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Personal projectCultural adaptation of an app

Serenity: adapting a wellness app from France to Brazil

Serenity is a cultural adaptation exercise done as a team: adapting a wellness treatment booking app from France to Brazil.

Two tilted smartphones overlapping under the titles Serenity and Serenidade: on the left the home screen of the French version, cream and black; on the right the home screen of the Brazilian version, blue and green, with a lively photo.
Serenity in France and Serenidade in Brazil: the same app, two identities.
Role
UX/UI Designer
Duration
1–2 weeks
Tools
  • Figma
  • UX/UI Design
  • Mobile app
  • Cross-cultural design

Result

We delivered two versions of the screens, France and Brazil: home, selection, booking, payment and confirmation. Brazil adds a group flow, payment in 10 installments and loyalty points.

On this page

The project in detail

Context

A cultural adaptation exercise done as a team in 2025, over 1–2 weeks. We started from the mockups of an earlier project in French, with its own identity, designed for the Western world. It wasn't commissioned by a brand.

Problem: How do you launch this app in another country? We picked Brazil. A plain translation isn't enough: lifestyle and culture change how people book, pay and feel welcome. Our analysis showed two things: in Brazil, paying in installments, up to 30, comes naturally. And apps and sites use bright colors, with joyful people.

Key decision

Go beyond translation. We adapted the identity, the flows and the payment to local habits: bright colors, treatments for groups, payment in installments, loyalty points. These choices come from our analysis.

Approach

  1. Starting point: the French app “Serenity”, luxury treatments, with a cream and black identity, muted spa photos and a quiet tone.
  2. Analysis: we started from a comparison between Brazil and France, using the Country Comparison tool by The Culture Factor (theculturefactor.com). Individualism is lower in Brazil (36 versus 74): this guided the group treatments. Long-term orientation is lower too (28 versus 60): this fits payment in installments and low savings.
  3. Identity: our analysis showed that Brazilian apps and sites use bright colors, which suggest joy, and visuals of joyful people. So “Serenidade” moves to bright blue and green, with a lively home photo. Everything is translated into Portuguese, with prices in reais (R$).
  4. Group flow: the “Juntar a um grupo” section offers treatments for several people. A screen lets users invite friends and send them a message.
  5. Payment and loyalty: our analysis showed that paying in installments, up to 30 in Brazil, comes naturally. The culture looks more to the present moment than to what comes after, and savings are rather low. So “Pagar em 10 vezes” adds this payment. The confirmation gives “+ 20 pontos” with a festive illustration.
Bar chart comparing Brazil (orange) and France (gray) on six cultural dimensions. Power distance: 69 and 68. Individualism: 36 and 74. Motivation towards achievement and success: 49 and 43. Uncertainty avoidance: 76 and 86. Long-term orientation: 28 and 60. Indulgence: 59 and 48.
Brazil and France, six cultural dimensions. Source: the Country Comparison tool by The Culture Factor (formerly Hofstede Insights), theculturefactor.com. It is the starting point of our conclusions and our adaptations.
The home screen in two versions. France: cream header, dark spa photo and a black “Trouver ma prestation” button. Brazil: a photo of a man in a green face mask, a blue “Encontrar o meu serviço” button and a “Juntar a um grupo” section.
The home screen: from quiet luxury to a lively, colorful photo, with a section for group treatments.
Choosing a treatment in two versions: the same treatment cards, in French for France and in Portuguese for Brazil.
Choosing a treatment: same structure, content translated into Portuguese.
The payment screen in two versions. France: bank transfer, credit card or crypto, total in euros. Brazil: bank transfer, credit card, “Pagar em 10 vezes” or cryptocurrencies, total in reais.
Payment: Brazil adds “Pagar em 10 vezes”, and prices switch to R$.
The confirmation screen in two versions. France: a black check mark and “Votre commande n°1754 a été validée”. Brazil: a festive blue background, a colorful illustration and “+ 20 pontos”.
Confirmation: from a quiet check mark to a loyalty reward.
The group flow in Brazil on three screens: the home screen with “Juntar a um grupo”, choosing a time slot with the invite button, then the screen to invite friends and write them a message. Faces are blurred.
The group flow: pick a treatment with others, then invite friends. Faces blurred.

What it shows

I can adapt a product to another culture without stopping at translation: identity, flows, payment and loyalty change with local habits.

Learnings

I learned that adapting means choosing what changes and what stays. How people book, alone or with others, payment habits and tone matter as much as language.

Shall we talk?

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