Holding New Parents Through the Unknown

Designing postpartum mental telehealth support with empathy, clarity, and care.

Type

UI/UX Design

Product Strategy

User Research


Date

June - Aug 2023

(2 months)

About

LunaNest*, known for its national network of lactation consultants, saw a growing need to support new parents beyond feeding — especially around postpartum mental health. To meet this need, they partnered with BCG to explore how to create a personalized, stress-free digital experience. The goal is to design an app that extends the trust parents already have in LunaNest into accessible mental health support.

My Contributions

  • ​​Led user and competitive research to uncover emotional pain points and unmet needs in the postpartum journey

  • Defined the MVP and prioritized features based on parent needs, feasibility, and business impact, collaborating with PMs and Growth teams

  • Developed a warm visual language and custom illustrations to create an experience that felt calm, supportive, and non-clinical

*This case study has been sanitized based on a real BCG project. The client name, LunaNest, is fictitious.

01. Design Problem

DESIGN PROBLEM

​​New parents struggle to access personalized, timely, postpartum support—mental, emotional, and practical—because existing resources are fragmented, hard to navigate, and disconnected from the realities of early parenthood.

Despite the abundance of information online, new parents often feel overwhelmed, isolated, and underserved. Mental health, lactation, and symptom tracking tools exist—but they live in silos, lack warmth, and demand too much from users at a time when energy and clarity are in short supply. The result is a gap between what new parents truly need and what today’s systems deliver.

USER RESEARCH

Why this problem?

I firstly conducted in-depth user interviews, interviewed 22 birth parents (<6 months postpartum) to identify pain points, emotional struggles, and validate early concepts.

Insights from User Interviews

Support resources often unknown until too late

Many new parents only learn about lactation or mental health resources through hospital flyers or word of mouth—often after they’re already struggling.

Support resources often unknown until too late

Many new parents only learn about lactation or mental health resources through hospital flyers or word of mouth—often after they’re already struggling.

Clunky appointment systems add extra stress

Booking lactation or mental health appointments often requires phone calls or navigating clunky platforms like MyChart, which feels impossible when mentally and physically drained.

Clunky appointment systems add extra stress

Booking lactation or mental health appointments often requires phone calls or navigating clunky platforms like MyChart, which feels impossible when mentally and physically drained.

Few Postpartum Mental Health Specialists

Parents want to speak with someone who truly understands the postpartum experience, but don’t know where or how to find that kind of support.

Few Postpartum Mental Health Specialists

Parents want to speak with someone who truly understands the postpartum experience, but don’t know where or how to find that kind of support.

No easy way to track or reflect on symptoms

Without a simple way to log emotional or physical symptoms, parents feel disconnected from their own mental state and unprepared for clinical conversations.

No easy way to track or reflect on symptoms

Without a simple way to log emotional or physical symptoms, parents feel disconnected from their own mental state and unprepared for clinical conversations.

Too much info, not enough clarity or trust

Parents crave brief, trusted educational content or relatable stories, but are instead bombarded with fragmented advice and stressful social media narratives.

Too much info, not enough clarity or trust

Parents crave brief, trusted educational content or relatable stories, but are instead bombarded with fragmented advice and stressful social media narratives.

New parents often feel isolated and alone

Many new parents feel emotionally alone and wish they had access to safe, judgment-free spaces to connect with others going through the same experience.

New parents often feel isolated and alone

Many new parents feel emotionally alone and wish they had access to safe, judgment-free spaces to connect with others going through the same experience.

COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

Postpartum mental health care is underserved

Most mental health platforms prioritize broad, scalable solutions, but few offer the specialized, personalized, and emotionally supportive care that new parents need during the postpartum period—revealing a clear gap and opportunity in the market.

Competitor Landscape

DESIGN CHALLENGE

How might we create a seamless, supportive experience that connects new parents with personalized postpartum care—without adding to their mental load?

02. Ideate & Envision

As a team, I facilitated a design feature workshop with product managers, engineers to brainstorm product features extensively, narrow down the list by voting and the effort/impact metrics map.

Feature Prioritization Workshop

Access and

Navigation

Warm, guided UI flow

Mobile-first design

First-time user tips

Instant chat triage

In-app scheduling

Email reminders

Community and

Emotional Support

Parent-led discussion threads / forums

Buddy system for new parents

Moderated peer group sessions

Weekly virtual check-ins with facilitators

Personalized and Specialized Care

Personalized homepage

Choose needs on homepage

Collect personal info (e.g., stage)

Filter therapist directory

Network of postpartum providers

Show locations, reviews, introductions

Teladoc

Trusted, Relevant Information

Deliver articles based on baby’s age

Centralize resources from trusted providers

Symptom Tracking

and Self-Reflection

Daily mood and symptom check-ins

Smart journal prompts

Underserved

Postpartum Needs

Design the app specifically for postpartum

Partnerships with hospitals, OBs, and doulas

Define MVP: Prioritizing What New Parents Need Most

Based on the results, we aligned on three core MVP features to focus on. These features address key pain points for new parents—uncertainty on where to begin, barriers to accessing care, and difficulty tracking their own wellbeing.

Define MVP

Guided Onboarding Flow

A stress-free introduction that asks about parent needs, shares relevant resources, and directs users to helpful tools and support.

Guided Onboarding Flow

A stress-free introduction that asks about parent needs, shares relevant resources, and directs users to helpful tools and support.

Easy Appointment Booking

Book virtual care through Teladoc with automated reminders and in-app messaging for follow-up—crucial when energy is low.

Easy Appointment Booking

Book virtual care through Teladoc with automated reminders and in-app messaging for follow-up—crucial when energy is low.

Daily Symptom Tracker

A simple log to track emotional and physical symptoms, helping parents reflect and prepare for care conversations.

Daily Symptom Tracker

A simple log to track emotional and physical symptoms, helping parents reflect and prepare for care conversations.

03. Test and Iterations

USER TESTING

Quick testing with lo-fi and concept cards

To quickly validate MVP ideas, I created

  • low-fidelity prototypes for interaction-heavy flows

  • concept cards for content driven areas

This approach allowed me to balance speed and depth, and prioritize what resonated most with users before moving into higher-fidelity design.

FEEDBACK & ITERATION

From user insight to design iteration

Throughout testing, I made multiple iterations based on direct user feedback—refining layout, visual cues, language, and flow to better support the mental and emotional load of postpartum life.

Example Iterations Based on Test Feedback

04. Prototype Highlights

INTAKE

Onboarding as a Conversation

I crafted soft visuals and relatable language to guide parents through a few thoughtful prompts—more like a conversation with friends than a clinical intake form. Unlike competitors’ long forms, our warm, simple approach reduces drop-off and builds early trust.

PROVIDER MATCHING

Letting Parents Lead the Provider Match

I shifted from system-led prompts to parent-led statements, using a first-person voice to create a more personal, empowering experience. I also added a must-have filter so parents could clearly express non-negotiables—critical when navigating care in a vulnerable moment.

SYMPTOM TRACKER

Track Symptoms for Both Body and Mind

Parents can log emotional and physical symptoms proactively or through text/email reminders—building routine, bridging gaps in competitor tools, and offering clarity in a confusing time. Educational tips alongside entries help parents know what’s normal and when to seek help.

SYMPTOM SUMMARY

Summary for Clarity and Confidence

The summary offers a clear visual snapshot of patterns over time. In interviews, parents said this helped them recognize trends, validate feelings, and feel more prepared for provider conversations—bringing clarity when self-doubt and fragmentation are high.

05. Takeaways

Empathy isn’t just a value—it’s a design tool. Understanding the emotional state of postpartum parents helped me design experiences that felt human, supportive, and non-intrusive.
Personalization builds trust. When users see content and care options that reflect their stage, needs, and preferences, they’re more likely to engage and feel empowered.
Story-driven design can reduce friction. Replacing clinical intake forms with conversational flows, gentle visuals, and relatable stories created a sense of safety and agency.
MVPs can still be meaningful. By narrowing scope with PMs and Growth teams, we delivered real value fast—without losing emotional depth or user trust.

How might we empower change managers to drive AI adoption through real-time insights, smart automation, and evidence-based interventions?

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