CYCLICA - cycle-aware wellness app

CYCLICA mobile cycle aware app
Key Takeaway

Inspiration

This project started from a simple but frustrating realization: women are constantly told to “track” their cycles, yet rarely taught what that data actually means. During our brainstorming, we kept coming back to how clinical and disconnected women’s health feels especially for something so personal and daily.

We were also inspired by cozy, interactive environments like like games, where users feel safe, curious, and emotionally connected. We asked ourselves: What if learning about your body felt like exploring a world instead of reading medical charts?

At the same time, our research highlighted a deeper issue many women feel dismissed when seeking care, leading them to rely on self-education. That gap became our opportunity: to design something that feels supportive, intuitive, and even a little playful.

What it does

Cyclica is a cycle-aware, gamified wellness app that helps women understand how their menstrual cycle impacts their daily life. Instead of just tracking symptoms, the app translates cycle data into personalized insights, daily guidance, and interactive experiences.

Users explore a cozy, game-like environment where their cycle phases are reflected through characters, moods, and spaces, making learning about their body feel intuitive, engaging, and stigma-free. The app also introduces a community layer, allowing users to connect, share experiences, and feel less alone.

How we built it

We started with brainstorming and moodboarding, exploring gaps in women’s health and inspiration from gamified experiences. From there:

Conducted market and user research to validate the problem space
Created a persona to ground our decisions in real user needs
Defined a clear problem statement and “How Might We” question
Designed user flows and key features focused on education + engagement
Developed a visual system and character-based concept to bring the experience to life
Built a prototype using tools like Figma, Claude, and AI-assisted design tools

Our process was highly collaborative, with continuous feedback loops between research, design, and prototyping.

Challenges we ran into

Balancing education and engagement We wanted the app to feel fun and gamified without losing credibility or depth.
Simplifying complex information Translating hormonal cycles into intuitive, digestible interactions was not straightforward.
Designing for sensitivity Women’s health can feel personal and even stigmatized, so creating a safe, non-judgmental experience was critical.
Avoiding “just another tracker" Many existing apps already track data, so we had to clearly differentiate by focusing on insight and learning.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Creating a concept that goes beyond tracking and focuses on education + empowerment
Designing a unique gamified experience that makes health feel approachable
Building a strong, research-backed foundation with clear user needs
Developing a cohesive visual and interaction concept (characters, environment, mood-based UI)
Successfully collaborating as a team under time constraints

What we learned

Users need meaning, not just data
Raw tracking isn’t helpful without context and guidance.
Emotional design drives engagement
A warm, playful interface can reduce stigma and increase usability.
Community is powerful
Shared experiences help normalize conversations around women’s health.
Designing for human variability is essential
Unlike most apps, this required designing for constantly changing energy, mood, and cognition.