← Project archiveProduct Strategy · Product Marketing · Customer Experience
SOFTwear by ULLA
Bringing beauty, technology and customer care into one ownership experience
ULLA Hair®
Context / Challenge
SOFTwear by ULLA is a digital product I created to extend the ULLA experience beyond the point of purchase and make hair ownership more connected through technology.
Hair products are usually sold as one off purchases. Once the customer receives the product, care information, tutorials, product details and support often sit across different places or are left for the customer to find themselves.
I wanted to explore how technology could make the experience of owning textured hair products more useful after checkout, rather than treating the transaction as the end of the customer journey.
Insight
Technology has always been part of how I think about ULLA. With a background in Information Technology for Business, I wanted to explore where digital tools could add genuine value to an industry that still relies heavily on traditional product and retail experiences.
SOFTwear became the first project focused specifically on connecting ULLA products with a digital ownership experience.
Strategy
The project involves developing a web based experience linked to individual ULLA orders through a QR code and product identifier.
The planned experience includes personalised product information, an ownership record, care guidance, tutorials and easier access to relevant support and reordering.
The initial version is being kept intentionally focused so it can be tested before additional features are introduced.
Idea
Execution
I created the SOFTwear concept and have led the project across feature planning, user journeys, interface direction and development.
I have also been learning and using new tools including Codex, GitHub, Vercel and Supabase to move the idea from concept towards a working product.
I began by identifying what information would actually be useful after a customer receives their ULLA unit rather than building features for the sake of having an app.
The first version focuses on the core ownership journey, with additional features planned only after the initial experience has been tested.
I developed the interface iteratively using visual references, reviewing the experience as it was built and refining the structure and features throughout development.
- Defining the product concept and purpose
- Mapping the customer ownership journey
- Prioritising features for the first release
- Designing the interface and user experience
- Developing the web product using Codex
- Managing the project through GitHub
- Setting up the supporting infrastructure through Vercel and Supabase
- Planning QR code and product identifier integration
- Exploring future Shopify integration
- Testing and refining the experience
- SOFTwear product concept
- Feature roadmap
- User journey and interface
- Working web product in development
- Product identification and QR journey
- Digital care and ownership experience
- Technical foundation for future features
Impact
SOFTwear has moved from an initial idea into an active digital product project with a working interface and defined first release.
The project is still in development, so customer adoption and usage outcomes will be measured after launch.
Building SOFTwear has required me to separate what would be interesting to build from what would actually be useful to the customer.
It has also pushed me to learn unfamiliar technical tools and work iteratively, making decisions as the product develops rather than trying to define every detail before building.