Living Proof
Building a research-backed ordering and pick up experience
Overview
Working with Living Proof at Blue Acorn, we undertook a full ecommerce redesign and replatforming project coinciding with an evolution of Living Proof’s brand identity. The work combined quantitative analytics, competitive analysis, customer research, collaborative UX workshops, wireframing, high-fidelity design, and the creation of a reusable UI library.
The central design challenge became balancing beauty, science, education, and commerce: creating an experience polished enough to reinforce Living Proof’s premium positioning while making its scientific differentiation understandable and helping customers confidently determine which products were right for them.
Results
Site launched on Salesforce Commerce Cloud, creating a more differentiated, educational and product-focused DTC experience
The Opportunity
The UX research uncovered two core customer needs: the site needed to create brand awareness and excitement as well as reassure customers that buying directly from Living Proof would offer enough additional value to justify their time and money.
That meant the website couldn’t behave like a conventional product catalog. It needed to become the place where Living Proof could tell the richest version of its story, explain the science behind its products, guide customers to the right regimen, and build confidence that the products could actually address their hair concerns.
The Solution
Living Proof was evolving its brand to feel more modern, expressive, and relevant to a younger demographic while retaining its clean, intelligent, science-led foundation. The redesign became an opportunity to translate that emerging identity into a cohesive digital commerce experience.
Research showed that customers were interested in Living Proof’s products but often weren’t sure which ones were appropriate for them:
“These products are interesting but I’m just not sure which one would work best for me…”
Customers needed clearer guidance on which products addressed their specific hair concerns and how products fit together within a routine. Strong engagement with search and the Hair Diagnostic Product Finder showed that problem-based discovery was a critical part of the shopping experience.
To prepare for the UX workshop, we combined several forms of discovery rather than relying on competitive comparison alone. The research program included:
Research uncovered that helping customers discover products, understand their value and feel confident enough to purchase should be our biggest focus areas.
Customers did not always know which Living Proof product line was best for them, so navigation needed to support browsing by hair concern, category and collection.
The redesign integrated one of Living Proof’s strongest competitive advantages - scientific credibility - into product details throughout the shopping experience.
Research favored product pages that appeared simple while still providing extensive detail when customers wanted it through progressive disclosure and structured sections for deeper content.
Living Proof’s site had to offer something retailers could not: deeper expertise, better product guidance, richer storytelling and stronger confidence in what to buy.
The visual styles in the UI Library I produced balance Living Proof’s scientific credibility with a more emotional, modern brand expression. I translated their previous identity direction of geometric structure, pastel color, diverse imagery, and generous whitespace into a cohesive ecommerce design system.
Structured layouts, editorial storytelling, product photography, and controlled use of color created a site that felt less like a retailer and more like an authoritative destination for solving hair concerns, supported by a reusable UI library for consistent implementation.
Rather than presenting a generic product catalog, the redesigned experience organized discovery around customers’ hair concerns and goals. The information architecture allowed shoppers to browse by category, concern, or collection, while simplified navigation centered around Shop supported by editorial content designed to provide guidance on compatible products and routines.
Research showed customers wanted clearer education around ingredients, product development, and the science behind how products worked, so the redesign integrated that content directly into the Product Detail page.
Product Detail pages combined core benefits with deeper layers of information, including ingredients and technology, usage guidance, supporting proof, regimen recommendations, related products, and richer imagery. This reflected competitive research showing that customers valued complete product information, as long as the most important selling points were prioritized and additional detail remained easy to access without overwhelming the page.
Designed while working at Blue Acorn
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