Common Clouds:
Find your skincare routine
Common Clouds is a swedish skincare brand that wanted to explore whether there was interest in a skincare quiz on their website a feature that would let users get personalized product recommendations based on their skin type and needs. Before design and development began, the team needed answers to three core questions:
I was responsible for the full process from research to design: developing the interview guide, recruiting and interviewing eight people from the target audience, analyzing and synthesizing the findings into concrete recommendations and then translating those insights into the design of the quiz.
I conducted eight in-depth interviews to understand the target audience's perception of the brand, their general attitude toward skincare quizzes, and which features and trust factors mattered most to them. Questions were grouped into three themes: brand perception, interest in the quiz concept, and desired features/trust.
Amelie
“I want to be able to choose my skin type and show where my skin is dry or oily, for example by clicking directly on different parts of the face. I'd also like to choose how many steps I want in my routine and what I want to achieve, with a progress bar showing how far I've come.”
Emilia
“I like it when the test is fairly long, because the more questions you answer, the more it feels like the result is actually accurate.”
Elsa
“I want the test to be quick, but still include many questions that are easy to answer, and preferably show how long it will take.”
1. Mixed brand perception a trust gap to address
Common Clouds was strongly linked to pimple patches (6/8), with perception split between “young and natural” and “commercial, not authentic.” Only 1/8 called it straightforwardly trustworthy.
→ Insight: A quiz can build trust, but only if it feels advisory, not sales-driven.
2. Unanimous interest
8/8 said they'd use a skincare quiz, mainly for guidance on skin type and help navigating the “skincare jungle.”
→ Insight: Demand wasn't the question, design was.
3. Five trust factors
Personal & relevant, clear & transparent, user-friendly, credible, and flexible: the recurring requirements for the quiz to feel trustworthy.
4. What they wanted, in their own words
Control over the process: an interactive face map, choice of routine length and goals, a progress bar, and a clear stance on test length. See the quotes above.
After the research, I translated the key insights into a clickable quiz prototype. The main goal was to make the experience feel simple, personal and trustworthy, rather than like a typical product quiz.
Keep it simple
The quiz starts by showing how many steps it takes and how long it will take, so users know what to expect.
Give users control
They can choose how detailed their routine should be, or simply select “I don’t know.”
Make it feel personal
Questions about skin type, age and previous skin concerns help make the recommendations feel relevant to each person.
Make the process easy to follow
A simple progress indicator shows users where they are throughout the quiz.
Build trust through education
Instead of immediately showing products, users first get some context about their skin and which ingredients could be beneficial.
Recommend, don’t sell
The final result focuses on a simple 3-step routine that feels tailored to the user, rather than pushing a long list of products.
Continue the relationship
Users can choose to receive their results by email, creating value for them while also giving the brand an opportunity to stay connected.
The insights translated into a clear case for prioritizing the feature, with value on two levels:
- For the user: the right products for their skin type, a clear routine and guidance, increased skincare knowledge, a sense of trust and personalization, and discovery of new products.
- For the brand: increased trust and credibility, first-party data collection, higher engagement and loyalty, positioning as a skincare expert rather than just a product seller, and increased organic reach through social sharing.
The research gave the design team an evidence-based foundation to work from instead of assumptions with clear, prioritized design requirements (personalization, transparency, simplicity, trust signals) directly tied to users' own words. The unanimous interest (8/8) also provided a strong case for justifying the investment internally.
A recurring tension emerged between perceived credibility and simplicity, some users associated more questions with higher credibility, while others wanted as few steps as possible. This became a central design challenge to carry forward: how to create a quiz that feels thorough without feeling long or burdensome.