Desiree BraidoConsumer Marketplace · Beauty Tech · Mobile-First · 2023–2024
Hairvine
A beauty marketplace that matches people with stylists based on hair type, aesthetic and personal needs.
- Role
- Co-Founder & CPO
- Platform
- Mobile-First (iOS)
- Category
- Consumer Marketplace
- Scope
- UX/UI · Brand · Pitch Assets
My role
Co-founded Hairvine and led product strategy for a beauty marketplace that matches clients with stylists. Built the experience around hair type, service needs and personal preferences, translating it into product flows, brand identity and a mobile prototype.
The Vision
Finding a stylist who truly understands your hair type, aesthetic, and needs is genuinely hard. The existing tools, like Google searches, Instagram scrolling and word of mouth, are inefficient and unreliable.
Hairvine set out to be the trusted recommendation from a knowledgeable friend: personalized, curated, and confidence-inspiring.
Design Approach
Mobile-first was non-negotiable. I designed the full UX flow, visual identity, and pitch assets, making the experience work beautifully at arm's length, on a small screen, in a moment of low patience.
The color system was built to represent the full diversity of hair types and skin tones: a deliberate product decision that signaled inclusion as a core brand value, not an afterthought.
The App
A social feed for inspiration, a personal hair record, stylist profiles with menus and portfolios, and booking in a few taps.
Brand & Pitch
I created the Hairvine identity and the investor deck that carried it.
What Happened
We grew the team to 8 people over almost two years. Then the team came apart and the founder who started the idea had to step away. With no developers and no funding left, we shut it down. Next time I'd start with a smaller team that includes someone who can build the product, rather than a bigger team with no one who can.