UX through Community is an ongoing UI/UX project where I'll be tackling the struggles of women in sports in navigating through their menstrual cycle: something their male counterparts do not have to worry about, and therefore; seldom acknowledged.
The existing body of Sports Science is based on research largely conducted on men; resulting in standardized training routines, mannerisms and ways of thinking that may not consider the female menstrual cycle at all.
It's not news that we live in a world where women-friendly spaces are tough to come by. The sports arena should not become one either. The solution is to not ostracize women, rather create experiences that helps include and accommodate them.
As a young woman in sports myself, I was interested in investigating the different experiences of female athletes under the taboo topic of periods in Sri Lanka.
I accessed the nearest facet available to me for my user research: the female undergraduate athletes in Sri Lankan Universities (19-25 yrs) engaged in a variety of sports from martial arts like Taekwondo and Karate, to individual sports like Weightlifting and Squash, to team sports like Basketball.
Through this research, I was able to gather a considerable number of insights to build my case study to move forward with the project. Through my passion for storytelling, I was able to bring my case to life through the following:
Video Credits: Pexels Stock Footage, Freepik Vector Graphics
Music: My Power (Karaoke) by Beyonce for The Lion King 2019
Out of the 48 female undergraduate athletes I was able to get in touch with, I engaged in a series of 10 in-depth continuous interviews, followed by empathy mapping, behavioural variable analyses and affinity mapping. Through this process, I was able to identify 2 main persona types to carry on my UX research and design process.
Persona Type I prioritizes her mental and overall well-being, deeply aware of how her menstrual cycle impacts her self-esteem and confidence. Despite her athletic ambitions, she values holistic health and believes her cycle could affect performance. While open to discussing her experiences with male coaches, she's wary due to past experiences of ignorance. She finds solace and support in "girl talk" and admires female sports stars for inspiration and empowerment.
Persona Type II is a fiercely driven and ambitious pro-athlete, proud of her prowess in her sports league. She refuses to be belittled in the male-dominated sphere of athletics, despite the challenges her menstrual cycle may present. She has no desire to share her experiences with coaches or team members who may not understand, fearing they may underestimate her or treat her differently. Her primary focus is on optimizing performance, often independently, without relying on coach intervention.
Further encounters with my user base, and more activities conducted through low-fidelity wireframe ideations testing and card sorting, I came up with a suitable information architecture of the user flow, developing it as necessary.
Finally...through multiple UI/UX design considerations: I came up with "Her's": a cycle-synced workout management app compatible across Android and Apple platforms and wearable devices targeting young female athletes that provide personalized data analytics, gamified customization features, plugins with partner apps and create communities by enabling forums and linking with female-centric coaching hubs.
