Doula - Mobile App Study Case
UIX Design
Doula
November 2023
About Doula
Doula, a pregnancy app, offers audio guidance in the last phase of pregnancy to help manage contraction pain. It also provides contraction statistics and supports multiple languages for global accessibility.
The Assessment
Doula, a pregnancy app, offers audio guidance in the last phase of pregnancy to help manage contraction pain. It also provides contraction statistics and supports multiple languages for global accessibility.
Challenge
App lacks symptom tracker for expectant mothers to log and monitor changes during pregnancy. Outdated visuals, lacks engagement. Users seek personal, supportive experience.
Discovery Phase - Information Research
Below are the highlighted outcomes related to the general terms of the project.
1) Baby due date:
The unborn baby spends around 38 weeks in the uterus, but the average length of pregnancy, or gestation, is counted at 40 weeks. Pregnancy is counted from the first day of the woman’s last period, not the date of conception which generally occurs 2 weeks later. Since some women are unsure of the date of their last menstruation (perhaps due to period irregularities), a baby is considered full term if its birth falls between 37 to 42 weeks of the estimated last menstruation date. Early term: Baby is born between 37 weeks, 0 days and 38 weeks, 6 days. Full term: Baby is born between 39 weeks, 0 days and 40 weeks, 6 days. Late term: Baby is born between 41 weeks, 0 days and 41 weeks, 6 days. Post term: Baby is born after 42 weeks, 0 days.
2) When do contractions start?:
Once approach the baby's due date. Optimally, true labor contractions won't begin in earnest until close to the due date, but woman might feel some contractions on and off during the third trimester.
3) What is trimester meaning?:
The first trimester of a pregnancy is the first three months of the pregnancy. The second trimester is the period from three months to six months, and the third trimester is the period from six months to nine months. (weeks 28 to 40 of pregnancy)
4) Midwife and doula:
They are associated with unmedicated childbirth. A common misconception is that working with a midwife or a doula means you can only have an unmedicated or “natural” birth. In reality, while under the care of a midwife who delivers in a hospital, you are able to choose pharmacological pain relief. Your doula will also support you regardless of your birth choices. It is wholly your decision to choose the type of pain relief, or birth experience you desire. She stands by your side for unmedicated birth, hypnosis guided birth, epidural, or cesarean section birth. Doulas and midwives attend home birth, birth center and hospital birth.
5) What is the difference between a midwife and a doula?:
There is one significant difference between a midwife and a doula. Midwives provide medical care for you during pregnancy, birth, and the immediate postpartum period. Doulas provide you and your family with emotional, informational, and physical support during pregnancy, birth and the immediate postpartum period.
Ideation
About app
• Doula is a pregnancy app which was developed by DTT in 2014.
• Doula is a pregnancy app which provides audio guidance in the final phase of pregnancy for managing the pain during contractions. Users can view statistics of their contractions.
• The app supports several languages to make it more accessible for users in different countries.
• Voice coaching during and after contractions. Midwife Mary will lovingly coach you through all your contractions. User needs to only listen; her soothing voice will relax the user. If user wants they can play beautiful music.
The statistics of the contractions are automatically shown in a clear graph.
• The app contains in-app purchases, but still offers full support without payment.
• The app is developed in collaboration with leading professionals from healthcare and maternity care, and is therefore in the top 5 of national pregnancy apps.
• Obstetricians at the Birth center Amsterdam recommend Doula.
Users on Doula app
- “I became so relaxed because of the voice of the Doula App. And even when I started to panic I pressed the ‘puff’ button and I was coached back to breathing calmly” (The mother of Senna)
- “What a pleasant app. It helped me through my contractions last night! Recommended for every pregnant woman.”
- “Downloaded the app to help my wife with labour. It was really helpful when my wife was in labor. It was really calming and she enjoyed it. Made it easy for me to help.” (Craigrage)
- “A very beautiful app. I wish I had a doula but this is as close as I can get. This is my first pregnancy and it is very soothing and calming. I will be using this app when I give birth at the hospital this year. Thank you.” (SytheticElegance)
Doula in the press
- “Obstetrician Marij Sibie is our hero: She developed the app Doula Childbirth Coach. Press ‘contraction starts’ and she talks you through it with her calm voice, press ‘contraction stops’ and she helps you relax again. This is the relieving mobile application” (Viva Mama, Dutch mothering magazine)
- “The application is very simple, and that’s very good considering the situation”(iPhoneclub, Dutch leading iOS website)
- “A popular childbirth coach with a warm accompanying voice and background music” (Parool, leading Dutch newspaper)
- “The app includes a ‘puff’ button with breathing exercises” (Trouw, leading Dutch newspaper)
- “Voice talks to the soon-to-be mother in a calm way, while restful music is played on the background” (Gazet van Antwerpen, leading Belgian newspaper)
- “During a overwhelming experience like this, it’s pleasant for a future mother to know that there is a professional helping hand present to fall back on; Doula Childbirth Coach” (Babystuf, Dutch leading baby website)
- “Having an experienced obstetrician by your side during your whole childbirth, starting at your first contraction. Who doesn’t want that?” (Appstar.tv)
Functionalities
• Voice coaching during and after the contractions.
• Relaxing background sounds.
• Graph edification of your contraction times (in-app purchase).
• Breathing accompaniment (in-app purchase).
"Most users were satisfied with the app's functionality, but noted that it lacked certain interactions and had an outdated design."
Similar Capabilities
What do all the apps have in common?
After analyzing three different pregnancy mobile applications, I noticed similarities among them that will guide me to improve Doula's app.
Most of the apps are designed to provide guidance and support to pregnant users during their journey. These apps aim to offer valuable resources, information, and features that cater to the unique needs and challenges faced by expectant mothers. By leveraging technology and personalized content, these apps strive to make the pregnancy experience more manageable, informed, and empowering for users, fostering a positive and supportive environment for them during this special phase of life.
Doula and Birth class apps are incredibly beneficial in providing sound support to users, helping them relax and feel calmer during their pregnancy period. By offering soothing sounds, guided meditation, breathing exercises, and other relaxation techniques, these apps can contribute to reducing stress and anxiety, promoting a more positive and comfortable pregnancy experience. The sound support, coupled with the expertise and guidance of trained professionals, creates a nurturing and reassuring environment for expectant mothers, enhancing their overall well-being and preparing them for childbirth.
Pregnancy tracker and Pregnancy apps with a calendar feature help users track their pregnancy period effectively. Monitoring the duration of contractions through graphs provides users with a better understanding of their labor process. These apps also offer a wealth of information, including clear guidance, suggestions, tips, and tricks, which assist users in making informed decisions and feeling supported throughout their pregnancy journey. By combining these features, these apps can enhance the overall experience of expectant mothers, ensuring a healthier and more confident pregnancy and childbirth.
User Persona
Emphaty Map
Thoughts
“I desire a clear understanding of what I should be careful with for each week of my pregnancy journey.”
“I want to monitor my contractions and track my baby's progress to ensure a better pregnancy, and I want to be able to share this data with my doctor.”
“I am seeking an app that can offer me improved guidance through voice. Looking for reliable sources.”
Feelings
- In her third trimester period, Karya experiences feelings of anxiety and loneliness.
- She has many questions in her mind, but she is unsure where to find the answers.
- She is trying to ask her friends, but each of them are saying different things, which leaves her feeling confused.
- She is unable to gather sufficient knowledge from her doctor, and due to her lack of experience, she is unsure how to approach him with her questions. Also, she is shy and worries that she might face judgments.
- She has been experiencing difficulties with contractions, making it challenging for her to move around. Unfortunately, there is no one available to assist her during this time. Therefore, she spends too much time on the phone and looking for information.
Goals
- Aiming to tracking her pregnancy, diligently monitoring information about both her baby and herself.
- Her goal is to ensure a healthy and safe pregnancy.
- Seeking coaching, guidance during and after her contractions.
Needs and expectations
- Needs coaching guidance to alleviate anxiety and worry caused by contractions.
- Searching for reliable sources to obtain weekly information, track her baby's development, and gain insights into what to expect next during her pregnancy.
- Believes that monitoring her symptoms will be beneficial during her doctor appointments, as it allows her to track her progress effectively throughout her pregnancy.
Motivations
- Having guidance from a coach would bring me happiness.
- Relieving my contraction pains and tracking those periods would help alleviate my anxiety.
- Reading trustworthy information about my third-trimester pregnancy will enhance my knowledge and keep my confidence in the process.
Pain points and frustrations
- Lacks support from her family and partner during her contractions.
- As a first-time pregnant woman, Karya is lacking knowledge about what she needs to do next in her critical times.
- She is struggling to find all the features she needs in one app, such as data monitoring, weekly baby tracking, and coaching assistance during contractions.
- The blogs or apps she has tried appear to be unreliable, and she is now searching for genuine and trustworthy assistance.
User Journey Map
Outcomes
What kind of functionalities is Doula missing?
Upon observing the absence of significant negative feedback, I delved into a comprehensive research analysis, comparing various pregnancy mobile applications. Through this examination, I identified a commonality among these apps—a lack of personalized features that would provide users with a sense of companionship during this challenging phase. Recognizing the need for daily self-tracking and the consolidation of crucial health processes within a single app, I observed that many existing applications were falling short in this aspect.
To address these gaps, I proposed incorporating due-date-specific articles generated by professionals such as doulas and midwives. These articles would be complemented by essential health tips. Additionally, I noted the absence of a timeline tracking the baby's development in the existing apps. To enhance user engagement, I conceived the idea of a unique fruit-based timeline, avoiding the use of real baby pictures to create inclusivity.
Recognizing the significance of audio guidance during contractions, I prioritized the inclusion of a "Relaxation Player" in the app. This feature would provide users with soothing sounds from doulas or midwives, an interactive breathing circle, and the option to customize background sounds. The contraction experiences would be visually supported with graphs depicting their duration.
Furthermore, I identified the lack of a system for recording symptoms during doctor appointments, as well as the absence of a convenient way to store key information such as daily medications and recent doctor appointment notes. Recognizing the importance of these details in tracking both baby development and maternal health, I incorporated these functionalities into the app.
In conclusion, these proposed ideas stemmed from the outcomes of extensive research, and I subsequently began sketching to visualize and refine the concepts.
Sketches
Wireframes
Design System
The existing mobile application design appeared outdated, prompting me to develop a design system rooted in a concise style guide. As a result, the layouts not only felt more contemporary but also offered greater customization compared to the current platform visible to end users. These elements were reinforced by vibrant color schemes, a revamped typography, and strategic use of shadows.
Initial Design
Today - Main page
The homepage starts by posing a tailored question to the user, offering a choice between opting for voice guidance or inputting symptoms. Priority is given to user experiencing contractions. The user can find comfort and pain relief through voice guidance provided by skilled midwives and doulas. Additionally, user can log their daily symptoms for ongoing monitoring.
For the user who has provided their due date on onboarding process illustrates their baby's development with a fruit-based analogy.
The app provides a range of content-oriented features including articles, videos, and tools. These offerings aim to create a sense of companionship during the trials of pregnancy. User can easily access diverse features designed to offer assistance and support from doulas and midwives.
In the top navigation bar, icons are provided to facilitate user access to profile settings, the calendar, and points. Through these functions, users can customize their profile, view the complete calendar, and also purchase points.
Lastly, a point-based system is seamlessly integrated into the app, allowing user to unlock features either through earned points or purchases. This encourages active engagement, contributing to the app's growth and enhancement.
Upon selecting "experiencing waves," user will encounter two options: voice or puff. Each button is accompanied by an explanation of it is respective functionality. These functions are introduced during the onboarding process to familiarize user with the fact that "waves" refer to contractions. This information can also be accessed in the user settings.
Relaxation player - Voice, Puff, Rest
The relaxation player assists users by providing voice guidance during their "waves" experience. In this player, a midwife's voice offers guidance and support throughout the challenging phases of contractions. Upon entering this page, the background sound starts automatically and can be closed using the top right button. Furthermore, it provides users with information about the type of background sound being played. Users have the option to modify the background music in their profile settings, where they can also adjust the volume settings. This feature is introduced during the onboarding process. (Once the user selects voice button, an audio with coach's intruction will play with a soothing sound.)
Three buttons facilitate voice guidance during contractions, known as "waves." This function, explained during onboarding, offers users options: voice, puff, and rest. Based on the frequency of waves, users can select the appropriate button. To conclude the session, a back button is provided. Additionally, the app includes graphs that display wave duration and intervals, offering users visual insights into their contractions.
In the state in which the "voice" option was chosen. This means user experiencing soft waves, in that state an interactive circle guides them, with highlighted words displayed under the circle for a more user-friendly experience.
In the state in which the "press" option was chosen that is when the user encountering stronger waves. This is the state in which the "rest" option was chosen that is available for users seeking a break from waves. This functionality enables users to synchronizetheir breathing with the coach once they have hard times with contractions. An interactive circle facilitates the breathing rhythm, mimicking inhaling and exhaling. Subtitles are included to enhance the user experience. (Upon user selection, an audio containing the coach's instructions will commence playing.)
In the state in which the "rest" option was chosen that is available for users seeking a break from waves. (When the user selects the circle facilitates the breathing rhythm, option, an audio track will play.)
Categories & symptoms
Within the "Categories & symptoms" page, users are provided with various categories to record their daily changes and experiences. These encompass symptoms, mood, sex drive, vaginal discharge, appetite, swelling, physical activity, and more.
Upon accessing this page, symptoms are automatically displayed as a dropdown once the user selects "Symptoms" card on the main page or when user is trying to log their symptoms through a calendar.
While the primary focus is on symptoms, users can expand the dropdown to explore additional functions for documenting other changes or experiences. Moreover, users are allocated a space to log their pills and set reminders for their medication. They can also record their weight and include daily notes.
Upon entering their weight, users can visualize the changes through graphical representation.
The search button further aids users in efficiently retrieving specific entries based on their experiences.
My calendar
The "My calendar" page is dedicated to user, allowing them to input their data and view the corresponding dates. The user can trace their timeline, input symptoms, and access health information from their Apple Health, which is seamlessly synchronized with the app. This integration enables user to review metrics like daily step count and time spent in bed. The purpose of this feature is to assist user in meticulously tracking their data on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
Insights - User's library
The "Insights" page is tailored to offer users pregnancy-related content encompassing videos, audios, and articles. These content components serve as valuable guides throughout the user's pregnancy journey. They are organized into various categories to facilitate easy content discovery.
The app provides an array of offerings including coaching, exercises, relaxing sounds, meditation sessions, weekly articles, and nutritional recommendations, each contributing to a comprehensive and supportive pregnancy experience.
On the top navigation bar, the user will find a bookmark icon that allows users to access articles, videos, or audios they've previously bookmarked. This function serves as a personal library for users to conveniently revisit their saved content.
My place - User's tools
The "My place" page is designed to offer user a range of diverse tools. These tools are carefully curated to ensure user never feels isolated during the challenges of pregnancy. They aid in tracking and monitoring data while also providing unique functionalities for an enhanced app experience.
This page is divided into two parts: free features and premium features. To access premium features, users are required to accumulate points if they don't already possess them. This is why the card system for premium and free features is distinct, helping user easily discern the functions available to them. On the top navigation bar, a notification center is present to alert users with reminders and provide them with certain app benefits.
Final Design
After crafting the initial design, I received feedback from the client, prompting me to enhance both the app's functionalities and styling. The key areas for improvement included:
1- Show more UI states: Showcase more UI states on every possible use cases, especially in symptom tracker and relaxation player.
2- Improve symptom tracker: The user should be able to easily track previously logged symptoms, identify deviations and possible issues, add custom symptom, and have an option to share it with their health provider.
3- Improve readability of the screens.
4- Improve voice, puff, rest: Display indicators of the type of data that will be recorded while using these relaxation players.
I initiated the implementation of changes based on the feedback received, uncovering several crucial aspects. Firstly, on the main pages, I increased font sizes on cards to improve readability. I fine-tuned the gaps between elements for a fresher appearance and enlarged the card sizes for better visual appeal. In the relaxation player, adjustments were made to font sizes and weights of Voice, Puff, and Rest buttons to enhance readability. I introduced additional UI states for the relaxation player, as well as addressed missing UI states for graphs and the history of duration.
These modifications aimed at providing a clearer depiction of how graphs and duration history would be implemented, supported by UI state information and the provided data. The calendar page underwent enhancements, with added features allowing users to record symptoms for previous dates. The method for entering symptoms was updated to appear as a pop-up, improving the overall user experience. Users now have the ability to add multiple symptoms, navigate to past dates, and save entries. While categories were initially inaccessible due to time constraints, they will function similarly to symptoms.
Further features for editing weight, notes, and pills will be integrated using a separate pop-up function. On the calendar, an indicator represented by a circle on August 3rd denotes the presence of symptoms. The card design has also been updated to allow users to share data with their healthcare provider, view, and edit symptoms. After adding custom symptoms, the guide content for users will be altered, offering support for recurring symptoms by suggesting ways to alleviate them or recommending consultation with a doctor. Users can conveniently view and edit added symptoms on the main page.
Prototype
Retrospective
Final Thoughts
This project presented a significant challenge as I navigated tight timelines, leaving limited room for completing it on time. The existing app was outdated, necessitating a complete overhaul of styling, typography, images, and overall design. Despite being a woman, I initially lacked familiarity with pregnancy terms, compelling me to thoroughly research and understand user needs. To address this, I conducted a deep dive into terminology, performed detailed research, identified issues within the app, created user personas, envisioned the user journey, and began drafting my ideas.
After the initial design phase, the time constraints prevented me from addressing crucial elements such as gaps, font sizes, and card sizes. Feedback from stakeholders guided improvements in these areas, and I also introduced additional UI states to enhance the overall user experience. The symptom tracker underwent enhancements to provide users with more options and the ability to share information with healthcare providers. Furthermore, I identified missing indicators in the relaxation player and incorporated this feature to offer users a more comprehensive view of their progress.
Despite the challenges, this iterative process allowed me to refine the design and meet both project deadlines and user expectations.