NALU
Cycle-Aligned Fitness
Nalu is a UX research and service design prototyping project exploring how women’s hormonal rhythms can be translated into adaptive, emotionally supportive fitness guidance.
Developed over a semester in a Service Design Prototyping course, the project included a team of 5 designers and evolved from research and prototyping into a multi-touchpoint service ecosystem and a high-fidelity mobile application.
Historically, the female population has been widely underrepresented in exercise physiology research and fitness guidance.
We began with a simple observation: fitness culture rewards consistency and linear progress, yet women experience cyclical fluctuations in energy and motivation.
Existing platforms either ignore these rhythms or track them without translating them into actionable fitness guidance. The disconnect between these two systems often results in frustration, guilt, and drop-off.
We set out to explore how a service could better align fitness guidance with hormonal rhythms, rather than forcing women to conform to a static model of performance.
PROTOTYPING THE SERVICE ECOSYSTEM
By using service design methods of physical prototyping enables us to test how each component reinforced the others.
DESKTOP SYSTEM MAPPING
Workshop session to test the desirability of connecting the menstrual cycle with fitness, as well as to validate the ecosystem we designed.
DESKTOP WALKTHROUGH & PAPER PROTOTYPING
User testing to learn how users respond to the educational content about the menstrual cycle and whether they trust Nalu with their health data.
CONVERSATIONAL PROTOTYPING
Applied feedback from previous prototyping and redesigned key service flows, tested whether the conversational flows are intuitive and easy to use.
FINAL PROTOTYPE TESTING
Live user testing sessions that combined Desktop Walkthrough, Multi-Touchpoint, and Hi-Fi Prototype methods to validate whether service artifacts were effectively communicating core values.
Research & Synthesis
Our process combined:
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Secondary research on menstrual physiology and fitness science
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Competitive analysis across fitness and FemTech platforms
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User interviews
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Co-creation workshops
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Iterative prototype testing
Key Insights
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Users needed clarity and trust before sharing sensitive health data.
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Educational that's framing non-academically was essential; terminology around phases was unfamiliar.
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Emotional tone influenced perceived legitimacy as much as functionality.
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Visual consistency directly impacted trust and credibility.
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The service needed to be both intelligent and gentle.
PROTOTYPING THE SERVICE ECOSYSTEM
Nalu balances biological reality, emotional sensitivity, and operational clarity across every layer of the service experience.
PERSONALIZED HOME SCREEN & CYCLE TRACKER
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Current cycle day + active Nalu rhythm phase
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Recommended daily workout
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Simplified daily log
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Cycle chart with long-view context
DAILY CHECK-IN
A brief, guided reflection designed to gauge energy, mood, and cycle phase without overwhelming the user.
ADAPTIVE WORKOUT PLAN
Workouts dynamically adjusted to align with hormonal fluctuations — supporting strength during high-energy phases and recovery during low-energy ones.
PROGRESS & FEEDBACK
Clear, structured feedback reinforcing growth over perfection.
Project Role
I contributed across research, synthesis, and prototyping, and led the project’s visual and interaction direction.
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Co-led secondary research and interview synthesis
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Facilitated in-person prototyping and user testing sessions
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Developed the brand identity and visual system
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Designed the high-fidelity mobile application
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Shaped cross-touchpoint visual consistency
PROCESS DECK
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