CLIENT PROJECT

Glow With Cass

Turning Social Proof Into Conversion for a Local Service Business

UX Research Accessibility Information Architecture

OVERVIEW

Glow With Cass is a full-time spray tanning business transitioning from social-media-based bookings to a structured online presence. This project focused on designing and developing a responsive website that builds credibility, reduces booking anxiety, and guides clients confidently from discovery to appointment. By combining user research, competitor analysis, and thoughtful information architecture, the final design supports both first-time event clients and returning customers, while positioning the brand as inclusive, professional, and results-driven.

ROLE

UX Researcher, UX/UI Designer, CMS Developer

TIMELINE

10-12 weeks (part-time, ~10 hrs / week

SOLUTION

Designing with reassurance:

To meet the needs of our users, I structured the experience around reducing uncertainty and guiding clients step-by-step from discovery to booking, answering their questions before they needed to ask them.

PROBLEM

Without addressing user concerns directly, conversion risk was high

Cass had:

  • No website

  • No centralized booking flow

  • No structured way to communicate prep/aftercare

Users had:

  • Anxiety about looking orange or streaky

  • Anxiety about what to expect during their appointment

  • Booking friction concerns

AUDIENCE

Event Tan Clients

Illustration of a cheerful bride with dark curly hair wearing a white wedding dress, a pearl necklace, and earrings, holding a bouquet of pink and white flowers while looking at her phone

Key Needs

Users want to see real before-and-after photos in natural lighting

Empty placeholder icon with a mountain and sun illustration

Users need clear prep and aftercare instructions

Icon of a clipboard with checklist

Users prefer simple, mobile-first booking without calling

Icon of a smartphone within a dark green circle
A young woman with red hair in a ponytail, wearing workout clothes, holding a smartphone and a purple water bottle, smiling.

Returning Clients

Key Needs

Users want fast access to booking

White lightning bolt symbol on a dark green circular background.

Users expect transparent pricing with no surprises

Green circle with white dollar sign in the center.

Users want reliable results

Green circle with a white checkmark

RESEARCH & VALIDATION

Understanding the real pain points

I conducted:

Competitive mobile and desktop audit

Icon of a laptop on a dark green circular background

Industry best-practice review

A medal with a star in the center on a dark green background.

In-depth user interviews

Green circular icon with a white speech bubble inside.

Assumption mapping

Light bulb icon on a dark green circular background

Instagram poll and survey with clients current audience

Icon of a calendar or schedule on a dark green background

User interview insights

Through interviews and survey responses, I learned that fear of looking orange was the most common anxiety. Clients also expressed confusion around prep and aftercare, and strongly preferred booking through a website calendar rather than calling or DMing.

Several participants said they would pay more for quality results, as long as they felt confident in the artist.

Competitor analysis takeaways & assumptions

Competitor websites that performed well included:

  • Strong before-and-after galleries

  • Transparent pricing

  • Trust-building elements above the fold

  • Clear explanations of airbrush vs. booth tanning

Validation & key findings through user interviews & survey

Pie chart showing responses to the question 'How often do you get spray tans?' with categories: first time, special occasions, every few months, 2-3 per month, once a month, with most respondents choosing 'only for special occasions'.

FINDING

68.2% of audience were wanting an event tan

EVIDENCE

Survey notes & interviews

UX IMPLICATION

Dedicate a page to event tans

Pie chart showing responses to the question about hesitations with getting a spray tan, with categories for looking orange, streaky results, prep or aftercare confusion, price, duration, and skincare rubbing.

FINDING

Fear of looking orange & price concerns are the top anxieties

EVIDENCE

Survey votes & interviews

UX IMPLICATION

Lead with real, natural-light before/after photos, offer transparent pricing upfront

Bar chart showing survey results for devices used to book or find services. All 22 respondents use mobile phones, with no responses for desktop/laptop or iPad/tablet.

FINDING

Users prefer a mobile browsing experience

EVIDENCE

Survey notes & interviews

UX IMPLICATION

Lead with mobile design, offer calendar-based scheduler

A chart illustrating decision drivers for booking, highlighting the importance of social proof such as reviews and testimonials, with points on location and scheduling speed, and overall booking process friendliness.

FINDING

Reviews, photos & credibility statements build trust, and are a requirement to book

EVIDENCE

Interviews emphasized photos, certifications, FAQs

UX IMPLICATION

Add variations of trust sections with proof & explanations on every page

Screenshot of a survey or questionnaire discussing expectations and advice for a first appointment, with color-coded sections highlighting different topics.

FINDING

Prep, expectations & aftercare cause the most stress

EVIDENCE

Survey votes & interviews

UX IMPLICATION

Create clear, step-by-step prep guidance, timeline instructions and FAQ sections

DESIGN PROCESS

Information architecture & user journeys

To guide the design process, I mapped user behaviors, emotions, motivations, and pain points before finalizing the information architecture and user journey. Research showed that most clients discover Cass through Instagram, browse on mobile, and look for social proof before booking. Their biggest hesitations were fear of looking orange, unclear pricing, and confusion around prep and aftercare.

A chart with a purple header labeled 'Behaviors' and three pink sticky notes underneath, each with different text about audience preferences and booking habits.
A diagram about emotions related to tanning, highlighting aspects such as importance of tan quality, transparent pricing, customer information preferences, and desire for product longevity.
A presentation slide titled 'Motivations' with two yellow sticky notes. The first sticky note states, 'Primary Audience are Event Tans.' The second sticky note states, '60% of survey responders found her through social media.
A graphic titled 'Pain points' with two blue boxes. The first box says 'Biggest hesitation is looking orange and the price of the tan.' The second box says 'Confusing aftercare/prep is a hesitation for some.'
Flowchart titled 'Booking an event tan User Journey' outlining steps for event booking, starting with seeing a post on social media, landing on a homepage, and checking trust, reviews, and pricing details before finalizing reviews and guide.

With event-based clients as the primary audience, I structured the site to build trust immediately through testimonials and natural-light before-and-after photos, make pricing transparent, and provide clear step-by-step guidance before asking users to book. The user journey was designed around a realistic decision flow, discovery, proof, pricing clarity, prep expectations, then booking, reducing exit points by addressing concerns at each stage.

Sketches, wireframes & surface compositions

After defining the information architecture and mapping the user journey, I translated those insights into low-fidelity sketches to explore layout hierarchy and content placement. The initial homepage sketches prioritized immediate trust signals, including testimonials, natural lighting imagery, and clear booking access above the fold .

Sketch of a mobile app interface with a header labeled 'GWC', a placeholder menu icon, and a shopping cart icon. The main area contains handwritten text 'LOREM IPSUM' with wavy lines below, and two oval shapes at the bottom. The lower section shows a section titled 'MEET YOUR ARTIST' with the handwritten name 'Cass, your glow bestie' and three placeholder boxes for images or content.
Sketch of a webpage titled 'GWC' featuring a menu icon, shopping cart icon, and section labeled 'WHY CHOOSE Glow With Cass' with five placeholder images, four labeled 'ICON', and a 'Ctrl' button at the bottom left.
A screenshot of a hand-drawn webpage or app interface titled 'GWC' with menu and settings icons at the top. The content shows a section labeled 'Services' with handwritten text 'Lorem Ipsum' and some doodles. Another section below it discusses a customizable airbrush spray tanning service, with a star icon and the phrase 'As you wish.' There are additional handwritten instructions and drawings, including a light icon and the phrase 'Explore CUSTOM TANS!'

From there, I developed structured wireframes to test section order, pricing clarity, and how users would navigate between services, gallery, and booking without friction.

Website homepage for Glow With Cass, featuring a navigation menu, shopping cart icon, headline 'Your Glow Era Starts Here.', and sections about artist Cass, The Founder, with placeholder images and a brief biography.
Mobile website homepage for Glow With Cass, featuring sections on the glow guarantee, custom color, sweat proof, comfort first, and clean glow, with a call-to-action button labeled 'Book Your Glow'. The layout is minimalist with black text and light background elements.
A website layout for Glow With Cass, showcasing a gallery section with three placeholder images labeled 'IMG' and a button to explore the glow gallery. Below, a products section features a heading 'Shop The Glow Essentials' with two product offerings, each with a placeholder image, product name, and benefits list.
Mobile webpage for Glow With Cass promoting customizable spray tans, featuring categories for everyday glow and elevated event glow, with text descriptions and placeholder for images, and a button to explore tans.
Screenshot of a website named 'Glow With Cass' featuring a customer review for a tan product called Cass. The review is by Karen Godfrey, praising the product and service. The website menu includes links for bridal and event tans, airbrush spray tanning, about us, gallery, book your glow, shop, and contact. The footer shows social media handle @glow.with.cass, copyright info, privacy policy, and terms & conditions.

Surface compositions focused on maintaining visual warmth while keeping layouts clean and mobile-first. Each iteration refined CTA placement, simplified navigation, and ensured that reassurance elements were positioned before asking users to commit to booking.

A woman with long dark hair sitting on a black chair, smiling and tossing her hair back, against a soft pink background.
A woman with long dark hair, smiling while holding a spray tan device, seated against a pink background, promoting spray tanning services.
A woman sitting on the floor against a pink background, smiling with her eyes closed, wearing a white sleeveless bodysuit, with her arms raised above her head.
Website page for Glow With Cass featuring images of women and promoting various tan services, including 'Busy Girl Glow Tans' and 'Event Tans', with a clean, white background, and text descriptions.

OUTCOME

What is being delivered & its expected impact

Delivered

7-page responsive website

Integrated booking platform

5 product e-commerce setup

SEO-ready structure

Google Maps integration

CMS training for client independence

Impact

PROJECTED

Reduced booking friction

Users informed of prep instructions

Trust forward positioning

Scalable structure for SEO growth

REFLECTION

Learning & growth

  • Leading with social proof and before-and-after imagery significantly strengthened perceived credibility early in the user journey.

  • Structuring the site around real anxieties (prep clarity, pricing transparency, fear of looking orange) reduced friction and aligned the design with user decision-making patterns.

WHAT WORKED
WHAT I LEARNED

  • In service-based businesses, emotional reassurance is often more important than feature depth or visual complexity.

  • Designing from validated user concerns rather than assumptions, leads to clearer priorities and stronger outcomes.

WHAT I'D TEST NEXT

  • Test the placement of prep and aftercare content, before booking vs. post-booking to measure impact on conversion.

  • Experiment with different CTA variations (“Book Now” vs. “Check Availability”) to evaluate which language reduces hesitation.