ux design / start up
Lune:
Designing Cycle-Based Nutrition for Women
Lune:
Designing Cycle-Based Nutrition for Women
ios app
femtech
health & wellness
ios app
femtech
health & wellness
Cycle tracking that tells you what to eat β and why.
Lune turns hormonal data into personalized meal guidance and real wellness insights.
Cycle tracking that tells you what to eat β and why.
Lune turns hormonal data into personalized meal guidance and real wellness insights.
Cycle tracking that tells you what to eat β and why.
Lune turns hormonal data into personalized meal guidance and real wellness insights.
role
UX/UI Design
Research
Branding
UX/UI Design
Research
Branding
PRODUCT
End-to-End
Mobile app
End-to-End
Mobile app
tools
Figma, FigJam, Google Workspace, Otter AI
Figma, FigJam, Google Workspace, Otter AI
when
August - November 2024
(4 months)
August - November 2024
(4 months)
Table of
contents
Table of contents
01. Overview
02. Research
03. Ideation
04. Utilizing Emerging AI Tools
05. Design
06.Test
07. Final Thoughts
background
background
Why are women abandoning and/or being inconsistent with period tracking apps?
Why are women abandoning and/or being inconsistent with period tracking apps?
Problem
Women track their cycle but don't know what to do with the information β making tracking feel pointless, leading to high app abandonment.
Women track their cycle but don't know what to do with the information β making tracking feel pointless, leading to high app abandonment.
Solution
Lune transforms cycle tracking into actionable wellness by putting nutrition at the center, giving women personalized meal guidance tied to their hormonal phase.
Key Innovation: Nutrition as the primary engagement driver βactionable meal recommendations that directly address hormonal health needs.
Lune transforms cycle tracking into actionable wellness by putting nutrition at the center, giving women personalized meal guidance tied to their hormonal phase.
Key Innovation: Nutrition as the primary engagement driverβactionable meal recommendations that directly address hormonal health needs.
Lune transforms cycle tracking into actionable wellness by putting nutrition at the center, giving women personalized meal guidance tied to their hormonal phase.
Key Innovation: Nutrition as the primary engagement driverβactionable meal recommendations that directly address hormonal health needs.
β How might we design an experience that empowers women to proactively take charge of their hormonal health, not just track it?
β How might we design an experience that empowers women to proactively take charge of their hormonal health, not just track it?
π‘ solution preview
Track your period.
Learn about your body.
Get cycle-synced meal plans.
π‘ solution preview
π‘ solution preview
research: user interviews
research:
user interviews
research: user interviews
Understanding why women abandon hormonal tracking apps and identifying unmet needs for actionable health guidance
Understanding why women abandon hormonal tracking apps and identifying unmet needs for actionable health guidance
Participants:
I interviewed 6 health-conscious women (ages 20-30s) with diverse lifestyles βcollege students, nurses, and full-time momsβall experienced or abandoned cycle tracking apps. The diversity was purposeful because women do not live a one-size fits all lifestyle, using these insights can diversity the possible solution.
Research Goals:
- Understand abandonment reasons
- Identify real support needs
- Define βwellnessβ in their own terms
Participants:
I interviewed 6 health-conscious women (ages 20-30s) with diverse lifestyles βcollege students, nurses, and full-time momsβall experienced or abandoned cycle tracking apps. The diversity was purposeful because women do not live a one-size fits all lifestyle, using these insights can diversity the possible solution.
Research Goals:
- Understand abandonment reasons
- Identify real support needs
- Define βwellnessβ in their own terms
Quotes from interviewed women
Quotes from interviewed women
"Since quitting birth control, I've been tracking my period and symptoms, but I don't really know what to do with that information"
"Since quitting birth control, I've been tracking my period and symptoms, but I don't really know what to do with that information"
"Wellness to me as a woman is multi-dimensional. I eat, exercise, and do tasks according to how I'm feeling each day."
"Wellness to me as a woman is multi-dimensional. I eat, exercise, and do tasks according to how I'm feeling each day."
"I fall inconsistent with my hormonal wellness because information either feels too generic or overwhelming"
"I fall inconsistent with my hormonal wellness because information either feels too generic or overwhelming"
Discovery from interviewing women
Discovery from interviewing women
Data β Guidance
Data β Guidance
Women abandon apps because tracking data doesn't translate to actionable health improvements. Current apps focus on prediction, not prevention.
Fragmented Resources Create Overwhelm
Fragmented Resources Create Overwhelm
Users resort to Google searches for answers, leading to stress rather than empowerment. They need consolidated, trustworthy guidance.
Nutrition is Central, Yet Missing
Nutrition is Central, Yet Missing
Every participant connected healthy eating to cycle wellness, but no existing app addresses this despite 84% wanting personalized nutrition guidance.
breakthrough insight
nutrition
+
hormone health
breakthrough insight
nutrition
+
hormone health
breakthrough insight
nutrition
+
hormone health
User interviews revealed a consistent pattern: women's nutrition habits shift throughout their cycle and directly impact well-being.
Next step: Competitive analysis to evaluate how existing apps address nutrition-hormone connections and validate research supporting this approach.
User interviews revealed a consistent pattern: women's nutrition habits shift throughout their cycle and directly impact well-being.
Next step: Competitive analysis to evaluate how existing apps address nutrition-hormone connections and validate research supporting this approach.
User interviews revealed a consistent pattern: women's nutrition habits shift throughout their cycle and directly impact well-being.
Next step: Competitive analysis to evaluate how existing apps address nutrition-hormone connections and validate research supporting this approach.
RESEARCH:
FACTUAL FIGURES
RESEARCH:
FACTUAL FIGURES
What does the real world say?
RESEARCH:
FACTUAL FIGURES
What does the real world say?
What does the real world say?
RESEARCH:
competitive analysis
RESEARCH:
competitive analysis
Where's the gap in the FemTech industry?
Competitive analysis revealed no FemTech apps meaningfully integrate nutrition guidance despite clear user demand, representing a significant market opportunity.
Competitive analysis revealed no FemTech apps meaningfully integrate nutrition guidance despite clear user demand, representing a significant market opportunity.
Click the graph to see the full analysis
Competitive Analysis Synthesis:
π Each app has a specific focus: building community, medical accuracy, increasing fertility and predictions, etc.
β οΈ Although the apps analyze the hormonal data and show trends in hormonal cycle - they provide little to no explanation on preventative wellness + actionable insights.
Competitive Analysis Synthesis:
π Each app has a specific focus: building community, medical accuracy, increasing fertility and predictions, etc.
β οΈ Although the apps analyze the hormonal data and show trends in hormonal cycle - they provide little to no explanation on preventative wellness + actionable insights.
goal
goal
β Design a FemTech app that utilizes women's hormonal data into actionable insights using nutrition.
β Design a FemTech app that utilizes women's hormonal data into actionable insights using nutrition.
design principles
design principles
Identifying these leading principles were key in my decision making process.
Identifying these leading principles were key in my decision making process.
Proactive vs. Reactive
Prevent issues through nutrition rather than just track symptoms
Actionable Insights:
Every data point connects to specific health actions
Sustainable Integration:
Solutions fit chaotic lifestyles, not idealized routines
ideate:
user archetypes
ideate:
user archetypes
The women who inspired the solution
Drawing inspiration from the unique characters and requirements of the ladies I conversed with, I fashioned two distinct personalities living contrasting lifestyles, illustrating how diverse the solution could appear.
Emma wants to discover and explore her hormonal health, investing more time into her hormonal health journey.
While Lily's needs are quick and intends to use it as a tool to preplan.
Drawing inspiration from the unique characters and requirements of the ladies I conversed with, I fashioned two distinct personalities living contrasting lifestyles, illustrating how diverse the solution could appear.
Emma wants to discover and explore her hormonal health, investing more time into her hormonal health journey.
While Lily's needs are quick and intends to use it as a tool to preplan.
Let's dive into Emma's world, how would this solution look like?
Let's dive into Emma's world, how would this solution look like?
Let's dive into Emma's world, how would this solution look like?
ideate: Storyboarding
ideate:
Storyboarding
ideate: Storyboarding
Emma's interaction with Lune
ideate:
design decisions
ideate:
design decisions
ideate:
design decisions
Creating the MVP
Based on my initial research and user personas, I created a feature overview to prioritize essential features. Health is layered and there were various features I desired to implement to emphasize the potential credibility, inclusivity, and helpfulness of the app.
The challenge for this project was that it was under time constraints and I wanted to keep the scope manageable. I redirected my focus to balance desirability for the user and feasibility for the engineers.
I focused my design on 2 essential flows the app needs to run, and one supporting element of the app:
Based on my initial research and user personas, I created a feature overview to prioritize essential features. Health is layered and there were various features I desired to implement to emphasize the potential credibility, inclusivity, and helpfulness of the app.
The challenge for this project was that it was under time constraints and I wanted to keep the scope manageable. I redirected my focus to balance desirability for the user and feasibility for the engineers.
I focused my design on 2 essential flows the app needs to run, and one supporting element of the app:
ideate: INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
ideate:
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
Blueprinting User Navigation
Using a card sort with 4 women participants, I gained insight into their mental framework around terms and where they would find specific information.
Here, I crafted a simple sitemap for the app allows users to understand how to navigate this app quickly and easily without much thought, providing them the time to focus on the content itself.
NOTE: as you can see, I planned on adding a telehealth feature, but made the decision to cut the feature from the MVP due to time constraints
Using a card sort with 4 women participants, I gained insight into their mental framework around terms and where they would find specific information.
Here, I crafted a simple sitemap for the app allows users to understand how to navigate this app quickly and easily without much thought, providing them the time to focus on the content itself.
NOTE: as you can see, I planned on adding a telehealth feature, but made the decision to cut the feature from the MVP due to time constraints
low to mid-fi wireframes
After determining the core flows for the designs I wanted to test, I sketched out the initial designs referencing existing app layouts to keep the design familiar and intuitive.
After determining the core flows for the designs I wanted to test, I sketched out the initial designs referencing existing app layouts to keep the design familiar and intuitive.
design: branding
design:
branding
design:
branding
The Experience of Lune
Combining both womenβs health and nutrition, the branding aims to mix both harmoniously. The branding draws inspiration from the moon's cyclical nature, symbolizing the dynamic phases of a woman's hormonal cycle, mixed with femininity and fresh greens.
The key words driving the design of the product are:
feminine / inviting / modern / fresh
Combining both womenβs health and nutrition, the branding aims to mix both harmoniously. The branding draws inspiration from the moon's cyclical nature, symbolizing the dynamic phases of a woman's hormonal cycle, mixed with femininity and fresh greens.
The key words driving the design of the product are:
feminine / inviting / modern / fresh
usability testing
usability testing
usability testing
Usability Testing Feedback
In a user study with six diverse participants ranging from novice to experienced hormone trackers, all users successfully completed three core task flows: article bookmarking and retrieval, period and symptom logging, and meal planning.
What went well?
The interface resonated strongly with participants, with 83% finding the navigation intuitive and familiar.
Two-thirds of the women specifically highlighted the UI design's calming and inviting qualities, suggesting the visual direction effectively supports the intimate nature of hormone tracking.
What could be improved?
Users newer to hormonal health concepts found the Hub's information architecture challenging to navigate.
Visual wayfinding proved insufficient in certain user flows, causing moments of hesitation.
The lack of diversity in users' preferred navigation paths resulted in longer task completion times.
I narrowed down the key themes that could improve both the user experience and interface of the app:
In a user study with six diverse participants ranging from novice to experienced hormone trackers, all users successfully completed three core task flows: article bookmarking and retrieval, period and symptom logging, and meal planning.
What went well?
The interface resonated strongly with participants, with 83% finding the navigation intuitive and familiar.
Two-thirds of the women specifically highlighted the UI design's calming and inviting qualities, suggesting the visual direction effectively supports the intimate nature of hormone tracking.
What could be improved?
Users newer to hormonal health concepts found the Hub's information architecture challenging to navigate.
Visual wayfinding proved insufficient in certain user flows, causing moments of hesitation.
The lack of diversity in users' preferred navigation paths resulted in longer task completion times.
I narrowed down the key themes that could improve both the user experience and interface of the app:
In a user study with six diverse participants ranging from novice to experienced hormone trackers, all users successfully completed three core task flows: article bookmarking and retrieval, period and symptom logging, and meal planning.
What went well?
The interface resonated strongly with participants, with 83% finding the navigation intuitive and familiar.
Two-thirds of the women specifically highlighted the UI design's calming and inviting qualities, suggesting the visual direction effectively supports the intimate nature of hormone tracking.
What could be improved?
Users newer to hormonal health concepts found the Hub's information architecture challenging to navigate.
Visual wayfinding proved insufficient in certain user flows, causing moments of hesitation.
The lack of diversity in users' preferred navigation paths resulted in longer task completion times.
I narrowed down the key themes that could improve both the user experience and interface of the app:
Improve Clarity and Navigation
Guide the user more effectively by making labeling clear and adding visual cues for the next step
Enhance User Efficiency
Streamline user interaction by adding multiple routes to complete tasks faster
iterations
iterations
Quicker logging through the HOMEPAGE
Giving users a more direct path to accomplish logging their period & improving label clarity
Giving users a more direct path to accomplish logging their period & improving label clarity
The ability to quickly skim information & content in the HUB
Improving the content navigation to simplify the browsing experience
Improving the content navigation to simplify the browsing experience
UI Improvement in the PERIOD TRACKING flow
Adding visual cues to streamline the user interaction with logging their symptoms
Adding visual cues to streamline the user interaction with logging their symptoms
iterations
impact
Iteration Feedback
During the iteration phase, I conducted usability and feedback sessions with both designers and solo female travelers to evaluate how effectively the designs communicated intent, supported task completion, and aligned with user needs and emotional goals.
Iteration Feedback
During the iteration phase, I conducted usability and feedback sessions with both designers and solo female travelers to evaluate how effectively the designs communicated intent, supported task completion, and aligned with user needs and emotional goals.
During the iteration phase, I conducted usability and feedback sessions with both designers and solo female travelers to evaluate how effectively the designs communicated intent, supported task completion, and aligned with user needs and emotional goals.
Intuitiveness:
95%
They were able to interpret what one had to do in each page without explaination
Usability:
100%
All were able to perform each task in a moderated setting
Emotional Satisfaction
8/10 Women
Said they could see themselves incorporating the app into their wellness routine or travel planning lifestyle.
Emotional Satisfaction
8/10 Women
Said they could see themselves incorporating the app into their wellness routine or travel planning lifestyle.
βI feel like Iβm actually taking care of myself when I use this app
βI feel like Iβm actually taking care of myself when I use this app
π¬ Ashley, Woman Participant
Real Quote from the Usability testing
Intuitiveness:
95%
They were able to interpret what one had to do in each page without explaination
Usability:
100%
All were able to perform each task in a moderated setting
Emotional Satisfaction
8/10 Women
Said they could see themselves incorporating the app into their wellness routine or travel planning lifestyle.
impact
Final Prototype
Final Prototype
Access the learning hub.
Learn about your current homornal phase and favorite articles with just a tap. Bookmark insights that matter most to you, so you can easily revisit them whenever you need a quick hormonal health refresh.
Log your period.
Let our smart algorithm get to know your unique rhythm. The more you log, the smarter your personalized insights become.
Create your meal plan.
The app syncs perfectly with your hormonal cycle, giving you exactly what you need β when you need it.
Access the learning hub.
Learn about your current homornal phase and favorite articles with just a tap. Bookmark insights that matter most to you, so you can easily revisit them whenever you need a quick hormonal health refresh.
Log your period.
Let our smart algorithm get to know your unique rhythm. The more you log, the smarter your personalized insights become.
Create your meal plan.
The app syncs perfectly with your hormonal cycle, giving you exactly what you need β when you need it.
Access the learning hub.
Learn about your current homornal phase and favorite articles with just a tap. Bookmark insights that matter most to you, so you can easily revisit them whenever you need a quick hormonal health refresh.
Log your period.
Let our smart algorithm get to know your unique rhythm. The more you log, the smarter your personalized insights become.
Create your meal plan.
The app syncs perfectly with your hormonal cycle, giving you exactly what you need β when you need it.
rEFLECTION
Final Thoughts
Challenging My Own Bias
My own hormonal health struggles fueled this concept, but user research quickly challenged my assumptions. I learned to hold ideas lightly and let data redirect the solutionβeven when it contradicted my instincts.
The Nutrition Bridge
The breakthrough came from recognizing a pattern: women had data but no framework to act on it. Nutrition emerged as the connector between passive tracking and proactive wellness because participants named food as the variable they could actually control. The best solutions amplify existing behaviors, not invent new ones.
Shipping vs. Perfecting
I spent too much time polishing flows when rough prototypes would have surfaced friction faster. Frequent gut checks from other designers would have caught usability issues earlier. I should have also balanced qualitative insights with quantitative validation through unmoderated testing to scale findings on task success rates. Perfectionism extended the timelineβsenior thinking means knowing when "good enough" ships faster than "pixel-perfect."
Takeaway
The gap in FemTech isn't more data; it's translating data into confidence. Impactful design happens when you let research reshape your vision.
REFLECTION
π Curious for more? π
Contact me at nirelinu@gmail.com and Iβd love to chat!
π Curious for more? π
Drop me a line at nirelinu@gmail.com and Iβd love to chat!