Nurtur Mobile App

April 2023, Two-day Rapid Design Competition

* Awarded 1st Place out of 38 Teams*

OVERVIEW

Nurtur is a mobile app that helps new mothers in their postpartum journey. It focuses on breastfeeding support, and provides resources and social connections.

This project was created during a two-day rapid design and prototyping competition through the University of Washington where over 1,000 individuals participated across 121 teams. I worked with two teammates (one UX Researcher, one UX Designer) and we were given 15 minutes to review the prompt before diving into over 15 hours of rapidly designing a solution. We were awarded 1st place out of 38 teams in the FemTech track.

ROLE

UX Designer, Project Manager

  • Recruited the team and led strategy.

  • Identified the winning concept—a breastfeeding support solution.

  • Designed key prototype interactions for the feeding tracker and ‘Learn’ page.

  • Wrote the pitch and structured the storytelling.

  • Facilitated wireframe sketching and collaborated on UI design.

Tools Used

Figma | Google Slides | ChatGPT-4

Problem

The Prompt & Finding a Unique Angle

Designing a solution for new mothers during postpartum was an open-ended challenge, with potential focus areas including emotional well-being, physical recovery, sleep deprivation, and support systems. To stand out in a crowded market, we needed to identify an overlooked need.

Defining Our Niche

Research revealed that mothers spend an estimated 1,800 hours per year breastfeeding (source) and that breastfeeding challenges are closely linked to postpartum depression (source). Despite its significance, breastfeeding lacked dedicated, well-designed digital support solutions.

I pitched this focus to my team, and we moved forward with the problem statement:

How might we support new mothers in their breastfeeding journey?

Solution

Core Features of Nurtur

  • Feeding Tracker – Log pumping and feeding sessions with a simple, intuitive system.

  • Learn Page – Access trusted breastfeeding and breast health resources in one place.

  • Social Page – Connect with local support groups and lactation consultants effortlessly.

  • Daily Affirmations – Receive encouraging messages to uplift mothers through their breastfeeding journey.

Key User Flows

Designed around Emily’s pain points, Nurtur supports three essential user flows:

  1. Log a new pumping session using the feeding tracker.

  2. Find and bookmark a nipple care resource for later.

  3. Join support groups and conversations with other moms.

User Flow #2 demonstration

Mobile App Goals

Designed with Emily’s pain points and motivations in mind, our solution aimed to:

  1. Simplify feeding tracking to help mothers stay organized.

  2. Provide trusted breastfeeding and breast care resources in one place.

  3. Foster a supportive community where mothers can connect and share experiences.

  4. Offer encouraging messages to uplift mothers during their breastfeeding journey.

By achieving these goals, users like Emily can experience a smoother postpartum journey, allowing them to focus on what truly matters—nurturing themselves and bonding with their baby.

Research

Primary & Secondary Research

With limited time, I conducted secondary research and explored Reddit discussions for insights into postpartum challenges. I then interviewed five mothers to understand their breastfeeding experiences, challenges, and unmet needs.

Key Insights:

  • Emotional Struggles – Mothers who faced latching or milk production issues reported feelings of guilt, frustration, and sadness.

  • Lack of Support – Many felt isolated, with no one experiencing the same breastfeeding struggles.

  • Tracking Difficulties – Exhaustion made it hard to track feedings, including which breast to use next, ounces produced, and feeding schedules.

Competitive Analysis

To assess existing breastfeeding support apps, I downloaded and analyzed multiple products, noting their features, strengths, and gaps. This helped us identify market positioning and define unique features to differentiate our solution.

User Persona

Meet Emily. Emily represents key insights from user interviews. As a first-time mom, she wasn’t prepared for the challenges of breastfeeding. This persona helped guide solution development by keeping the user’s needs at the center of the design.

Emily’s Pain Points

  • Struggling with feeding and pumping – "I feed so many times a day. How am I supposed to remember which breast I pumped with last?"

  • Difficulty finding quick solutions – "How do I treat my painful, cracked nipples?"

  • Lack of support and encouragement – "I feel so alone!"

Emily’s Motivations

  • Providing optimal nutrition for her baby through breastfeeding.

  • Strengthening her bond with her child.

  • Proving to herself that she can navigate breastfeeding despite being the first in her friend group to experience it.

User Persona snapshot from our solution pitch deck

Design Process

Rapid Ideation

With limited time, we built a sitemap and user flows based on assumed user behavior. I then facilitated a 5-minute rapid wireframe sketching session, where each team member sketched ideas, presented them, and voted on key elements to incorporate. From there, we moved directly into rapid prototyping in Figma.

Prototyping & Storytelling

To meet the submission deadline, we divided tasks strategically. I focused on:

  • Prototyping the "Learn" page

  • Redesigning the breast pump tracking flow

  • Fixing prototype interactions

  • Crafting the storytelling for our solution pitch deck

Meanwhile, my teammates led UI/branding, additional user flows, and pitch deck design. This collaborative approach ensured we delivered a functional prototype and compelling pitch on time.

Photo of me presenting my wireframe sketches

Final wireframe sketches

Opportunities

I see so many opportunities to further develop Nurtur. For example:

  1. Tailored content based on motherhood stage: One user I interviewed mentioned how she wishes she could’ve learned more about breastfeeding prior to having her baby to fully prepare herself. So, I could see during the sign-up process the ability for users to select if they’re pre or post delivery for tailored content based on their motherhood stage.

  2. Generate revenue: I envision the app to feature the best breastfeeding clothing or tools. Items purchased through affiliate links gives us a percentage of sales back. It’s important to not add more barriers for new moms by withholding life changing information from them, so I would push back on proposals to add pay walls.

  3. Charity element: Lastly, with my background being in the nonprofit sector, I appreciate when companies give back to a cause. Nurtur could have a fundraising or charity donation element to an important motherhood-related cause, such as a single mother-related cause, to further show our commitment to empower women in their motherhood journey.

Takeaways

Key Takeaways

  • Innovative solutions matter more than perfect UI. One judge praised us for delivering a clever, simple solution with a niche focus that no other submission addressed.

  • ChatGPT can streamline design sprints. It handled small tasks, allowing us to focus on concept development, design and prototyping.

  • In-person collaboration improved efficiency. Meeting face-to-face made it easier to read body language and keep engagement high.

  • Open-sourced UI elements save time. Balancing custom designs with open-source elements would have prevented inconsistencies and improved speed.

What I’d Do Differently

  • Mind Mapping – Skipping a formal mind map wasted time. Individual brainstorming before group discussions would have helped us refine ideas faster.

  • Prototyping Strategy – Creating a UI toolkit and prototyping simultaneously with multiple designers was inefficient. I would follow better task delegation strategies for rapid prototyping in team environments.

Team JMN Innovate

Previous

Ensemble Mobile App: Digitzing Your Closet To Help The Planet