The Juiciest zero-to-1 Product

The Strawberry App is a mobile-first app that provides short-form videos and easy-to-read articles about menstrual health to young people who seek to understand their changing bodies.

Video walk thru

Background of the problem

Having a period is the first sign that the body is ready for reproduction. The period is often irregular for the first few years and often accompanied by unwanted symptoms such as heavy bleeding, cramps, cravings, and mood swings. These conditions can cause worries among young people and sometimes embarrassment. Some people are not comfortable discussing their problems with peers or even their families.

The two brave founders, Sveta Grinchenko and Svetlana Kazantseva, own Plum Thyme, a company dedicated to female reproductive products. They discovered these issues firsthand when talking to young people about their menstrual health. As a result, they founded the Strawberry Initiative project[1],[2]as a starting point to solve this problem.?

Problem statement

Young people in the US (aged 16-26) face challenges when seeking personalized and actionable menstrual health information. This difficulty hinders their ability to confidently manage their menstrual health and overall well-being, causing them stress and embarrassment.

There are few sources of menstrual health information for teens, such as parents, the Internet, social media, blog posts, friends, and health classes. Below are reasons why these sources are not valuable for teens:

• Abundance of information in the digital age
• Information overload leads to confusion and uncertainty
• Impact of advertisements on content relevance and trustworthiness
• Harmful effects of social media on young people's mental health
• Difficulty in accessing medically-approved information
• The complexity of medical information makes it hard to understand
• Limited access to caring physicians
• Delayed visits to OB/GYN until pregnancy, indicating gaps in healthcare education
• Negative experiences of children in health classes leading to avoidance of the topic
• Challenges for teenagers in processing vast amounts of information
• Emotional responses such as stress, embarrassment, and shyness to uncertainty and complexity of information

Why Does It Matter??

Addressing? menstrual health questions from young women is crucial for several reasons:

• 85% of young women and individuals with periods have pressing questions about their menstrual health in the last six months, indicating a significant demand for accessible and reliable information.
• Young people may not feel comfortable discussing periods with parents, guardians, or other adults, leading them to seek information from potentially unreliable sources like friends or the internet.
• Overlooking women's health needs in their youth can lead to larger issues in adulthood, such as hormonal imbalances and overall well-being concerns.
• Addressing menstrual health and related issues early on can promote better overall health outcomes and empower young women to make informed decisions about their bodies.

Research Process

We conducted 12 user interviews; nine young girls aged 16-26, one mom, one dad, and one physician. Below is the result:

• 100% of users say gaps exist in menstrual health resources that feel personal and relatable
• 100% of users say gaps exist in comprehensive menstrual health education in schools
• Comfort levels in discussing menstrual health topics vary
• The stigma around discussing menstrual health topics persists
• 60% of users use digital menstrual tracking tools but say they’re still not enough

Here are real sentiments from user interviews.?

Mom - “I have suffered through it and try to help my daughter through my experience.”

Teen - “I suffered from 14-18 years old with abnormal pain and my doctor just ignored the symptoms saying it's normal.”

Physician: “I practice 5-10 minutes of private time with young patients, as they might not be very comfortable discussing things in the presence of parents.”

Dad - “I won’t be very comfortable discussing periods with my daughter.”

Teen - “Health classes were the worst.”

Our target user, Pam, is a 16-year-old high school student. Her period is delayed by a couple of weeks. Not yet sexually active, she is very concerned. We highlighted her pain points when seeking information from the Internet, health class, and social media. She also did not want to talk to her parents and close friends and found that information from her mom was outdated and did not apply to her.

Competitive Analysis

We did a competitive analysis on six competitors and one alternative (physician). Based on the user interviews and target user journey, we found that no single solution exists today to answer all our questions. We summarized our findings in bullet points below:

• None of the available alternatives fully satisfy the requirements of our target users.
• Most provide generic information with lengthy text to sift through.
• Not all competitors offer medically verified information.
• The majority of our competitors need more community support features.
• Other femtech apps (Flo, Eve, Clue, SpotOn) focus on the reproductive aspect.?

Design Process

We started with a concept sketch using a story from our target persona, Pam. She is having a heavy period and is concerned that her condition is normal. She remembered the application that her friend used and realized that it was a normal condition for teenagers. With the information from the app, she can navigate her problem confidently.

We then incorporated concept ideas of what the app should look like and from other apps we liked.?

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During the app's design process, we began personalizing by asking users a few questions about their age, goals, issues related to their menstrual health, and contraceptive methods. We encouraged users to create an account with an email or log in anonymously with a username so we could provide specific content related to their needs.?

After logging in for returning users or signing up for new users, we presented the landing page, which has a personal greeting and some fun facts for quick engagement. A user can identify their feeling by selecting the emojis. The app will serve them short-form videos or articles in a short-form video that are easy to read. Medical professionals medically approve videos that come from medical verifiable sources.?

We built a prototype using Figma and ran a test experiment with five users. Below is what we found:

• 80% of users want a daily fun fact to learn new things every time they log in.
• 60% of users want a period tracking function.
• 60% of users want more onboarding questions for personalization
• 40% of users want more colorful backgrounds and colors elsewhere
• 40% of users want a cartoon-based emotion tracker

Based on the pain points and user interview results, we prioritized the following:

1. Personalization.? During the onboarding process, we gather valuable insights from users by asking a few personal questions, enabling us to tailor the experience to their unique preferences and needs.?

1. Bite-sized and easy-to-digest materials. Our prototype emphasizes the delivery of bite-sized, easily digestible content. We offer our target users short, easy-to-read articles and concise videos to enhance engagement and foster a desire for continued consumption of our materials.

North Star for the MVP release

For our MVP release, we've identified monthly signup users as our primary metric. As a nascent product in the user acquisition phase, the quantity of users is paramount for the app's viability. In the long term, we aim to track engagement through metrics such as returning users, referrals, and shared activities. Additionally, we seek to analyze the effectiveness of various content types in attracting users, potentially leveraging A/B testing to optimize our strategy.

Use Cases

Based on user testing above, and a two-week timeline to develop the MVP, we concluded that in order for our app to solve initial pain points for our target users, the MVP must have the following functions:

1. Personalization of content based on their needs
2. Bite-sized content
3. Easy-to-digest articles

There is strong interest in the following features:

1. AI-assisted search
2. Community support
3. Extensive personalization
4. Daily learning for engaged users

With limited developer hours, we will place those items in a roadmap for future consideration.?

User Stories

1. As a teenager, I want to sign up and log in to the app safely, so that I don’t have to remember my username.

Acceptance criteria:?

• A new user can signup by using their email and password.?
• A returned user can log in with the email and password they used to sign up.?
• If login fails (no match for email and password in a user database), a user has to sign up with a different email and password.?
• Out of scope: send a link to their email to reset a password.?

1. As a teenager, I want to find quick information related to myself so that I don’t have to ask anybody and can move on with my life.?

Acceptance criteria:

• Provide a search bar after a user logs in.?
• Provide short-form videos and article results related to search texts.

1. As a teenager, I want to see only medically approved, engaging, snackable videos, so that I can watch while waiting in line for something.?

Acceptance criteria:

• Short-form video generated by the founders and their team where the content is vetted by medical professionals.
• A video is played after a user clicks the thumbnail or a link
• A user can go back to the result page after a video is viewed.?

1. As a teenager, I want to log in and label my emotions, so that I can feel seen and heard and better deal with life.?

Acceptance criteria:

• Provide a variety of emotions to a user on a landing page after a successful login.
• Display videos and articles related to their emotions based on their emotions and results from onboarding questions.?

Key Outcome from Beta Testings

We aimed to gather feedback and assess usability directly from our target users. Five high school students volunteered to review the app. We shared six videos and tailored the presentation based on personalized results from onboarding questions. Several key outcomes emerged from the beta testing phase.

1. Users loved the short-form videos rather than large chunks of text
2. Users appreciated the personalized greetings, and daily fun facts enhancing user experience
3. The ease of navigation is a significant plus for the users, and they enjoyed being asked how they feel
4. Users asked for a period tracking function.?

We encouraged our target users to spread the word about the app and begin using it themselves. Within just under a month, 13 new users have signed up. To further increase signups and user engagement, we recognize the need to regularly upload additional videos and share daily fun facts.

Product Roadmap

We have categorized our roadmap into a new, next, and later format. With the product goals, our focus is on content that is engaging and updated frequently. We want to release the app to a few key target audiences which are the Strawberry Initiative’s high school interns. Our founders will ask them to share this app with their friends and the team will iterate on the feedback.?

For the ‘next’ phase, our focus shifts towards augmenting personalization and fostering a sense of community among individuals sharing similar circumstances. Through the integration of additional content and daily assistant features, we anticipate a significant surge in sign-up rates. As our user base expands, we will initiate the development of a thriving community ecosystem, bolstering user engagement and satisfaction through tailored experiences.

Looking ahead to the ‘later’ stages, the Founders have initiated explorations into forging partnerships with educational institutions, aiming to adopt a B2B model for scaling purposes and enhanced personalization. Initially conceived as a B2C application, the envisioned progression entails transitioning to a B2B model, eventually evolving into a B2B2C framework. Additionally, there is contemplation regarding the inclusion of menstrual cycle tracking and calendar functionalities to align with femtech competitors in terms of feature parity.

Furthermore, the Strawberry Initiative plans to onboard full-time content creators in the future to amplify the production of high-volume, engaging content tailored to our target audience and beyond.

My Individual Learnings So Far

It's hard to believe that it's already been ten weeks since I began my journey as a Product Manager. PMDojoProductAccelator has been instrumental in fueling my passion for transitioning into the realm of product management. In my role at PMDojo, I encountered a diverse array of challenges, from liaising with developers to delivering high-stakes weekly presentations. One aspect of this experience that will forever stand out to me is the opportunity to collaborate with my team of three incredibly talented women.

As someone with a background in Program Management, I'm accustomed to meticulous planning and execution. Initially, my instinct was to push forward quickly and deliver results. However, my colleagues taught me the importance of slowing down and taking time to reflect. Through this process, I gained valuable insights about myself, the challenges we faced, and the innovative solutions that emerged.

Surprisingly, I discovered a newfound passion for designing prototypes and websites. I found myself immersed in these tasks for hours on end, losing track of time in the process. In a world where finding joy can be a challenge, the act of building my first product brought me immense satisfaction.

What kept me motivated throughout this journey was the continuous learning experience. Each week, I absorbed new knowledge and skills, integrating them into the ever-expanding puzzle of product development. While managing the growing scope of the project presented its challenges, it also brought into sharper focus the vision for the product.

Reflecting back to week one, I couldn't have predicted what the final product would look like. Yet here I am, filled with an overwhelming sense of pride at how far we've come.

Conclusion

My 10-week journey at PMDojoProductAccelator is nothing short of amazing. For someone trying to break into the product, it can prove to you if you like the field. If you are true to yourself, you can see whether or not you will succeed in your career as a Product Manager based on your experience at PMDojo. For the true love of lifelong learning, Product training with PMDojo will elevate your quality of thinking and problem-solving to the next level. You can apply the skills you learn from this program to every aspect of your life.?

In conclusion, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Bosky Mukherjee, who serves as an exemplary role model—someone I aspire to emulate as I continue to grow. I am immensely thankful to? Svetlana Kazantseva and Sveta Grinchenko for their unwavering support and enthusiastic encouragement during every presentation. A special acknowledgment goes to Dr. Mace Cheng ?for her constructive feedback, always delivered with positivity and encouragement. To my dedicated colleagues— Ishani Mukherjee , Folu Soyaye , and Jovana Ilic, —I am grateful for your tireless efforts, countless hours, patience, and unwavering kindness throughout our journey together.

References:

1. The Strawberry App https://thestrawberry.app/?
2. The Strawberry App LinkedIn Group https://www.dhirubhai.net/company/the-strawberry-initiative/?trk=public_profile_experience-item_profile-section-card_image-click?

My name is Saijai Osika. I moved to the US about 17 years ago and found my first job as a Technical Support Engineer. With hard work and a laser-sharp focus on customers, I quickly became a team lead. I focused on operations and interacted more with Product and Engineering that was where I found Product Management. I wanted to build authentic products that resolve real-world problems. The course of true love never runs smoothly, and neither does my journey to Product. Along the way, I found PMDojoAccelator, where people can build a 0-1 product and work with industry founders. I cannot tell you how much I love building a product with practical guidelines from Bosky and her team.?

Connect with me on LinkedIn here