Lina,
a product that helps menstruators get in sync with their body.
Work
Lina
Personalized app and bracelet for tracking PCOS symptoms and hormonal changes by measuring daily body basal temperature.
Info
Roles
Product Designer
UX Researcher
Team
Solo Project mentored by
Hugh Dubberly
Duration
4 Weeks
Skills
The project aimed to design an integrated system for better management of chronic conditions, envisioning painless sensors that monitor body chemistry and connect to the cloud. I developed a system specifically for menstruators with PCOS, featuring a bracelet and companion mobile app that track bodily analytes and activities. This system enhances users' understanding of their bodies and promotes lifestyle improvements through subtle nudges.
Product Design
Systems Thinking
UX and UI Design
Data Visualization
What problem am I trying to solve ?
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) affects 13% of menstruators globally which affects them physically, mentally and emotionally.
Problem Statement
How might we develop a product service ecology for individuals living with PCOS to improve their quality of life on a daily basis?
Why is this problem important?
PCOS affects 116 Million menstruators globally. It is the leading cause of female infertility and a precursor for other serious conditions including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and endometrial cancer.
1 in 10 menstruators have PCOS.
Whose problem am I solving?
Menstruators. Period.
Research and Explanation
What methods will I drive to solve the problem and why these methods?
Looking at this problem from a systems perspective led me to map out various aspects of the condition, examining it through the lenses of social networks, the human body, and multiple feedback loop diagrams. Here is a glimpse of some of the diagrams I developed.
PCOS Diagram
How does PCOS affect the human body?
PCOS is a chronic condition that causes irregular or absence of menstrual cycle. It affects four major human systems, with imbalances in each system influencing the others, as shown in the diagram on the right.
Before developing a product, it was essential to understand how PCOS affects the human body.
Social Support System
How does the social support system look like?
The next step was mapping the social support system of the patient and understanding the network that could be a part of the proposed solution.
What did I takeaway from the research?
PCOS varies from person to person. Folks desire a way to get in sync with their bodies and be more aware of what is happening inside them. Users need a tool to help them monitor their hormonal changes daily and what understand the causes for fluctuations.
Menstrual Cycle Phases
It is hard to know if one will get their periods or not. When you have PCOS your entire menstrual phases are disturbed.
Triggers for Disturbances
Figuring out what disturbs your cycle is extremely difficult because it varies for everyone. I learned that quitting dairy helped me get regular periods.
Regulation Methods
Having an active lifestyle and being mindful helps regulate my cycles. I do not prefer taking medications because of their side effects.
Hypothesis (So what?)
If I make a personalized product service ecology for menstruators with PCOS and help them get in sync with their body, it will empower them to improve on their quality of life by helping them make changes one day at a time.
Solution Framework Diagram
How am I going to address the problem spaces in my designs?
The framework I developed consists of three layers: tracking, getting informed, and connecting with other patients while tracking data over time. The framework diagram on the right explains how the LINA ecosystem addresses the identified problem and incorporates these layers.
Lina's User Conceptual Model
How do I plan on communicating the product's conceptual model to Designers, Product Managers and Engineers?
Solution
What is the proposed solution finally?
LINA is a product service ecosystem consisting of a bracelet and a mobile app designed for individuals with PCOS, but usable by all menstruating individuals. The bracelet acts as biosensors, recording analyte and activity data and providing haptic feedback for alerts. The mobile app helps users track their period cycles, activity, sleep, and nutrient intake. Here's a sneak peek of the app.
Track your daily basal temperature and hormonal changes.
LINA helps you understand which phase of your menstrual cycle you are in, track your basal temperature to predict hormonal imbalance over a while along with reporting your daily levels of LH, Estrogen, TSH, and progesterone using the biosensors in the wristband.
The app also predicts your mood behaviors for the day and gives suggestions on how to make the best out of your day.
Track your progress.
LINA helps you track your progress in reaching your nutrition, activity, and sleep goals by scoring you and providing you with suggestions on how to boost your score. It also provides you with a community of other patients who share insights about things that work best for them.
Understand your progress better.
LINA helps you understand your body better by giving you a breakdown of your activity, nutrition, and sleep. It allows you to check the weekly trends over the period.
What did I learn from this project?
Importance of developing user conceptual models for a product.
Each UI decision is guided by systems thinking and is extremely deliberate.
Using models and feedback loops to build a product.
What would I have done if I had more time?
Explored details of the entire proposed product-service-ecology.
User test it with community partners.
Create more user flows.