Designers
Jasmin Hurling, Laura Viktorija Gitt
Year
2026
Category
New Talent
Country
Germany
School
Münster School of Design (MSD), FH Münster – University of Applied Sciences
Teacher
Tina Glückselig
Three questions to the project team
What was the particular challenge of the project from a UX point of view?
The challenge came down to three things.
The first was ergonomics. A user stands in front of the mirror and navigates with her hand, so her arm gets tired if buttons sit too high or too tight. We had to map the area where her hand naturally rests and place every clickable element inside it. The layout follows the body, not the visual grid. The second was that most people have never used a Smart Mirror. The interface had to feel open and inviting, with as little to learn as possible. The third was the introduction screen. It teaches the gesture without words, encourages the user to try it, and positions her at the right distance for the camera. It carries the whole onboarding.
What was your personal highlight in the development process? Was there an aha!-moment, was there a low point?
The personal highlight was the user tests with women of very different ages. Seeing women, for example one 25 and one 58, finding their way through Mamira without much explanation, confirmed that the design works for the range of users we were aiming at. The aha moment came during those tests. We had a rough first structure that we wanted to put in front of users, and we noticed several of them reaching at awkward angles or stopping halfway through a gesture. We realized that ergonomics, not aesthetics, decides where a button can sit on a Smart Mirror. Once we redesigned around the natural arm path, the rest of the layout followed.
Where do you see yourself and the project in the next five years?
In five years, we hope Mamira is a familiar part of women’s everyday spaces. Walking into a fitness studio changing room or a lingerie shop and finding it in the regular mirror, ready to guide a quick check-in, would mean breast self-examination becomes a routine more women have access to. The next step from there is bringing Mamira home. An app version that uses the webcam of a phone or laptop or integrated in the user’s own mirror. Mamira in any bathroom, on whatever device people already use.
