RUKI - Feminine Hygiene
RUKI is a series of feminine care products designed for Asian females. The products include a menstrual cup and a mobile application, which provide users with an alternative to improve their menstrual experience while supporting them to be more aware of their bodies.
User research, Product design, UI design
Period
Sep.2016 – March.2018
Team
Weichun Lin, Yunjen Jang
Contribution
User research, Market analysis, Concept development, Prototyping, Product design, UI design, User test, Brand identity
Menstrual Challenges in Taiwan
Due to cultural differences and information gaps, information about menstruation is often overlooked in Asia, affecting women's attitudes towards menstruation and their bodies. Menstrual cups are relatively new and eco-friendly products that provide women with a more comfortable menstrual experience, yet little information is available in Taiwan. We, therefore, investigated the menstrual product industry, medical regulations, and the habits, cognition and behaviour of women who have used or purchased menstrual products in the past. We tried to develop solutions to help them improve their menstrual experience.
1. Strict medical device regulations
Due to the strict medical device regulations in Taiwan, which classify menstrual cups as *advanced medical devices, people are not allowed to buy menstrual cups on the market. (This has been improved recently.)
*Advanced medical instruments carry a high risk in operation; therefore, it goes through rigorous inspection, including primary documentation, technical documentation, and test-related materials are required, such as clinical trials, product structure, safety assessment, and related references.
2. Low-margin market
Low margins in terms of sales and manufacturing costs have led to companies being less willing to develop or introduce menstrual cups. Compared to disposable sanitary products, reusable menstrual cups prevent repeat purchases, which can affect profits.
RESEARCH
We conducted research activities to gain insight into women's sanitary product usage habits, including an online questionnaire and follow-up user interviews. In nearly 3,000 valid responses, we found that up to 90% of women were interested in the comfort and convenience of using menstrual cups, which validates the potential needs and interests of the users. However, 62.5% of them raised concerns about using the product. Therefore we ran in-depth interviews with potential users to understand their concerns and identified the following insights.
User insights
-
Barriers to existing cup appearance are too high
It can be intimidating for those who haven't used it before or who don't know how to use it, as it looks too much like a medical device and is visually too large for users to try.
"It's a little hard for me to imagine putting that (menstrual cup) in my body... it must hurt..." ——Novice
"It's kind of like wearing contact lenses. You're always afraid of touching eyeballs before you try it...but you have to get over that first time...of course, that's the hardest."
——Experienced user.
-
Unfamiliarity with the body and misleading, fragmented information affects users' attitudes towards the product
Women's unfamiliarity with their own bodies and misconceptions based on family and cultural upbringing increases their rejection of invasive products. In addition, fragmented information makes it more difficult for users to learn about the products. (*In Chinese culture, there is an outdated custom that women who lose their virginity before marriage are believed to be infidelity.)
"Will the hymen break if I use a menstrual cup...?"
Research summary
Barriers to product appearance and lack of proper menstrual knowledge lead to a low willingness of women in Taiwan to use the cup. In addition, proper business models need to be constructed to maintain sustainable operations.
DESIGN STRATEGY
Design goal
Make the menstrual cup an acceptable and attractive option for Asian women, and help them become more aware of their periods and bodies.
Reducing appearance barriers
Redesign the appearance of existing products to improve product acceptance.
(Physical)
Leveraging
observability
Demonstrate the advantages of the product to increase its attractiveness.
(Digital)
Centralising information
Integrate relevant information, including tutorials and menstrual education.
(Digital)
1. Menstrual cup
Designing a menstrual product that caters to the needs and preferences of women is crucial in improving their menstrual experience. To achieve this, we aim to develop a menstrual cup that is visually gentler to raise the willingness of women to use it.
2. Mobile application
To take advantage of the observability of the menstrual cup and in response to the need to prepare the product in advance, we plan to develop a mobile application for users to log their period data and provide predictions, enabling them to better understand their menstrual cycles and make informed decisions about their health.
In addition, for newcomers, proper and reliable information can help them get started quickly. It is therefore planned to create an exclusive channel for female users to share experiences privately and safely, fostering a sense of community among users.
DEVELOPMENT & PROTOTYPING
To ensure the design outcome met the expectations and needs of users, we made prototypes and conducted rapid tests with users to gather feedback and iterate. This includes initial sketches, mockups and wireframes to the final medical silicon menstrual cups and interactive prototypes.
Menstrual cup
The menstrual cup design was initially focused on minimizing its size during folding. However, after gathering user feedback, it was adjusted to address concerns about its perceived (original) size, aligning it with user acceptance to increase their willingness to use it.
Initial design: Focus on folding the smallest cup.
Final design: Focus on the visual dimension before folding it.
Apart from its appearance, the folding of the menstrual cup is subtle, so we tried several materials and structures in our prototyping and iterated through user feedback to create the ideal folding experience.
Mobile application
The architecture has been designed to help users complete tasks as quickly and efficiently as possible to reduce operational friction. In addition, prototypes were iterated to find out the most intuitive interaction of data logging.
RESULTS
1. RUKI Cup
Features
1. Narrow opening
Unlike other cups on the market, the narrow top and wide bottom reduce the visual size. In addition, the bevel opening allows users to fold the cup to a smaller size.
2. Uneven thichness
An uneven thickness was designed to make the overlapping part thinner when folded so that the cup can become smaller, which helps users to put it in the body more easily.
3. Ring handle
To make removing the menstrual cup less challenging, the ring on the cup allows users to remove the cup with just one finger. Besides, the small bumps on the ring help users to identify the direction and stabilise the cup when removing it, preventing leakage.
2. RUKI App
1. Intuitive and efficient data logging
Intuitive data logging allows the user to easily and quickly record menstrual-related information such as volume, colour and symptoms each time the cup is changed, with a minimum of steps. The main content is displayed on the homepage and provides users with a prediction of each cycle based on their data.
2. Learn with Tips & Whisper
Tips is a collection of information and tutorials related to menstruation and the use of menstrual cups to help beginners get started easily. And Whisper serves as a channel for users to communicate and share personal experiences.
3. RUKI cup as an entry ticket
With the purchase of a RUKI cup, users can use the RUKI app and access the community for free. People who use other menstrual cups or want to add other menstrual cups to the app can subscribe to the premium plan.
IMPACT & ACHIEVEMENT
Menstrual cups made of medical-grade silicone have been created, and a high-fidelity prototype of the mobile application has been developed. We tested with both novices and experienced users to evaluate the effectiveness, acceptance and satisfaction of the products.
"...the shape looks a lot milder, and the size seems to be smaller? ...the point is that when I put it in, because of the oblique opening, no matter how I fold it, the head will be small, so it is quite easy to try. ... "
— Novice
"I've been looking for an app to record volumes...and the visualisation makes it so easy that I don't have to guess the figures...."
— Experienced user
"I found the communication channel very useful...I learnt how to use it by listening to other people's stories....."
— Experienced user
In addition, we collaborated with the biggest Taiwanese crowdfunding company to discuss the business model and go-to-market strategy. Bring this initiative from the problem-solution fit stage to the product-market fit stage. As a result of our impact, we have been invited to participate in various exhibitions to showcase our products and raise awareness about menstrual health.
Other projects