My Process
Discover
Define
Ideate
Design
Period Subscription
App MVP
Product Design
MVP Design
Objectives & Goals
Assist females in consistently being ready for their menstruation.
Increase accessibility to sustainable and convenient period products.
User Persona
Pain points
Values convenience, efficiency, and environmentally conscious products
Looking for a subscription that offers high-quality products
Expects a highly customizable service to match her busy life and varying needs
Description
College student athlete, Caroline is balancing a busy schedule of classes and training and often forgets to prepare for her period.
Goals & Motivations
20
Denver, CO
BA
Student
Caroline B.
College Basketball Student
Often forgets to prepare for her period and is caught by surprise
Making last-minute runs to the store to buy period products
Relying on her friends when she is caught without the right products.
Company Name
Cycle Tracking
Custom Product Box
Custom Delivery Schedule
Separate boxes for different products
Flexible subscription
Cora
Athena Club
Lola
Competitive Analysis
From the market research, I found that the period subscription model is not a new idea. We did learn more about what is expected and where we can fill a gap in the market. Ultimately, I understood we had to focus on customizability and flexibility while offering this new service of linking the subscription to each users unique cycle.
Unique Features
There is no competitor who is pairing the subscription model with the cycle tracking feature for perfectly timed deliveries.
Most competitors offer customization of the products deliveries.
No competitor offers customized delivery schedules outside of the standard 1, 2, 3 month intervals.
All competitors offer flexible subscriptions with freedom to change, pause, or cancel service at any time.
Business Challenges
Cycle charting consists of a lot of factors that need to be considered. It's very complicated!
We’d be competing against well-established big players like Clue, Flo, etc.
Privacy is a big concern right now with changing legislation.
Women’s cycles are not so straightforward, they are always changing.
Accurate deliveries requires accurate data form the user.
Client came to me with an idea and a business plan. My job was to create the visual representation and MVP that she could use not only to start testing it on users but to pitch to investors and other stakeholders. My goal was to create a high fidelity prototype of the MVP of this period subscription service app that links up to women's cycles.
Project Specs
Type: Client Contract Project
My Role: Lead Designer
Duration: 1 month contract
Team: Solo
Tools: Figma, Google Workspace
The Brief
A two-part solution
to resolve user needs
Period subscription service offering clean and sustainable items is the main product.
Cycle tracking function that can be linked to delivery schedule is the star feature.
Early user flows
In the initial stages of designing the user flows, I placed a significant emphasis on integrating the cycle syncing feature right at the beginning of the user journey, considering it's the star feature and a key differentiator of our product.
V1
V2
Final Version
However, after conducting thorough user interviews and rigorous testing, it became evident that not everyone felt comfortable sharing their cycle details right at the outset of their interaction with our platform. In fact, it acted as a significant barrier to entry. Our users revealed that their primary desire was to shop around for products first, without the immediate obligation to disclose personal information. As a result, the user flows were adapted to prioritize a more user-centric approach, allowing individuals to freely explore our offerings before deciding whether and when to engage with the cycle syncing feature.
shop products
build bundle
want to
subscribe?
sync deliveries
to cycle?
cycle sync
sign up
Early Designs & Wireframes
The Shopping Experience (early designs)
When building out the full user experience it came down to 2 major actions: The shopping experience and the cycle syncing feature, but each of these consisted of a series of user interactions with our platform. For instance, the shopping experience included browsing, customizing a bundle, creating an account, subscribing, and a checkout flow.
I explored the possibility of creating a single stop where the user could customize a single bundle straight away with no need to browse around. After conducting user testing, I found that users not only expected but also missed the ability to browse different products and read details on those before even considering customization of a bundle.
The outcome was to ditch the one-stop shopping experience and return to a standard shopping experience with individual product pages.
The Shopping Experience (high fidelity)
Main Page
Product Page
Due to this projects time constrains, I decided to take the path of conducting user testing using the Rapid Iterative Testing & Evaluation (RITE) Method. Quick changes were made to larger and more obvious issues that presented themselves after each usability test. Keeping in mind that I could conduct more thorough testing in the future, the focus remained on larger problems and the top level user flow of the MVP.
Returned to a classic buying journey where items are grouped into their corresponding broad classifications.
Gave the choice to construct a completely tailored package containing items across diverse classes.
Adhered to a traditional product page that encompasses all essential primary details needed to understand the product in the first viewport.
Included all necessary information in a nested formal to allow customers to delve into specifics and accommodate all kinds of buyers, like the hesitant or well-informed consumers.
This pop-up enables users to effortlessly include products in their fully customizable variety box. This is present across all product categories so they always have the option of customization.
Promoted the utilization of our star feature of syncing shipments with your cycle. This is the first place where they can learn about this new feature.
The Cycle Syncing Feature (early desigs)
In order to gather necessary information to sync deliveries to a cycle, the initial idea was to walk our users through a short cycle quiz. After some thorough research and user testing I found that not only are cycles in constant state of flux for many menstruators, many users didn't know enough details on their cycles to have an accurate delivery recommendation. This presented as a major challenge.
The outcome here was to offer this feature as an optional service and also include different ways to gather information based on a users knowledge of their own cycle. The first way is through our short quiz and the second is, capitalizing on API data sharing, to allow users to link their existing cycle tracking apps with Full Stop.
The Cycle Syncing Feature (high fidelity)
Again, with the help of the RITE Method of user testing, I was able to identify larger issues our cycle tracking feature. In the early designs, the cycle quiz was one of the first steps in our user journey which proved to be a barrier for our users. The first major change was to reorganize our user flow and move this portion to the end. For the MVP I landed on the 2 simple pathways for gathering necessary cycle information:
the manual option of taking a short cycle quiz inputting details directly
linking an existing cycle tracking app account.
The user is given one of two options to enter their cycle details manually: Type them out manually or take the short quiz which gathers the minimally necessary information needed for choosing a delivery schedule.
Major downside with this is that the cycle details stay static and only changes when the user goes in and manually changes these.
A potential solution to explore is using a notification system where the user is given the opportunity to change her scheduled delivery if her cycle changes.
A dual purpose is for the user to be reminded of her periods arrival, a major pain point of our users.
The second option to gather necessary cycle details is a feature which allows user to link their existing cycle tracking app to our platform using API data sharing technology.
The benefit is that it excludes us from directly competing against well-established cycle tracking apps and it allows for deliveries to adjust as a woman's natural cycle changes as long as she continues to track her cycle on the linked app.
Finally, we'd still employ a notification system that alerts users of upcoming deliveries and their periods allowing users full control of their deliveries.
The Short & Simple Cycle Quiz
Linking an Existing External Cycle Tracking App Account
Our ⭐️ Feature: Syncing Deliveries to the Cycle
Other Considerations
"How it Works" (high fidelity)
"How It Works" (early designs)
I also explored the possibility of including a walkthrough since the ability to sync deliveries to the cycle is one that has not been done before. This new tool is very exciting but we'd need to ensure our users are well educated on how it works for optimal customer satisfaction. The early designs included a 4 click walkthrough although I ultimately boiled this down to a single screen to minimize clicks.
Easy-to-grasp explanation of how our star feature works with clear visuals.
Breadcumbs help orient the user in their journey
Everything contained on a single frame to minimize clicks as found in user testing.
No room for decision fatigue with only 2 simple options to move forward
Safety & Privacy
early design
high fidelity
It's no secret that women's health is at the center of political attention with ongoing legislative changes. Our main priority is to maintain women's autonomy and privacy over their health information. After all, this is a tool to facilitate women's lives not the opposite.
Because of this, I knew we wanted to prioritize the inclusion of safety precautions in the MVP. Safety and privacy would be at the forefront of Full Stop.
Putting it Together
High Fidelity Prototype of MVP
I started with a problem so many women know all too well… being caught by surprise and unprepared for your period. With this first hi-fi prototype of the MVP I set out to envision what the solution to this age old problem could look like. This is culmination of research, planning, testing, designing with the addition of preliminary branding. This marks the first sprint of many as Full Stop sets out to build a team, raise funding, and prepare for product launch.
Hit play and enjoy!
Next steps: Where do we go from here?
Continue exploring the integration of our star feature that syncs deliveries to the cycle.
Develop user journey, wireframes, and prototype the user flow for an existing customer who is managing her subscription and cycle through the app.
Collaborate with information architects to find new and simple ways to display cycle data.
Continue more user testing to tease out potential problems in the shopping experience.
Thank You
For Reading!
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2023 Nina Beltran Portfolio Showcase
Target Product Users
It is expected that the “global organic and natural tampons market should reach $1.1 billion by 2025 from $781 million in 2020 at 8% annually” (BCC Research 2020). A rise in the global organic tampon shows that there is demand for environmentally sustainable female hygiene products.” Based on my clients business strategy, we have found that the current marketing strategy will focus on targeting females aged 15-30 who are seeking utmost convenience.
Problem Statement
Women often feel surprised and unprepared for their periods. This commonly leaves women with with one of two options:
1) rely on friends to get them out of a pinch or
2) make last minute runs to the nearest store to buy their period products.