LISA App - Startup

Summary

The Lisa App platform's mission is to connect consumers of personal services with providers in the beauty and wellness industry. Launched in the greater Chicago-land area, the platform initially focused on services like hair, skin, nails, and massage. During the first two operational quarters (Q1/Q2 2016), it facilitated nearly one thousand appointments between consumers and service providers. I led the founding partners and engineering team through product discovery, usability testing on various prototypes, and the final release of our web, iOS, and Android apps.

Core Tools

• Customer journey maps
• Wireframes (Sketch)
• Prototypes (Invisionapp.com)
• User story maps (Storiesonboard.com and Jira)
• Functional application flows (Omnigraffle and yEd diagrams)

Problems

The beauty and wellness industry, despite its massive market size, faces significant challenges, particularly in the consumer-service provider relationship. With an estimated annual revenue of $60+ billion on haircuts and massage alone, two major problems stand out that the LISA platform aims to solve.

Service Provider Income

Service providers, despite owning consumer loyalty, typically surrender 60% or more of their transaction revenue to salons or spas. This often results in providers working multiple jobs, exceeding full-time hours, yet earning an average annual income of approximately $23,000—barely above the poverty line.

Market Share

The top 50 players in the industry control only 15% of the annual revenue, indicating substantial inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement. Many established brands struggle to consolidate market power and achieve economies of scale in the digital/mobile age. For consumers, the vast array of choices initially seems beneficial, but the high business and brand turnover makes it difficult to build trust and maintain long-term relationships with developing brands.

Solutions

The LISA App platform addresses these issues by creating an open marketplace that connects consumers with providers directly.

Service Provider Interface

Service providers can easily build a profile using the native mobile app, including their service menu, prices, schedule, studio location(s), photo/portfolio gallery, and reviews/ratings from previous clients. Pricing and scheduling are key differentiators. Unlike other services in the beauty and wellness space, LISA does not dictate prices or work hours. This approach offers two main benefits: it fosters a competitive environment where the best providers excel, and it ensures that providers remain independent contractors, not employees, maintaining the necessary legal and financial distinctions.

Consumer Interface

For consumers, the LISA App functions as an intuitive search engine for personal services. Consumers can select the type of service they want (Hair, Skin, Massage, or Nails), the preferred date and time, and whether they want the service at a salon or at a different location (home, office, hotel, etc.). Once a provider is selected, scheduling, appointment tracking, and payment are all handled within the app, facilitating seamless interaction between provider and consumer throughout the appointment lifecycle.