen for quick-loading videos of professional makeup artists

Clinique Studio: quick-loading videos from professional makeup artists; beauty tips on the go.

Clinique Style app slide: an iPhone splash screen for camera-based makeup color matching

Clinique Style: the phone’s camera judges color and lighting to match makeup to any wardrobe.

Clinique Boutique app slide: an iPhone splash screen for previewing and pre-ordering the latest products

Clinique Boutique: preview and pre-order the latest products directly from the phone.

Writer: ACD/Writer Jason Lambert

In Brief

A digital utility suite for Estée Lauder and Clinique by Husani Barnwell: an interactive vanity mirror using facial mapping and gesture recognition for real-time virtual try-on, a point-of-purchase USB lip drive that personalizes the retail experience, and a cross-platform beauty app suite. Utility-first beauty commerce, ahead of the category’s virtual try-on wave.