Birth Story
About: A micro-app that helps birthing parents log important medical information, record details about their birth, and reflect on the experience afterward.
Client: Sarah Burns, MSW, LSW; Tamar Krishnamurti, PhD
Team: Lorin Anderberg, Michael Juan
Course: CMU MA in Design, Studio II—Introduction to IXD
Role: UX/UI Design, UX Research, Copywriting, Brand Identity
Tools + Credits: Figma, Unsplash, SVG Repo Icons
Duration: 6 weeks
Design Challenge:
Birthing parents lack systems of support before, during, and after the experience of giving birth, which is often overshadowed by the needs of a newborn.
How might we create an app that will help birth parents and their loved ones prepare to document, record, and reflect on the process of giving birth in such a way that balances the logistical and emotional aspects of the experience?
Design:
Users are quickly onboarded with clear examples and can toggle between notes and journal entries in a chronological timeline. Thoughtful prompts guide reflection on the birth experience, while keyword tagging enables easy search.
Research revealed users want to collaborate with loved ones, leading to the Care Pod feature—a curated inner circle that shares supportive messages and receives birth updates.
Because users don’t fully trust that digital memories will be preserved long-term, the Birth Story Book transforms entries into a physical keepsake via free PDF or affordable printed booklet.
One parent noted, “It would be tragic to lose those moments if the app disappeared someday.”
Process:
Research
1 Week
Meet the Client
Research the Topic
Draft Design Principles
Synthesis
1 Week
Interview 7 Parents
Synthesize Findings
Draft Lo-Fi Wireframes
Ideation
1 Week
Brand Identity + Concept
Mid-Point Presentation
Class Crit
Feedback
1 Week
User testing (Think Aloud)
Revisions
Class Crit
Iteration
1 Week
Concept Refinement
Feedback
Brand + Visual Refinement
Presentation
1 Week
Hi-Fidelity Wireframes
Feedback
Final Client Presentation
Approach:
We wanted our app to be functional, intuitive, soothing, and efficient. We focused our early iterations on 4 key user flows: onboard, reflect, document, collect. We initially created a simple user flow, dividing the app into two primary functions: Document and Reflect.
However, after receiving parent feedback, we redesigned the home page to integrate both functions. This reduced barriers to entry and allowed users to immediately engage based on their needs in the moment.
Project Brief
Design a micro app for birthing parents that complements Myana’s existing pregnancy and postpartum apps, focusing exclusively on capturing and reflecting on the
Birth Story.
Requirements
Gather information
Gather medical info
Gather contextual info
Facilitate birth narrative
Log feelings
Initiate meaning making
Support processing
Function
Collect Usable Data for Research (Content Tagging)
Tell A Compelling Story (Data Visualization)
User Retention (Push Notifications)
Recording Relevant Medical Information
Collecting Memories (Photos, Voice Notes, Notes)
Prompt Emotional Processing (Journaling)
Approach
Appropriate
Supportive
Inviting
Trauma-informed
Easy to understand
Useful
Feel
Intuitive and Calming (Colors, Fonts, Illustrations)
Easy to Navigate (Simple UI)
Empathetic and Trauma-Informed (Compassionate Copy)
Appropriate + Efficient (Language + Discoverability)
Therapeutic (Creative Reflection Prompts + Timeline)
Useful (Collaborative With Care Team)
Brand Identity:
We wanted the interface to feel calming, knowing that this app would be used in wee hours of the morning or in harsh hospital light. We intended for it to feel organic and emotionally supportive—creating a safe space for difficult emotions and uplifting moments alike. We also wanted it to feel similar to the parent app, Myana, so we created a new gradient to match Myana’s gradient style.
Feedback:
Our user testing helped us empathize with the limited capacity of a parent during and after giving birth and helped us be more direct with the UX flow by optimizing simple instructions and minimizing decision fatigue, vague language, and barriers to use.
Outcomes:
We had a successful and well-received presentation to the client who said:
“I wish this could be real right now!”
The concepts presented in this class will function as real, preliminary research and ideation for the eventual creation of a Birth Story app by the professors and the client.
Lessons:
If I could do this project again, I’d begin by simplifying. Identifying the core need early would have helped me stay focused, rather than trying to do too much at once. I also learned how important it is not to add anything to a wireframe that distracts from the main purpose or opens unnecessary avenues for feedback.