Understanding the challenge
Inventory management was a consistent pain point for salon and beauty businesses. Stock data was often outdated, manual processes were slow and easy to forget during a busy day, and existing tools didn't fit how staff actually worked. A stock survey confirmed this wasn't minor: 60%+ of businesses rated stock management a top priority, yet most rated their current experience only "OK" – the most common blocker being no proper process and no time to build one.
My role
I was the lead designer on the product, supported by a small agile team – an iOS developer, a tester, and a Product Owner – partnering closely with them over 12 months from research through to shipped product.
Desk and competitor research shaped the direction early – a stock survey confirmed 74% already tracked stock levels in some form, so the job wasn't teaching stock management from scratch, it was removing friction from what people already tried to do. We tested with 7 real businesses across the UK, Australia, and NZ, which surfaced a clear pain point in the existing web experience: stock level adjustment took too many clicks and didn't show all the data at once. A key principle throughout: every decision came back to "can this be done in seconds, without thinking?"
The first release focused on the core loop — barcode lookup, real-time stock updates, low-stock visibility – deliberately without every feature fully built out. Shopify product sync and a scanner torch for low-light use shipped in a follow-up release once real usage showed they mattered, rather than delaying the first release to include everything.
A mobile-first stock management app built around speed, accuracy, and ease of use:
– Barcode-first product lookup
– Real-time stock updates
– Bulk stock-level adjustment, addressing the exact multi-click friction user testing identified
– Ecosystem-aware syncing with Timely's booking and client platform.
Customers reported that stock management tasks which used to take half a day now get done in under an hour – a reduction of more than 50% in time spent, closer to 75–80% by the numbers. The app reached over 4,000 downloads, with Australia and the UK as the main markets.
Key Takeaways
Design for real behaviour, not ideal workflows — understanding the messy reality of salon environments was critical to success
Speed is a feature — when users are time-poor, reducing effort matters more than adding capability
Ship the core loop first, then let real usage tell you what to build next
The first release focused on the core loop — barcode lookup, real-time stock updates, low-stock visibility – deliberately without every feature fully built out. Shopify product sync and a scanner torch for low-light use shipped in a follow-up release once real usage showed they mattered, rather than delaying the first release to include everything.
A mobile-first stock management app built around speed, accuracy, and ease of use:
– Barcode-first product lookup
– Real-time stock updates
– Bulk stock-level adjustment, addressing the exact multi-click friction user testing identified
– Ecosystem-aware syncing with Timely's booking and client platform.
Customers reported that stock management tasks which used to take half a day now get done in under an hour – a reduction of more than 50% in time spent, closer to 75–80% by the numbers. The app reached over 4,000 downloads, with Australia and the UK as the main markets.
Key Takeaways
Design for real behaviour, not ideal workflows — understanding the messy reality of salon environments was critical to success
Speed is a feature — when users are time-poor, reducing effort matters more than adding capability
Ship the core loop first, then let real usage tell you what to build next
