Begin Fertility

Balancing empathy and expertise in virtual fertility care

The context

Curiosity about one’s fertility status can quickly turn to anxiety when faced with conception challenges or post-conception issues. And, with doctor shortages across North America, patients can wait ages to speak with a specialist, with added delays for tests and referrals. This can cause more straightforward solutions (such as weight management for fertility) to be postponed for years, or more complex issues (such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or a thyroid disorder) to go unnoticed.

‍Begin Fertility is a new digital health service offering that empowers individuals to start their fertility journey from the comfort of home. A simple blood test measures hormone levels and provides insight into an individual’s ovarian reserve and overall reproductive potential. This information is analyzed by medical experts at Begin Fertility and shared in an easy-to-understand assessment report with recommendations for next steps. Begin Fertility then further supports patients by providing virtual consults, in-person referrals and prescriptions for fertility medications that may improve chances of conception. The team, founded by two passionate doctors with practices in Montreal, came to us seeking digital product design and software development of their Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Let’s break down how we brought their vision to life.

Project details

Industry

Health

Technologies

Figma

Miro

Django

ReactJS

Microsoft Azure

PostgreSQL (database)

Github Actions

Terraform (CI/CD)

Services

Design

Development

The challenge

As a startup, Begin Fertility needed a strong brand identity, a working prototype, and a comprehensive feature list for development. The web application had to integrate multiple functions: assessing eligibility through a questionnaire, enabling account creation, processing payments for local or at-home tests, and facilitating automatic doctor requisitions or test shipments. Users would then monitor their progress, access their final assessments, and explore resources via a dashboard. In conceptualizing this design, we were challenged to balance empathy and expertise, ensuring users felt understood and supported. We focused on creating a tone and visual identity that resonated with users' emotional needs while showcasing competence.

To meet these design aspirations, we required a robust tech stack. We opted for Microsoft Azure, despite its steep learning curve, as the ecosystem and built-in functionalities would well position Begin Fertility for growth, especially thanks to its admin dashboard. A key technical challenge was securely managing protected health information (PHI) and personal identifiable information (PII). We ensured secure authentication for admins and staff, using Azure for PII storage and PostgreSQL for PHI. Implementing domain-driven design (DDD) and the repository pattern allowed us to create maintainable, testable software.

Working with busy doctors required proactive communication and quick problem-solving to keep the project on track. We addressed backlog challenges by maintaining a central FAQ and enabling asynchronous, iterative work. Our Business Analyst was crucial in identifying and resolving issues early, helping us design and build the necessary technical solutions.

The task at hand

To tackle the project, we engaged in our tailor-made Discovery Process, which included workshops on vision, personas, experience mapping, competitor analysis, feature prioritization, sketching, user flows, and branding. This comprehensive approach deepened our understanding of Begin Fertility users and ensured we aligned our design and development with their needs. Through this process, we identified key brand attributes like compassionate, secure, progressive, empowering, scientific, and soulful.

We crafted the brand's identity with these attributes in mind, designing a logo that is strong yet gentle, symbolizing progress and curiosity through subtle asymmetry. Our typography choice was modern but familiar, and we suggested a photography style that reflected Begin Fertility’s values, encouraging users to envision themselves in the imagery. For the design work, we leveraged Figma for its powerful design and collaboration capabilities, and Miro for its interactive whiteboard, ensuring seamless integration and synchronization of content across designs.

Our dev phase kicked off with an intensive onboarding to grasp the domain, project scope, and new technologies. Armed with a clear vision, we selected Django for its reliability and our team's expertise in Python, along with our expertise in React and the rich/powerful UI. Grooming planning sessions refined user stories and addressed any gaps, laying a solid foundation for development. We began with two strong back-end developers, later adding a front-end developer to bring the UI to life, supported by our DevOps skills to offer full cycle/full stack services.

Our agile approach was key to success, with bi-weekly sprints and regular demos to the client ensuring consistent progress and feedback. We delivered a range of features, including PDF management, email notifications, a recommendations engine, and Stripe integration for seamless payments. The user interface was thoughtfully designed for the questionnaire and dashboards, creating a smooth and engaging user experience that aligned with Begin Fertility’s vision and values.

Homepage of the Directify Fertility application.

For this design work, we leveraged Figma and Miro. Figma is a powerful tool for designing and sharing digital products, facilitating collaboration among designers, product managers, writers, and developers to hasten decisions. Meanwhile, Miro acts as an interactive online whiteboard, smoothly integrating with Figma and ensuring automatic content synchronization across designs.

Compilation of mobile and desktop screens for the Begin Fertility application

The end result

In just two months, we developed a prototype and backlog for Begin Fertility's web app. With a modern and intuitive UX/UI, we expect positive user feedback and are excited about its contemporary vibe. The brand guide we created outlines the values and technical details of the logo, colors, typography, photography, icons, and other visual identity components, serving as a blueprint for future scaling.

Our client's active involvement in co-designing user flows in Figma and Miro was invaluable, requiring adaptability from everyone involved. Together, we navigated constraints effectively, showcasing our collaborative spirit and commitment to success.

The development phase ran from October 2023 to May 2024, culminating in Begin Fertility's launch in June 2024. The final web application closely mirrors the initial design prototype, embodying the vision set by our design team. Delivering features incrementally and maintaining clear communication were crucial for a timely market entry. Our team established effective processes such as daily stand-ups and code reviews, ensuring smooth collaboration. This project exemplified "iteration excellence," showcasing our ability to adapt and deliver high-quality solutions in a collaborative environment.

What’s next

As UX designers, empathy is at the heart of our work. This project is particularly meaningful as it reduces anxiety around fertility, delivers sensitive information supportively, and enhances the daily lives of families. We love using digital product design to make a positive impact.

Now that Begin Fertility's MVP is live, we're maintaining the web application and eagerly anticipating new features and functionality as the user base grows. Our ongoing collaboration ensures the platform evolves with user needs and industry advancements. We look forward to seeing how Begin Fertility's offering transforms the fertility space in North America, making fertility care more accessible and empowering countless families.