KŌNENKI LABS



Challenge



80% of women experience myriad menopause symptoms for an average of 7-10 years in midlife, yet women and health professionals alike are ill equipped to navigate it. How might we equip women so that no woman needs to experience the physical and psychological distress associated with menopause, and go into their golden years with the best possible health?



Solution



An ecosystem of connected devices that track and relieve symptoms for holistic, data-informed, individualized solutions to women's health and well-being in midlife.



Role



I conducted the user & market research, went through multiple rounds of ideation for product and system, prototyped the device and app, tested with users, defined the business model, created the brand identity, and produced the video and the exhibition.



Date



February - July 2019



Research



Journey Map: Research and Concept Development Iterations



I conducted extensive research centered upon human experiences to pinpoint an opportunity gap. In addition to perspectives and solutions related to aging and women's health, I also researched parallel industries and emerging social trends to inform my design.



A Simplified Roadmap of Women's Health Concerns



I discovered the opportunity surrounding menopause while I was interviewing 26 women between ages 36-80 about their experiences and perceptions about aging. My goal was to better understand and find patterns in their experiences as I mapped their journeys.


Premenopausal women thought little about menopause. Women going through it were mostly distraught, with a spectrum of treatment preferences ranging from hormone replacement therapy to non-hormonal alternatives. Most wished they could have known more about menopause earlier to avoid the shock of the changes they experience. Women who have safely exited that stage of life feel a renewed zeal for life. Interesting, several made lifestyle changes in their 40s and 50s to become more active, such as taking pilates. While not as simple as 1+1=2, lifestyle factors (e.g. diet, exercise) may play a role in the severity of symptoms. But women in different stages of life rarely spoke about menopause with each other.


Women wanted to be better prepared for the changes they experience in midlife, to better understand their symptoms, and to be empowered to alleviate their symptoms.



A woman's journey navigating her menopause symptoms



The combination of menopause symptoms and potential treatment options can be confusing and ever-changing. I joined menopause support groups and learned about women's coping strategies and the frustrations that women experienced in their doctor's visits. Primary care physicians do not receive specialized training on menopause symptoms and treatments, and many dismiss their patient's concerns or erroneously prescribe unrelated medication. It's also difficult for them to stay up to date on the most recent medical research.


Some women track their symptoms to look for patterns to better manage their daily plans. Some use a journal, others an excel spreadsheet, and—since the completion of this project—new tracking apps have emerged on the market. However, even the most diligent of women have difficulty consistently tracking their symptoms accurately and in a timely manner.



IDEATION, Prototyping, and testing



Divergent Concept Exploration: What Could the Menopause Experience be in 2050?



As I interviewed western and eastern medical practitioners, listened to women's stories, reviewed research journals, and developed my perspective on menopause treatments, I sketched ideas that combined the latest scientific research with emerging technologies. I was captivated by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) approaches to personalized health, and explored ways to leverage technology to make diagnoses more objective and take personalized diagnoses beyond a single practitioner within the four walls of a physical clinic.



Research overview of sensors used for computational pulse diagnosis devices.




Combining silicone polymer with graphene to make a hypersensitive, moldable sensor.



Building an Internet of Things for Menopause: Product Rendering V1



Inspired by a nurse's story that one of her patients simply placed her feet somewhere cool to relieve her hot flashes, I designed a suite of devices that relieve common menopause symptoms with embedded sensors to track their occurrence, so that women do not need to remember to track. This also helps create a more objective evaluation of symptom occurrence and severity.



The first version of the app was designed to visualize symptoms and aid communications with medical professionals.



Exploring Materials, Form, and Function



As I 3D sketched my concepts with foam, clay, wood, and stone prototypes, I took them back to the menopause support group and individual women that I had interviewed. My goal was to observe how they reacted to and used the different objects, and to understand how the objects might fit into their daily life.



Prototyping with Electronics



At the same time, I procured sensors that could be integrated into the prototype devices to track usage data to create functional prototypes.



Outcome



A Holistic Ecosystem for Holistic Well-being



Sensors in Kōnenki devices collect usage data which the app translates into symptom data and correlates with other lifestyle data on the user's phone.


Kōnenki analytics help women isolate potential patterns in their symptoms and create personalized coping strategies. It also alerts women should medical attention become necessary, and equip them with data for more productive discussions with medical professionals.


Learn more about the app

The Kōnenki Journey: From Restless to Regeneration



The #1 thing that women of all ages identified as the most helpful in their aging journey was support from family and friends. However, most women do not speak to their partners or close friends about their symptoms.


Like many things in life, lifestyle changes are difficult to do alone. Konenki translates identified coping strategies into real-world services. It matches women who opt-in into location-based groups to journey through life adjustments together in cohorts.


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