The business problem
The solution
The impact
01 · Problem & scope
Walk into most neighbourhood salons and there’s a CR book at the counter. Staff write the name, the service and the price. At the end of the day the owner adds it all up, reads everyone’s handwriting and balances the drawer.
Today
Staff and owner do the work
Proposed
The app does the work
02 · The solution
03 · Decisions
01
Staff type a mobile number. If it’s a returning customer, their profile and history pop up. If it’s someone new, a profile is made with the visit, so the customer list keeps growing with no extra work.
The tricky case: some customers don’t have their own number, like a baby or a child getting a haircut.
How we handled it: we use the parent’s mobile number. The only field you must fill in is the service, so a visit never gets stuck.
02
The owner can add services and set a base price without calling anyone, and can change these details at any time.
The tricky case: what if the owner changes a price in the middle of the day? Old visits shouldn’t suddenly show a different amount.
How we handled it: a new price only applies to future visits. Past visits keep the price the customer actually paid, so the day’s income stays correct.
03
Booking a customer is the same as adding a normal visit. You just pick a date and a stylist. Staff already know the pattern, so there’s nothing new to learn.
The tricky case: a visit can be saved with just the service filled in, but a booking is for later. Without a name or number, staff won’t know who the booking is for or how to reach them.
How we handled it: for bookings, the customer’s name and mobile number are required. It’s one small change from the visit form, and it means every booking can be traced back to a real person.
04 · System & craft
The main components come from the Google design system, including cards and other common elements. I also designed the colour palette and typography.
Tab features should stay visible, because main actions can’t be hidden under filters.
The main action sits low on the screen, where the thumb reaches easily.
Screens stay simple so they load on slow mobile data inside the salon.
Prices use rupees and digits that line up, so totals are easy to check.
05 · Outcomes
No maths
at closing. Today’s income is a live total of saved visits.
2 steps
to log a visit: number, service, discount, save.
Owner-only
prices and settings. Staff can’t change what they charge.
1 client
using LevelUp. The first salon has replaced its paper CR book.
06 · What I’d change
Language
Salon owners were comfortable with an English interface, but daily staff needed Sinhala to work quickly without friction.
Design to Dev
Bridging design to production code on my own meant steep technical hurdles, and a full developer and QA audit before launch.
Reporting
The analytics view is too complex for everyday owners, who needed monthly phone calls or salon visits to be walked through their numbers.
Madura Witanage (Salon Madura)
“My staff no longer wait for me to return just to close the books and split daily shares. We save every client contact, track friend discounts, and if today’s revenue shows red against yesterday’s, the team stays late to beat it.”
Translated and summarised from verbal feedback given in Sinhala during an on-site salon visit.