PG smart razor

Project Background

Company Overview

Gillette manufactures shaving tools and accessories for all genders. My team was responsible for assisting Gillette with their digital products, primarily focusing on IoT products.

Business Problem

Gillette struggles to engage men who view shaving as a chore, limiting brand loyalty and premium adoption. The challenge was to design an IoT device that transforms shaving into a better experience, improving quality while deepening customer satisfaction

Research

Exploring User Segments

With the concept defined, we researched men’s shaving habits through a survey covering tools, satisfaction, and interest in IoT products. From this, we developed three personas

Autopilot

Facial grooming is a chore, I just want it done as quickly, easily, and painlessly as possible.

38%

< 35: 33%

35 - 55: 41%

Engineer

Facial grooming is important for how I look and express myself to others. My primary focus is on shaving and/or trimming to get the look I want.

32%

< 35: 25%

35 - 55: 44%

Tailor

Facial grooming is important for how I look and express myself to others. I use a variety of products to help me take care of my skin, make shaving less painful and inconvenient, and achieve my desired look.

30%

< 35: 48%

35 - 55: 50%

IoT Product Landscape

Before developing the Smart Razor, we reviewed other connected devices like iO OralB Toothbrush, Fitbit, Roomba, and Hum Toothbrush. Covid and cost posed challenges, so we quickly made prototypes for device and app experiences. We conducted moderated testing with seven users every few weeks to gather qualitative and quantitative metrics, including SUS, CSAT, NPS, and perceptions of smartness, premium quality, and overall benefit.

Cross-Device Experience

After researching other devices and understanding men's preferences, I started crafting the Smart Razor's user journey. Collaborating with firmware, digital teams, Gillette's research department, and industrial designers, I created a prototype.

Concept Testing

As we added new ideas to the prototype, I led weekly user tests to gather feedback on usability and concepts. I collaborated with the digital team to refine app and razor screens and with industrial designers to enhance razor functionality. Each new feature was tested internally, and once onboarding and shaving flows were validated, we expanded testing to employees outside the team to establish benchmarks and gather additional feedback.

Diary Study Insights

After researching existing devices and understanding men’s shaving preferences, I mapped the Smart Razor’s user journey and collaborated with firmware, digital, and industrial design teams, as well as Gillette’s research department, to create a prototype. Participants used the prototype razor and app over time, provided feedback in virtual interviews, and we collected both shave ratings from participants and objective metrics from the razor.

Key Outcomes:
‍Overall experience rated highly: premium, delightful, beneficial, and smart
“The data on the app is very interesting. Trying to beat my pressure score from the previous shave was fun.”
Shave performance: no negative feedback
“The guidance truly made me have a more comfortable shave without using a different cartridge.”
‍Shaving guidance and other core features were appreciated
“Liked it showing me how many shaves on the cartridge”
Razor metrics aligned with user-reported experiences

Project Results

Imapct

The work produced tools and insights that directly influenced the team’s design decisions and planning.

Cross-functional map: Guided feature prioritization across design, engineering, and product teams.
Diary study insights: Shaped interactions and experiences for the prototype app and razor.

Outcomes

Even though the product hasn’t launched, the work validated key interactions and provided evidence of user value.

Validated key features like shaving guidance and personalized tips.
Users rated the prototype experience highly: premium, delightful, and beneficial.
Objective metrics from the prototype aligned with user feedback.
Laid a foundation for future IoT grooming innovations.

Learnings

Even though the product hasn’t launched, the work validated key interactions and provided evidence of user value.

Testing users who shave outside the shower could reveal additional context for the full end-to-end experience.
Understanding how to make IoT features feel valuable, not gimmicky, and support user confidence.

Other Work

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