New Product Design
Supporting New Moms Through Matrescence
Table of Contents
2. The Problem
3. The Opportunity
4. Design
5. Final Product
Project Details
Year: 2019–current
Tools: Figma, Whimsical, SurveyMonkey, Gsuite
1. About the Project
Matrescence is the process of a woman becoming a mother.
It’s a major life event—one I’d unknowingly not been prepared for. I frantically searched for help and nothing gave me peace of mind.
My search uncovered a few resources:
- What to Expect When You’re Expecting,
- BabyCentre, and
- The Wonder Weeks.
However, all the products that existed focused on babies—not mothers.
It was time for someone to focus on moms.
2. The Problem
Women are told that being a mother is a beautiful experience. However, many scary things happen to new mothers each day.
It’s taboo to talk about the sad, complex, and gross things that come with being a mom. A safe space to talk, get validation, and specific advice will normalize the depth of the experience.
Up to 80% of new moms experience the “baby blues”.
After giving birth the new mother’s…
- Body is unrecognizable
- Identity is uprooted
- Relationships are redefined
- Hormones are raging
This process is similar to adolescence, but more intense. Because new mothers experience so much change in such a short period of time, it’s common for them to be emotional, sad, and lonely. So common that it has a name—the “baby blues”.
3. The Opportunity
Market Research
Coming soon!
Competitive Analysis
Coming soon!
4. Research
Diary Studies
To better understand the early motherhood experience, I recruited pregnant women to participate in a diary study. To keep things easy for them, I simply asked them to text me.
After giving birth, they shared:
- Their thoughts and concerns
- How they felt
- What they did that day
- How the baby was
- General updates
- What they learned
Interviews
Some women didn’t feel comfortable writing in English or leaving voice texts, so I scheduled interviews to hear about their experience face-to-face.
The conversations were casual and unscripted. This approach led to more insights about the struggles they experienced in their relationships.
This approach also gleaned more insight to the emotions women experienced if they had a traumatic birth experience.
5. Design
Once I have a good understanding of the problem and the people I’m solving it for, I design some solutions.
Experience Map
Coming soon!
Flow & Wireframes
6. Final Product
