A Product Ecosystem aiming to empower those who menstruate.
A Product Ecosystem aiming to empower those who menstruate.
Winner of Design for Social Good in 2022.
Winner of Design for Social Good in 2022.
The Opportunity
Menstrual care is still designed in isolation.
Disposable products dominate the UK market, with over 4 billion pads and tampons discarded each year, creating significant environmental waste.
At the same time, menstrual health education and diagnosis remain limited. Around 75% of women experience PMS and 1 in 20 live with PMDD, yet many go undiagnosed for years.
The understanding of the experience of menstrual health is fragmented and poorly served. This project explores the opportunity to design a holistic menstrual care system that connects cycle tracking, symptom guidance, education, and sustainable product use into one coherent experience.
Disposable products dominate the UK market, with over 4 billion pads and tampons discarded each year, creating significant environmental waste.
At the same time, menstrual health education and diagnosis remain limited. Around 75% of women experience PMS and 1 in 20 live with PMDD, yet many go undiagnosed for years.
The understanding of the experience of menstrual health is fragmented and poorly served.This project explores the opportunity to design a holistic menstrual care system that connects cycle tracking, symptom guidance, education, and sustainable product use into one coherent experience.
Process:
Research, ideation, prototyping, usability testing, branding, industrial design, UX/UI design, design for manufacture.
Duration:
6 months
Individual Project
Introducing Maia
Maia is a holistic menstrual care system that combines interconnected physical products; including a diffuser, a pod that stores and cleans menstrual products, and a pill holder, with a companion app. Designed to be fully portable, Maia supports menstrual health anywhere, anytime.
Hover
Download and Connect to Unlock Full Potential
Maia simplifies symptom tracking and management, connecting you to a supportive community, healthcare professionals, and personalised insights. While seamlessly integrating with Maia's physical products.
Track Your Cycle and Symptoms
Upon opening the app, users instantly see when their next period is due, along with their ovulation and peak productivity windows.
The app enables personalised symptom tracking and editing, ensuring each user can monitor what matters most to them.
Browse the Wellbeing Hub
Access and save articles, recipes, and videos on diet, exercise, sleep, yoga, and meditation. Content is designed to support symptom management for PMS, PMDD, Endometriosis, and PCOS.
Quick Access to Saved Content
Easily search, filter, and manage saved articles, recipes, and videos for quick reference.
Manage devices, Join the Community and Connect with Professionals
Control Maia’s physical devices, connect with the community, and locate nearby healthcare professionals such as nutritionists or gynecologists. Generate downloadable health reports summarising tracked symptoms to aid diagnosis and treatment.
Download and Connect to Unlock Full Potential
Maia simplifies symptom tracking and management, connecting you to a supportive community, healthcare professionals, and personalised insights. While seamlessly integrating with Maia's physical products.
Track Your Cycle and Symptoms
Upon opening the app, users instantly see when their next period is due, along with their ovulation and peak productivity windows.
The app enables personalised symptom tracking and editing, ensuring each user can monitor what matters most to them.
Browse the Wellbeing Hub
Access and save articles, recipes, and videos on diet, exercise, sleep, yoga, and meditation. Content is designed to support symptom management for PMS, PMDD, Endometriosis, and PCOS.
Quick Access to Saved Content
Easily search, filter, and manage saved articles, recipes, and videos for quick reference.
Manage devices, Join the Community and Connect with Professionals
Control Maia’s physical devices, connect with the community, and locate nearby healthcare professionals such as nutritionists or gynecologists. Generate downloadable health reports summarising tracked symptoms to aid diagnosis and treatment.
Download and Connect to Unlock Full Potential
Maia simplifies symptom tracking and management, connecting you to a supportive community, healthcare professionals, and personalised insights. While seamlessly integrating with Maia's physical products.
UV Slot for menstrual cups.
Regular Slot for reusable/disposable pads and tampons.
Branded magnetic locking mechanism for the pill holder.
Silicone insert in the UV slot prevents the menstrual cup from falling out.
Interchangeable colour choices.
Interchangeable colour choices.
Interchangeable colour choices.
Oil diffuser for aromatherapy treatment.
UV Slot for menstrual cups.
Regular Slot for reusable/disposable pads and tampons.
Branded magnetic locking mechanism.
Silicone insert in the UV slot prevents the menstrual cup from falling out.
Interchangeable colour choices.
Interchangeable colour choices.
Interchangeable colour choices.
Oil diffuser for aromatherapy treatment.
Design Process
Research & Insights
I conducted a “Menstrual Health and Management Survey” with target users. A few key insights are below.
Of 37% of users who said they are considering switching menstrual products, 79% said they’d make the switch to menstrual cups.
Of menstrual cup users interviewed, 62% clean their cup by boiling water in a pan.
Insights around using menstrual cups are:
"[The cup is] difficult to clean in a public place."
"Family find it gross when they see me cleaning it."
"Doesn't fit well into my routine."
61% use a phone app to track their cycle. Below are some insights drawn from their app experience:
Nearly 50% forget to input tracking information.
"Great if there was a downloadable report."
"Want options to track habits/skin conditions etc."
Secondary research into PMS, PMDD, PCOS, and endometriosis, supported by expert interview insights, identified opportunities to integrate education and a two-pronged symptom-relief approach, combining lifestyle interventions with medical and therapeutic treatments.
"Menstrual Health and Management Survey” conducted with 38 participants aged 20–54, completed in 2021 at Loughborough University.
Market Analysis
I analysed over 750 competitor reviews, supported by hands-on product testing, real-world observation, and user interviews, to uncover recurring strengths, pain points, and opportunity gaps. One insight became clear: few solutions bridge the physical menstrual care with digital health insights, revealing an opportunity for a more connected ecosystem.
Empathising with the user
To further identify pain points facing the user, I journey mapped multiple scenarios. Distilling the research into the below 3 personas. All this groundwork guided the design language, concept generation and initial low-fidelity prototypes.
Persona 1
Persona 1
Design Principles
Consolidating research into 3 key design principles:
Holistic Care
Integrate tracking, symptom guidance, education, and product use into one connected menstrual health experience.
Effortless Routines
Simplify product management and daily care, so users can maintain their cycles naturally and discreetly.
Sustainable Choices
Make eco-friendly menstrual care easy, accessible, and appealing, reducing reliance on disposable products.
Ideation & Prototyping
Ideation explored both the physical device and companion app through iterative sketching, prototyping, usability and scenario testing. Along with site mapping and wireframing.
