SKAI – Chat and Scan to Trust

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WHAT? 

Tell us what the concept is about. What are you designing? What are the key benefits?

We have created a service including an App and a smart scanner to assist our target users having informative chatting with AI to obtain skincare product recommendation where data are captured, filtered and analyzed in advanced. Also, the use of skin scanner collects personal skin data to build tailored advice for customization.

We design to help young generation to choose correct skincare products based on being provided reliable information from experts, tailored advice. They can achieve virtual face simulation by scanning to see how a skincare product will affect their skin, and then track their skin condition as an addition.

Our target users can benefit from this service to achieve reliably filtered information from dermatologists and experts. Information is given through chatting with AI which can stands at a neutral perspective. They can also obtain tailored advice by using scanner and simulate how a skincare product will affect their skin. Everyday scanning benefits users to record their skin condition and report data back to AI, being analyzed for further more precise tailor suggestion. Lastly, public comments are provided to users so that they can understand how people react to a specific skincare product in reality.

For the company who operate this service, they can achieve personal data so that they are able to provide more precise recommendation. This helps to attract more people using this service, thereby the company can achieve reputation. Also, this service has two groups of users. One is general users who pay a little while the other one is VIP users who pay slightly more for scanning service. By providing far more reliable information and suggestion about skincare products compared to competitors, the company will have more and more consumers so that the company can make big financial profit.

For the skincare industry, there is a little or even no systematic service to introduce products for people who really care about skincare and offer recommendation based on data analysis. By using this service, the industry can integrate all skincare products information and force big company or manufacture to progress further, producing better product for people. Further, this service can be envisioned to make-up industry and dietary supplement industry where potential huge business opportunities can be excavated.

WHY? 

Tell us some of the key findings of your background research and what is the problem you are trying to address.

As we are living in era of information, digital datives as our target user are making decision based on the information they obtain from phone, computer, friends, family and the public. From, desk research, we found that they really love to usingdigital device to consume time, learn and socialize. Approximately, 50% people uses online sources where 60 digital natives consume online information every day. Further, digital natives spend nearly 10 hours online, 2 hours on YouTube and 85% of them learn new products or things from social media, 5 hours per day. Social media create pressure to influence digital natives’ perceptions, behaviors and decision making. Another point is that digital natives really care about their appearance and skincare, not only because they are at the age of intending to be pretty, but also the society has pressured them to be judged according to appearance. About 47% of young people in the UK has experience in being stressed by body images and appearance.

We aim to address the problem that digital natives do not know who and what to trust due to too much information online. Digital natives have difficulties in choosing a suitable skincare product. Once a user used a product which not really fit her, she will be affected her skin condition and waste her budget.

WHO? 

Tell us something about your users and key stakeholders involved.

Our key users are digital natives who age from 18 to 30 years. They are eager to know skincare information and relevant products. They also want to improve skin condition. They use digital device all the time.

Our stakeholders include:

• Experts, dermatologists and academics who provide authorized neutral information about skincare as well as relevant products.
• IT company who provides technology about big data, block chain, AI and recommendation algorithm.
• SKAI company who provide service and scanner.
• Deliver company who deliver scanner to users.
• Other users who provide reviews.

WHEN? 

Give us an idea of the future scenario where your project will be working. 

In 2023, medical skin scanner will become cheaper and practical with highest portability. Even common people have accessibility to this device. Also, at that time, AI has grown well that it has capability to simulate how human skin is affected by skincare products. All data about human faces can be rebuilt on smart phone, creating personal virtual faces.

Customization becomes no longer luxurious service, but a prevalent and highly accessible one. In addition, people in 2023 have enough surplus money to spend on personal skincare and appearance.

WHERE? 

Tell us if you have thought of a specific location where to prototype.

We proposed that this service has to be prototyped in the UK as we make all research in the context of UK. Typically, we can make porotypes at RCA, Imperial College and UCL, testing them at these universities and workplaces where most of our target users live.

HOW? 

Give us an idea of your strategy, your process, your prototyping plan and the next steps.

The strategy for prototyping is iteration. We planned to continuously prototype App design and scanner in service system and test them to our target user groups. The test will be held in the form of workshop or scenario role play. After collecting all data and feedback from users, we will improve our prototypes and then test them again. We planned to improve prototype, test it, obtain feedback and analysed result once a week until we find the best final version. The final prototype should be evaluated based on the criteria of ease of use, ease of understanding, whether it is honest, whether it is thorough down to last detail. Every time we test, these aspects should be considered and marked to understand how and where we have processed to at the prototyping stage.

After prototype, research about relevant technology should be consider. We need to figure out exactly how algorithm is produced, how to simulate virtual face, which part of AI technology should be applied, how to scan faces and how we transfer data from scanner to smart phone.