eliseherrmann88@gmail.com
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In 2019, my work for Sola Salon Studios involved a redesign of their app—a product for Sola professionals to access education, events, exclusive brand collaborations, and other vital tools designed to enable business development, promote autonomy and confidence.
I am proud of the work I did at that time, which was well received by users. It was a win. Looking back with a more seasoned eye — that of an Associate Creative Director, I would have a lot of notes for younger me. So, I took my own advice and reworked the app because after all great design is iterative.
Sola Pro is a platform for Sola salon professionals to propel their business forward by honing skills, accessing education, brand deals, registering for industry events and updating their website, among other things. When I started the project, the app had fundamental usability issues, and a dated and confusing UI, with poor adoption. Sola wanted to craft an experience that made the app’s function match its intent, and become an effortless place for salon professionals to manage their business and level-up.
Through early research and conversations with stakeholders, I learned that a primary pain point was the app’s existing structure and navigation. While there was valuable content, it was difficult to access and key functionality wasn’t intuitive, resulting in confusion and eventual abandonment. I added value for the client by prioritizing what users value most; growing their business. I leaned into a content-first approach, clearly presenting compelling educational content and industry leading events, making it easy to stay current and get inspired.
