Many individuals struggle to identify skin conditions due to a lack of accessible, representative information. For people of color in particular, dermatology textbooks and online resources frequently fail to show how common conditions present on darker skin tones.

This lack of representation creates three core challenges:

• Knowledge gaps that make self-identification difficult
• Scarcity of trusted resources tailored to diverse skin tones
• Hesitation to seek care due to difficulty finding relatable providers

As a result, users often turn to generalized search results that can lead to misinformation, unnecessary anxiety, or delayed care.

We centered our work around Maya, a 35-year-old product manager living in Chicago with a dry skin type and an ongoing, unexplained skin condition.

Maya is proactive and digitally savvy, often turning to online resources to understand changes in her skin. However, much of the information she finds feels overwhelming or disconnected from her own experience. The lack of representative imagery makes it difficult for her to confidently identify what she may be experiencing or decide whether to seek professional care.

Skinclusive serves as a consolidated resource that helps users explore skin conditions through inclusive visuals and structured filtering.

Key features include:

Symptom-based filtering to guide users through a more intentional discovery process

Representative imagery showing how conditions appear across different skin tones

Connections to trusted dermatologists, supporting informed next steps beyond self-education

Rather than replacing medical care, the platform focuses on empowering users with knowledge and clarity.

If expanded further, Skinclusive could grow its image database, strengthen partnerships with dermatologists, and introduce premium features such as personalized recommendations or follow-up resources.

This project was especially meaningful to me as it was the first product design project I completed. Coming from a pre-health background, I had always been interested in healthcare, but Skinclusive showed me a new way to engage with it. Designing for accessibility and representation helped me see how product design could shape not just individual experiences, but the systems people rely on for care and information. This project changed how I thought about my role as a designer and ultimately guided the direction of my college journey. I learned immensely from this experience, and it remains one I hold close.