Menstrual Education

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

Project Type
Branding
Website Design
Animation
User Research

Branding

Branding Look and Feel

Elevated
Playful
Handmade
Gender Neutral

Based on the research you can find below, the audience for this campaign is mothers but also sisters, fathers, and caretakers who do not fit into traditional boxes. Because of this, typical menstrual product branding would not speak to them. I created mine in an attempt to capture the candid experience of learning about female anatomy and menstruation.

Animations

For those who have never experienced period symptoms, it can be hard to understand what they feel like. This is why I chose to include motion graphics to emulate the sensations. The choice of color, shape, and frame rate were selected in hopes of communicating this accurately.

Whether it is someone who does not menstruate or someone who is anticipating their first period, visual depictions can communicate these sensations better than words

Social Media Ads

Big conversations can be easy to avoid but so important to have. I chose to include promotional Instagram content because it comes up on your phone without searching. Those who have someone close to them about to start their period may also not have considered that it is time to “start the talk” or they themselves don’t know very much and want to learn more so they can accurately share information.

Website & Video

If you would like to view the full prototype you can do so here

Research

Peer Interviews

I conducted 6 interviews with my peers to get an overview of their experiences and begin a direction for my project. To see the object, questions and standouts see the drop down.

Saalt Content Manager Interview

Saalt is a menstrual product company focused on reusable products. Their brand tone is causal but accurate. They describe it as “your friend’s older sister” so it aligned closely with my audience. The social media creator and strategist was kind enough to speak with my about my project.

These were my main takeaways.

The conversation focused on tone and how to approach important topics through social media platforms. 

  • Using a candid tone helps communicate facts without being too sterile

  • Innuendos can increase engagement but avoiding anatomical terms defeats the purpose of the post.

  • Learn personal experiences and understand the users' attitude toward period education

    Identify pain points during this process and if there were common areas of confusion

    Understand how interviewees were educated and how they were delivered the information

  • How were you introduced to periods?

    How old were you when you got your first period?

    How common was it to talk about your period with other people?

    What were your emotions around first getting and being on your period?

    Did you feel comfortable sharing these emotions with other people? Who?

    When you had questions what methods did you use to find information? *If digital what?

    Were there any resources you wished you had?

    What information did you wish was in the resource?

    Did you have access to any social media platforms?

    If so what was primarily used?

    Why were they primarily used?

    Did you ever have a situation where you did not know how to get products? Were there any resources used to find them?

    Were there any topics that you felt particularly confused about?

    Did the resources you used discuss menstruation overall or just period products? For example hormones, mood swings, and cramping.

    How comfortable did you feel talking about your period with your parents? How about with friends?

  • 6th grade is when most of the girls first talked openly about their periods

    100% learned about how to treat the bleeding and not menstruation overall

    Hardly discussed topic. 1 of 6 talked openly about their period.

    Outstanding response of talking to friends rather than a parent or adult.

    Only 1 of 6 felt comfortable educating herself independently.

    100% wish they had an educational resource or a parent to talk to them.

    4 ranked their comfortability talking to a parent at a 1 or 2 on a scale of 10

Idaho Period Project interview

The Idaho Period Project brings supplies to schools.

These were my main takeaways.

Insight on the current public school system and how many families function

  • Many schools do not provide products in the restrooms even if the school has the funding to do so.

  • It is a guardian’s responsibility to provide products for the children. In some households, this is a financial burden.

  • There are many households without a mother or someone who uses menstrual products.

  • Inclusive language is incredibly important to include male guardians in the conversation and to help menstruators who do not identify as girls feel comfortable.