Ascent
Project overview
Duration
10 weeks (Part-time)
Team
Solo Project
focus
Mobile iOS + Brand Identity + Marketing Website
Role
UX Designer - Research, Ideation, Design, Prototyping, Testing
My Design Toolbox
Motivation
Ascent was inspired by my older brother, who often asks for help choosing grooming products. I noticed that many men rely on female friends or partners for advice, as most online content is geared toward women. It became clear that men still face real challenges when it comes to finding, choosing, and sticking to the right grooming routine for their needs.
Design Approach
I followed the design thinking approach to truly understand user needs and create personalised solutions. This user-centred process helped me uncover real pain points and design an experience that feels tailored, simple, and empowering.
research
To achieve this, I needed to deeply understand the challenges men face with grooming. - so I conducted Secondary Research (Web Search and Competitor Analysis) and Primary Research (User Interviews).
Secondary research
Competitor analysis
While exploring the grooming market, I noticed a pattern among brands like Papatui, Lookfantastic, and Bulldog. Their focus was clear — selling products. But what was missing was just as important: guidance. Few offered men the support they needed on how and when to use these products. Many brands also leaned heavily toward female audiences, leaving a clear gap — and an opportunity.
Primary research
Participants
Five male participants — Gen Z and Millennial users at different stages of their grooming journey.
Age Range
18–35 years old
Methodology
1:1 Interviews to explore motivations, behaviours and Key Pain Points.
Selected Theme
- Product Selection
Helping men confidently research and trust products to easily start and maintain a consistent routine.
How Might we
What Makes Ascent Different?
A platform that not only recommends products for men but also educates and supports them in building a personalised grooming routine with confidence.
Meet Alex
To bring these challenges to life, I created a persona that represents the struggles and motivations of men navigating grooming product decisions.
Task Selection
I focused on two primary task flows for the user, based on Alex’s persona:
Creating a Personalised Routine
Helping Alex easily build a grooming routine tailored to his lifestyle and needs.
After two rounds of user testing, I developed three versions of the prototype (V1–V3). Each iteration refined the user flow based on feedback, with Version 3 becoming the final design before applying colours and branding. The focus remained on creating a simple, intuitive experience aligned with Alex’s needs and habits.
Prototype Walkthrough
This high-fidelity prototype follows the final design direction, using brand guidelines and the UI library for consistency. Click below to view it in action.
UI LIBRARY
I extracted visual and brand inspiration from this moodboard, focusing on creating an experience that feels refined, smart, modern, empowering, and neat. Aligning with Ascent’s core brand values.
To work seamlessly across different backgrounds and brand touchpoints, the Ascent wordmark was designed in multiple colour variations.
I explored combinations that ensure strong contrast, readability, and visual harmony with the brand’s overall identity.
Ascent symbolises growth and upward movement reflecting the app’s goal to help men elevate their grooming routines with confidence.
When it comes to accessibility, I focused on maintaining strong text-to-background contrast, achieving "Very Good" to "Super" ratings to ensure readability and an inclusive experience.
Colour Pallete
When deep navy speaks, confidence listens. It’s bold and refined.
More UI Essentials
Typography, Grid, Readlines & Icons
Marketing Website
A responsive digital experience that brings the brand to life on any screen. Built with both desktop and mobile users in mind, the website adapts seamlessly across devices to ensure a consistent and intuitive journey.
Presenting Ascent live gave me the chance to share the vision behind the app—helping men build confident grooming routines with less guesswork.
I showcased the core features, explained the design thinking behind key decisions, and gathered real-time reactions from the audience.
What I Learned:
Immediate feedback helped validate design choices.
Users loved the product-swap flexibility and routine guidance.
Clear visuals and confident messaging made a strong impression.
