UX Case Study

Cora is a comprehensive personal assistant and planning platform that caters to women's unique hormonal cycles. By strategically scheduling tasks and activities around the four distinct phases of the menstrual cycle, Cora aims to enhance women's productivity and overall efficiency.

#UXResearch #UIDesign #VisualDesign

The Problem

In the workplace, women may observe fluctuations in their productivity throughout the week due to the impact of their monthly hormonal cycle, which comprises distinct phases and yields varying outcomes. It is important to acknowledge that the menstrual cycle has the potential to influence productivity levels.

Possible Solution

A software application designed to assist women in tracking their hormonal cycle, providing insight into the current phase and suggesting appropriate activities that optimize their productivity, while cautioning against activities that may hinder performance.

Design Process

  • “Unfortunately, historically most articles on this subject have focused on the negative effects of imbalances in these hormones rather than the potential benefits that can be harnessed when the effects of these hormones are better understood.” 

    Dr. Allison Devine, Board Certified Ob/Gyn at the Austin Diagnostic Clinic and Faculty at Texas A&M Medical school and trained in Functional MedicineForbes.

  • If menstrual phases are so important for our productivity inside and outside of work, why don't menstrual tracking apps place more emphasis on this? Are these aspects not attractive to users?

    Hypothesis

Primary Research Highlights

23.5%

I’m trying to plan my work based on my hormonal cycle, but it’s difficult.

35.3%

I didn’t even know that I could plan my work based on my hormonal cycle.

41.2%

I Never try to plan my work based on my hormonal cycle.

KEYFINDING

This finding shifted the purpose and vision of the project.

I started this project with the idea of creating a tool that would allow women to plan their work around their hormonal phases. After conducting the interviews, I discovered that women need to plan not only their work but also their daily activities, such as meals or hobbies.

Building our user persona

Initiated the process by employing secondary research techniques to collect information about users, their motivations, and their engagement patterns.

Empathy Mapping

By distilling user values, goals, and motivations, I developed a collaborative visualization that effectively communicates the insights gathered from the user interviews.

User interview participant

“I like to have a plan for everything, but sometimes I gotta go with the flow”

There is a desire to live a well-planned life based on their body's most suitable moments, but it is a reality that the normalized, stressful, and fast-paced lifestyle doesn't allow users to find the perfect balance.

Our User Persona

Planning the Design

I began with preliminary sketches to outline critical paths, user flows, and overall organization. To validate that these sketches were on the right track and resonated with users, I conducted guerrilla testing with five participants.

Look & Feel: UI Design

This moodboard aims to express control, calm, women inclusion, and energy. Through visual elements such as structured compositions, soothing colors, diverse representations of women, and vibrant imagery, the moodboard creates a powerful and inspiring atmosphere.

Wireframing

Based on the feedback received from guerrilla testing and initial sketches, I developed the first iteration of wireframes. I then established a wire flow that facilitated interaction design and user flow.

High-Fidelity Prototypes

Converted wireframes into high-fidelity wireframes and prototypes.

Interactive Prototype

To view the final interactive prototype, click here to see all.

  • User Testing & Iterations

    The study was conducted remotely with a group of four participants who were asked to use the app and provide feedback on its functionality. The goals of the study were to assess the app's usability, effectiveness, and accessibility. The methodology involved observing participants as they interacted with the app through screen sharing, collecting feedback through task and interview, and identify key findings.

  • User Testing Round 1 Results: Iteration Recommendations

    • Enhance planning functionality with a comprehensive calendar.

    • Provide clearer explanations for the hormonal cycle phase graphic and include values for better understanding.

    • Rearrange Home section for better information prioritization.

  • User Testing Round 2 Results: Iteration Recommendations

    Based on the findings, we recommend the following improvements:

    • Improve the Home section's visual representation and context for hormonal phase information.

    • Balance technical information with relatable content in the Insights section.

    • Provide additional guidance or tutorials for the Planning section to improve usability.

    • Enhance the chatbot's natural language processing capabilities and knowledge base.

    • Gather more user feedback on design preferences to optimize the application's aesthetics and layout.

Conclusion


In conclusion, the UX case report demonstrates the successful development of Cora, a comprehensive personal assistant and planning platform tailored to women's unique hormonal cycles. Through a thorough UX design process, Cora has been designed to strategically schedule tasks and activities around the four distinct phases of the menstrual cycle. By doing so, it aims to boost women's productivity and overall efficiency, ultimately improving their daily lives and well-being.