Pinterest has released its latest search feature that allows users to filter their hair type for relevant search results. The new hair pattern search aims to help Black, Brown and Latinx communities to easily find inspiration for their hair type.
Annie Ta – Head of Inclusive Product at Pinterest – asserted Pinterest’s focus on providing an inclusive platform for all users and how their computer vision technology helps effectively identify hair types in the images:
“Our mission on the Inclusive Product team is to help everyone feel like Pinterest is a place for them. As a visual discovery platform, we have an opportunity and responsibility to do a better job of increasing representation in the products we build. That’s why we built hair pattern search using computer vision technology to help identify hair patterns in images. By doing this, we hope we’re able to use technology for good and make it easier for people, no matter who they are, to find hair inspiration for them on Pinterest.”
To develop their feature, Pinterest’s Inclusive Product team partnered with Pinners and BIPOC creators including Naeemah LaFond, Editorial Hair Stylist and Global Artistic Director of Amika. The hair pattern search uses computer vision-powered object detection technology to divide six different hair patterns into protective, coily, curly, wavy, straight and shaved or bald. This new filter makes it easier for users to search for “summer hairstyles”, “glam hair”, or “short hair” and filter search results to their hair type.
Pinterest’s hair pattern search is currently available for Android and iOS users across the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand while the feature will also be rolled out across other countries in the coming months.