Focusing on the RSA brief Without Waste
Crimson is an app which offers environmentally friendly birth control packaging options in hopes to reduce prescription waste, as well as menstrual management for those in the Netherlands.
Responsibility
Crimson was created from September 8 to December 7, 2021 as a project for GBDA 301. Elyssa was a UX Researcher and UX Designer in a team of seven, working with a Project Manager (PM), Business Analysts, Visual Designers and other UX Researchers.
In the first half of this project Elyssa worked on user research and gaining insights about prescription waste, pain points, cultural differences in consumer purchases and design preferences for those in the Netherlands.
In the second half, after hearing insights about the projects capabilities from the Business Analysts, Elyssa worked on initial wireframes and pitching the colour scheme along with design guide and layout to the team and PM before starting low-fi prototype screens and usability testing. Elyssa also worked on prototyping the hi-fi screens and creating the final presentation for this project.
The Project Description
"Students will work in teams to develop a design proposal, prototype, and ancillary explanatory material for a digital media product/service for a non-Canadian community. Students will develop proofs of concept, design prototypes, usability tests, and a rudimentary business case. The course thus builds upon components students have learned in other courses to form an integrated whole and prepare students for real-life working conditions. Due to the pandemic, GBDA students are still spread across 12 time zones. Teams must contain at least one member in another country" (GBDA 301).
Background
In comparison to all other medications, why focus on birth control waste?
More than 6000 tons of plastic and polypropylene waste a year is due to the disposal of prescription packaging [1] and roughly 36.5% of females were using contraceptive pills in 2019 [2]. The team found that birth control waste is produced by the amount of PVC and lidding from blister packs, contributing to the large amount of prescription waste each year.
A person who menstruates is predicted to throw away roughly 400 pounds of packaging and those harmful plastics often end up in landfills, sewer systems, and waterways [3].
What Crimson Does
The team's goal is to partner with sustainable prescription packaging companies in the Netherlands to implement a more eco-friendly way of taking birth control.
Crimson includes features such as tracking symptoms and moods, locations of nearest eco-friendly pharmacies, and reminders for when your birth control prescriptions need to be ordered.
Subscriptions
Free subscription includes a period tracker, prescription reminders, information on periods and health packaging sustainability, messaging with pharmacies, and weekly challenges to promote women’s health and environmental impact.
Paid subscription includes removing Crimson’s service fee, automatic monthly ordering, a more in-depth analysis of customers' cycles, health, environmental impact, and daily challenges.
Paid subscription includes removing Crimson’s service fee, automatic monthly ordering, a more in-depth analysis of customers' cycles, health, environmental impact, and daily challenges.
Initial Research
Elyssa and the research team created a survey for those who use birth control. The survey received over 70 responses, which exceeded the team's expectations as this was the first round of the design thinking process. As a result, the team was able to gather information from both new consumers of birth control, up to those who are ramping off of birth control due to their age.
Personas
After conducting research about who is impacted by birth control waste, Elyssa created one of two personas. Finished November 16, 2021, Elyssa's persona provides a glance into the life of a working adult who is affected by birth control. The other persona was on a younger college student, who has less flexibility when it comes to transportation.
It was found that both personas were extremely busy and had limited resources to stay on top of their well-being. Both personas also felt that they have a lack of knowledge when it comes to their medication, and wonder if they are making the right choices.
Switching Roles
Elyssa will be a UX Designer for the rest of the project.
Wireframe Responsibility
The top onboarding area was Elyssa's responsibility, however she did help out with the other areas such as the calendar when usability testing showed results prompting change. One main focus was design consistency throughout.
Prototype Responsibility
Elyssa's focus was on the interactivity of onboarding and settings screens. She also contributed to changes in mapping, along with fixing the prototype to connect to the correct screens.
Want to listen to the presentation? Check out the video on YouTube!
References
[1] “Combating Plastic Pollution in the Pharmacy Industry.” EcoloPharm, 11 Oct. 2019, https://www.ecolopharm.com/en/think-green/plastic-pollution-pharmacy/.
[2] Elflein, John. “Women's Contraception Use by Age U.S. 2019.” Statista, 12 May 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235693/share-women-contraception-by-age-us/.
[3] “Our Planet Is Drowning in Plastic Pollution. This World Environment Day, It's Time for a Change.” #BeatPlasticPollution This World Environment Day, https://www.unep.org/interactive/beat-plastic-pollution/.
