WayToBook — Beauty, Booked Smarter
About the Project
WayToBook is a beauty booking mobile application designed to connect customers with beauty service professionals — from hair stylists and makeup artists to lash techs and nail experts. The platform is built with a dual purpose: to offer customers a seamless, on-demand way to book beauty services, and to empower freelancers and salons to manage and grow their businesses effectively.
Product: WayToBook – A beauty appointment booking app
Role: Solo UI/UX Designer
Duration: 2 months
Tools Used: Figma, Maze, Notion, Google Forms, Zoom, Trello
Design Process: Empathize → Define → Ideate → Prototype → Test → Iterate
EMPATHIZE 🔍
Understanding Users
I conducted user research to understand both customer and business-side needs:
🎯 Target Users:
Service Seekers (Customers):
Mostly women (18–45), urban dwellers, busy schedules, interested in hair, makeup, nails, lashes, etc.Service Providers (Freelancers & Salons):
Beauty professionals often managing bookings manually over WhatsApp or Instagram DMs.
Methods:
8 user interviews (4 customers, 4 freelancers/salon owners)
Online survey (102 responses)
Competitor analysis of apps like Fresha, Booksy, and Glamsquad
Key Findings:
Customers value flexibility, ratings, portfolios, and home service options.
Most freelancers find Instagram good for discovery, but terrible for managing bookings.
73% of freelancers don’t use any app for managing bookings.
Appointment cancellations and rescheduling are major pain points on both sides.
Salons prefer to approve bookings manually or filter clients by payment method.
DEFINE ✍️
Problem Statements
Customer Side:
"Busy people want a fast, trustworthy way to book beauty services without calling, DMing, or traveling far."
Provider Side:
"Freelancers and salons need a way to attract clients, showcase their work, and manage bookings professionally without tech headaches."
Design Goals
✅ Make the booking process quick, intuitive, and searchable by location/service/time.
✅ Allow freelancers and salons to set availability, showcase portfolios, and manage bookings.
✅ Add cancellation/rescheduling, review system, and home appointment options.
✅ Ensure trust and transparency through ratings and portfolios.
✅ Seamlessly support cash/card payments and business-side approvals.
IDEATE 🧠
User Flows & IA
Using insights from the research, I mapped out the key user journeys:
Customer Flows
Search → Select Provider → Book Service → Pay → Rate & Review
View Appointment → Cancel/Reschedule
Provider Flows
Signup → List Services → Set Schedule → Accept/Reject Booking → Get Paid
Key Features Ideated:
📅 Real-time availability calendar
💼 Service portfolios for professionals
⭐ Rating & review system
🚪 Home service toggle
💳 Cash/Card payment support
🔁 Cancel/reschedule with instant confirmation
I sketched low-fidelity wireframes to test the layout and flow of these ideas.
PROTOTYPE ✏️
Wireframes to Hi-Fi
I designed both customer and provider interfaces in Figma, keeping the design clean, modern, and mobile-first.
🔹 Style Guide
Typography: Modern Sans (Poppins)
Color Scheme: Soft pinks and neutrals to convey trust & beauty
Icons: Minimal line icons
Tone: Warm, empowering, inclusive
TEST 🔁
Usability Testing
We conducted 2 rounds of remote usability testing with:
6 customers (mobile app)
4 freelancers (provider dashboard)
Key Metrics:
Success Rate: 95% completed their booking without help
Avg. Booking Time: 1 min 35 secs
Satisfaction Score (CSAT): 4.6/5
Feedback & Improvements:
ProblemSolutionToo many filters overwhelmed some usersGrouped filters into tabs (Category, Location, Price)Some customers didn’t realize rescheduling was possibleAdded reschedule button directly on appointment cardProviders wanted to block out time slots easilyAdded drag-to-block functionality on the calendarConfusion between salon vs freelancerAdded badge + toggle view
OUTCOME & IMPACT 📈
Within 2 months of launch:
🚀 User base: Over 8,000 downloads
💼 Freelancer adoption: 63% of onboarded professionals were independent freelancers
📊 User retention: 38% increase in repeat bookings in the first 30 days
💬 Customer feedback: 4.7/5 average app store rating
⏱️ Booking time reduced by 45% compared to Instagram-based workflows
⭐ izi.TRAVEL-style storytelling & portfolios increased booking confidence
One major highlight: A lash technician in London reported doubling her weekly client count after showcasing her work on the app.
WHAT I LEARNED 📚
Designing for two sides (B2C and B2B) needs deep empathy and balance.
Small quality-of-life features like reschedule buttons and clear ratings go a long way.
The success of the freelancer economy depends on intuitive, trustworthy tools.
Home service booking isn’t just a luxury — it’s a necessity for many.
NEXT STEPS 🛠️
We’re planning to:
Add in-app chat between clients and providers
Improve AI-based smart recommendations
Introduce loyalty and rewards programs
Expand to other wellness areas (massage, physiotherapy)
FINAL THOUGHTS 💭
Designing WayToBook was more than just creating a booking system — it was about empowering professionals, making beauty accessible, and bringing structure to an unstructured space. I’m proud to have contributed to a platform that blends elegance with utility, design with purpose, and most of all, people with opportunities.
The Challenge
The beauty industry is evolving rapidly, but the way people book appointments hasn’t quite caught up — especially when it comes to supporting freelancers. While high-end salons thrive on visibility and structured scheduling systems, independent beauty professionals often remain in the shadows, despite offering incredible service.
WayToBook aimed to fix that. The client wanted a user-friendly app to:
Help customers find, book, and manage beauty appointments easily.
Enable freelancers and salons to showcase their portfolios, manage bookings, accept payments, and grow.
The ultimate vision was to "Bring beauty to your fingertips" — for both service providers and seekers.
Design Thinking Process
To build something that truly works for real people, I followed a Design Thinking process: