2024 · Product Designer & Researcher
AIRA
A circadian rhythm app for PCOS management
Role
Product Designer & Researcher
Team
4-person team (shared build)
Research Methods
User Interviews, Survey, Behavioral Science Review, Expert Consultation
Platform
Mobile App
Duration
12 weeks
Overview
Women with PCOS juggle separate apps for periods, nutrition, sleep, and workouts — none of them talk to each other. The result is tracker fatigue, guilt cycles, and 80% app abandonment within 30 days. AIRA synthesizes five health pillars into a single daily score so users know exactly what their body can handle today.
My Role
I led mixed-methods research, synthesized behavioral science frameworks, designed the core algorithm and interface, and defined the full feature specification.
Tools & Methods
- Figma
- Behavioral science frameworks (Fogg, Tiny Habits, COM-B)
- Affinity mapping
- Apple Health / Google Fit integration
Objectives
Centralize Fragmented Tracking
Replace four separate apps for periods, food, sleep, and mood with one place, because switching tools was itself part of the burnout.
Design for Capacity, Not Compliance
Build for the days someone can't follow through, not just the days they can.
Remove Guilt from the Loop
Make consistency feel optional, not mandatory, since guilt was already shown to be a reason people quit tracking tools.
The Research
I conducted 5 in-depth interviews with diagnosed women ages 22–35, a survey of 20+ respondents, and an expert consultation with an endocrinologist. Three patterns emerged immediately.
Survey & Interview Findings
The Solution
AIRA introduces the Hormonal Readiness Score — a daily 0–100 metric calculated from sleep, insulin load, cortisol, and cycle phase. The morning check-in takes 60 seconds: the app pulls data from Apple Health, asks “Wired or Tired?”, and surfaces the score alongside a 24-hour Energy Wave showing peak windows and cravings danger zones. Every recommendation adapts to the score — yoga on a 40/100 day, HIIT on an 85/100 day.
Core Algorithm
“Hormonal Readiness = (Sleep Capacity) − (Insulin Load) − (Cortisol Load) + (Restorative Bonus). The formula translates complex hormonal data into a single battery-level metaphor users immediately understand.”
Key Features
Hormonal Readiness Gauge — visual daily score with contextual insight
Energy Wave — scrollable 24-hour circadian visualization with drag-to-adjust sleep handles
Correlation Charts — Cortisol Connection scatter plot, Insulin Loop bar chart, Cycle Predictor heatmap
Non-judgmental logging — photo-based meals, no calorie counts, compassionate prompts
Dark mode first — optimized for PCOS users with migraines and photophobia
Design Solutions
Insight 1
“I don’t have the brain space to figure out alternatives,” one participant said, describing the daily decision fatigue of eating well with PCOS on top of everything else in her day.
Recommendation 1
Non-judgmental, photo-based food logging instead of open tracking — curated suggestions that remove the decision, not just the judgment.
Insight 2
“Some days I just sleep the whole day,” the same participant said about her lowest-energy days. Both the Fogg Behavior Model and COM-B point to the same thing here: ability and capability, not motivation, are what's missing on those days.
Recommendation 2
Readiness Score over a streak counter. It reflects what the body can handle today instead of punishing the days it can't.
Insight 3
Asked what a magic-wand fix would look like, she asked for an energy management system — something to log when energy dropped and what caused it.
Recommendation 3
The Energy Wave — a pattern-over-time visualization built almost directly from that answer, not a single mood number.
Insight 4
Survey respondents named low energy, feeling overwhelmed, and ‘no immediate results’ as the top reasons habits break — the exact motivation-decay curve behavioral science predicts for slow-progress conditions.
Recommendation 4
Weekly small-wins summaries instead of streaks, grounded in COM-B's motivation pillar and Self-Determination Theory.
Insight 5
“Not more than once a week, maybe once in two weeks,” she said when asked how often check-ins should happen — more than that, and she'd start ignoring them the way she already ignores her phone's reminders.
Recommendation 5
A tapered nudge system: higher frequency during onboarding when motivation is naturally high, dropping to one weekly reflection after.
Outcomes
What Worked
The core premise — PCOS needs multi-symptom, non-judgmental management — held up across every interview and the survey.
Nobody questioned why mood tracking was missing from existing tools once it was pointed out.
Areas for Growth
No confirmed prototype or usability testing yet — this validated the need, not the interface.
The Readiness Score formula and phase/season toggle haven't been tested with anyone yet.
Learnings
One Number Can't Replace a Body
A condition that shows up differently in every person needs a tool that doesn't moralize consistency. Health isn't one number, and neither is a good day.