Living with PCOS: Mapping the Journey
2024 | 3 months | Individual Study Project | Advised by Dr. Sébastien Proulx and Professor Yvette Shen
This project demonstrates how individual lived experiences can vary widely across a shared diagnosis, and why engaging real members of the community you are designing for matters. Rather than relying on assumptions or overly tidy and generalized user types, this work shows the value of listening closely to people’s specific, “messy,” and unpredictable lived experiences.
Context
A generative research project exploring the complexity of women’s lived experiences with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal disorder, to uncover opportunities for design intervention. Read more about PCOS.
Approach
Literature review; semi-structured interviews; reflexive thematic analysis; journey mapping; insight translation into design opportunities
Outcomes
A comparative journey map illustrating the unique lived experiences of two women with PCOS. The visualization combines participant interview quotations with self-reported measures of emotional intensity across key moments in their journeys, pre- to post-diagnosis. The mapping highlights emotional shifts over time, identifies notable differences between experiences, and surfaces areas for further research and design opportunities.
A journey map that captures the results of my research
Want a closer look?
You can access a PDF of the visualization below. For more information about the project, feel free to reach out for a chat—I'd be happy to share more!
