Master's Thesis · University of Applied Sciences Potsdam · 2022–2023

CycleWise

A research-driven concept for a period tracker that supports users through every life stage — including the one no existing app was designed for.

Problem

Period trackers were designed for one phase of life.

The transition to menopause is a significant stage — characterized by irregular periods and symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep disruption. Despite the prevalence of period tracking apps in the mobile health industry, none were built to support this transition.

The research question guiding this thesis:

How can the current period tracker's user experience be improved so that it can also support the menopausal transition phase?

Approach

Understanding a gap the market had ignored.

I used the double diamond framework throughout — diverging to understand the problem space deeply before converging on a design direction.

Competitive analysis

I analyzed six top-ranked period trackers from the iOS App Store Health & Fitness category, examining whether they supported users' full lifetime goals and life stages.

Survey

I surveyed 50 people in perimenopause or postmenopause through a tri-lingual questionnaire (English, German, Korean). Two major discoveries emerged.

Empathy mapping

I organized survey responses into an empathy map to bridge the gap between what users say and what they actually feel. Key themes: being unprepared, wanting accurate information in advance, and feeling anxious about symptoms they couldn't explain.

How might we

I translated user pain points into design opportunities using "How might we" questions — then identified the most feasible solutions for a mobile app context.

Prototyping and iteration

I built from sketches to low-fidelity prototypes, running two rounds of qualitative interviews — first with two end-users and one FemTech industry stakeholder, then with one additional FemTech stakeholder and two OB/GYN physicians. Each round lasted ~45 minutes, conducted remotely.

Three design iterations came from the interview findings:

Iteration 1 — Personalization visibility. Made each dashboard widget visually editable and made the mode selector more prominent with contextual information.

Iteration 2 — Data tracking subtlety. Added severity scales, customizable tracking parameters, and a pause period option to generate more accurate visualizations.

Iteration 3 — Visual clarity. Replaced heavy text blocks with icons, illustrations, and graphical elements to reduce cognitive load.

Solution

A period tracker that grows with you.

CycleWise is a customizable period tracker that adapts to a user's life stage and goals — from puberty through menopause. The solution centers on three design concepts.

1. Integrate Menopause Mode

The app recognizes that menopause is a natural life transition — not a disease. By adding a Menopause Mode alongside Puberty, Track Period, Trying to Conceive, and Pregnancy, the app treats the full lifecycle of a menstruator as equally worthy of support. The mode selector is prominent on the home screen and adapts the entire experience to the user's current stage.

2. Give users autonomy through customization

Giving users authority over their own health data increases engagement and insight. CycleWise allows users to customize their dashboard widgets, choose which symptoms and triggers to track, and edit their tracking parameters freely. The customizable dashboard adapts to what matters most to each individual — not a one-size default.

3. Make the best use of data visualization

Self-tracked data is only useful if it tells a story. The Insight tab synthesizes patterns from a user's data — cycle length trends, symptom correlations, noticeable changes over time — displayed through clear, readable charts. This gives users meaningful feedback on their own bodies, and can support conversations with their physicians.

Reflection

Validated by users, physicians, and the research gap itself.

• CycleWise is a research concept, not a shipped product. The impact is measured through research rigor and user validation — not analytics.
• All 6 prototype test participants found the experience easy to navigate, intuitive, and much cleaner than existing apps
• The symptom matrix chart in the Insight tab was noted as useful not just for users, but for physicians making diagnoses
• Participants responded positively to the language used — "the new chapter of life" was specifically called out as framing menopause positively rather than clinically
• The Forum concept was noted as genuinely helpful — the topic filtering was particularly well-received

What I learned

1. Human-centered research works across unfamiliar domains: I chose menopause because I found a genuine research gap — not because it was familiar to me. Through surveys, interviews, and academic literature, I was able to deeply understand a user group I had no personal experience with.

2. Continuous testing is essential: Testing from the earliest prototype stage let me iterate meaningfully rather than refine in the wrong direction. Even with limited access to the exact target users, remote testing revealed critical improvements at every round.

3. Academic research builds design confidence: Reading scientific literature and synthesizing it into design decisions gave me a stronger foundation for every choice. It's a skill I've carried into my product work — understanding the problem before reaching for a solution.

Full thesis available at fhp.incom.org