Building an empathetic health platform for women
LOOM
Principal Product Designer
0 to 1, Product Vision, Design Workshops, UX Research, Usability Testing, Design Systems, Visual Design, Identity, Animation, Prototyping, iOS Design, Marketing, Fundraising/Exit Materials
Overview
LOOM is dedicated to empowering women by providing trustworthy care and helping them learn about their bodies. As the principal product designer on the founding team, I guided LOOM's transition from a successful brick-and-mortar doula care center to a digital education platform. This shift allowed us to support women in embracing their bodies through every life stage.
I led the execution of the product vision, resulting in the successful launch of LOOM's highly acclaimed first iOS app. The app blends expert health information, real-life stories, and relevant news into snackable learning to help women thrive.
Challenge
Approach
In the constantly evolving and often maddening landscape of women's health, I guided numerous remote workshops to help our distributed team empathize, define, and align our goals. We were all acutely aware of the significant challenge in what we were building, particularly the imperative to help women advocate for better care.
02. Interview women at all stages of their reproductive health
I conducted interviews with dozens of women, encountering many who felt ashamed or frustrated by their lack of knowledge about their bodies. Some felt resigned to enduring painful periods, while others were puzzled by fertility challenges. Many also expressed unease about navigating menopause.
“I feel a bit embarrassed to get to 35 and not have as much knowledge about periods as I would like. I would like resources aimed at women of all ages.”
03. Launch web based experiences to achieve product market fit
The primary goal of the web-based Symptom Checker was to offer free, actionable, and easy to understand content on our website in order to serve a wider audience throughout their health journey. It helped us establish brand awareness and trust across all LOOM subjects and offered the ability to gather data to inform our program development while we build our native app.
04. Prototype and test
I brainstormed ideas with the team and designed several low and high fidelity prototypes, testing flows that give users full agency versus a completely guided experience and key features like period tracking, appointment booking, and audio content. I also conducted thorough competitive research to understand the market landscape and identify opportunities for innovation.
Empathize
05. Gather key insights
06. Design and launch beta iOS app
I collaborated closely with engineers to design and launch a beta app, targeting a small subset of users. The feedback informed our approach for the public launch, ensuring a user-centric design tailored to meet their needs effectively.
"I really appreciated how the information was shared. It felt like I was talking to someone I knew or a teacher I actually wanted to listen to."
07. Align on requirements and scope
I facilitated discussions to outline MVP requirements and scope with stakeholders. Emphasizing education and community-based features, our focus was on delivering a high-quality, empathetic, and differiented experience.
Discover
08. Create an intentional visual language
LOOM's visual identity is sleek, rich in information, and direct. Drawing from digital minimalism and educational elements like notebooks and highlighters, it offers a discreet learning environment. The absence of imagery directs attention to audio stories and educational content, with purposeful use of iconography.
09. Craft the product narrative and content design
The visual language was constructed without the use of imagery, resulting in a reliance on a thoughtful approach to the words we used. Considering LOOM’s sensitivity towards health topics, storytelling required careful consideration, prompting us to approach the end-to-end experience from a narrative perspective. Our focus was on enhancing discoverability, informed by research showing that most beta users arrived at LOOM with an accute need. To facilitate exploration, we implemented an intentional taxonomy to aid wayfinding through guides, transitioning from static pages to a scroll-based discovery interface, and integrating push notifications and messaging system.
10. Launch
I designed the full end to end experience of the iOS app for public launch, giving attention and care to documentation and a scalable design system. I also crafted the marketing materials surrounding the release, including the website, App Store assets, launch video, Instagram content, event assets, and email campaigns. This comprehensive approach ensured a cohesive and engaging user experience across all touchpoints of the product launch. After the launch, I continued to work closely with the CEO to develop our fundraising materials to present a compelling narrative for LOOM's exit strategy.
Reflection
The app received overwhelmingly positive feedback, highlighted by being featured by Apple as the App of the Day in the App Store. Witnessing real reactions was the most rewarding aspect of the launch. It reaffirmed the importance of our mission to provide a safe space for women to inform, normalize, and empower their health during every phase of life.