Keep In Touch

My inaugural app design aimed to create a platform for mothers to stay connected with work during their maternity leave

For my UX Design diploma, I created an app tackling the maternity leave gap at work, inspired by my experience in the corporate world where several colleagues took maternity leave.

This comprehensive case study shows my full UX design process, including interviews, sketching, wireframing, testing, branding, and beyond.

View Figma Prototype →

Project

Solo Academic Project: UX Design Diploma

Role

UX/UI Designer

Duration

12 Weeks (2023)

Tools

Figma

Everybody thinks that in Canada because we have maternity leave, that it’s good enough.
But maternity leave in Canada really separates women from the workplace.

- CBC News

There is stigma associated with taking maternity leave

THE PROBLEM

During my corporate experience, I observed bias against working mothers, as motherhood and maternity leave were seen as obstacles to their careers.

Though some progress has been made, expectant mothers still hesitate to talk about leave due to stigma.

95%

of mothers reported a lack of formal support during their transition

33%

of mothers faced workplace discrimination based on their status as mothers

69%

of mothers were not given options to stay in touch with their workplace during maternity leave

Source: Moms At Work Survey (Canada, 2021)

PRIMARY RESEARCH & KEY THEMES

I interviewed former colleagues on maternity leave, identified key themes through Affinity Mapping, and focused on the core theme of 'Maintaining Connectivity' for my app.

Mothers value workplace connection for belonging, even when not physically present. This theme strongly reflected my interviewees' frustrations and motivations.

Click image to enlarge

MY NORTH STAR

The question that guided my design process

How might we help first-time expectant mothers who work in Canadian corporations overcome maternity leave challenges by improving workplace communication in order to reduce the impact on their careers?

PERSONA

Meet Beatrice

I focused on first-time experiences of experienced mothers to create a profile for new moms on maternity leave (simplified persona presented herein).

Based on Beatrice's insights, I created an experience map to identify design opportunities for improved maternity leave (simplified version presented herein).

EXPERIENCE MAP

USER STORIES

I wrote user stories and defined a main epic as "Staying Connected with the Manager".

I created a task flow "Scheduling Check-Ins with the Manager" to aid Beatrice during her maternity leave low. Below are the key user stories that shaped my task flow.

Click to enlarge

As a mother on maternity leave…

I want to receive check-in reminders so that I can stay connected with my manager and team

I want to set my preferred check-in frequency so that I can customize the communication to fit my needs and schedule

I want to have access to my manager's availability so that I can conveniently schedule a check-in with them

SKETCHES TO WIREFRAMES

In my UI search, I explored reminder, news, forum, fitness, and appointment apps. I sketched, refined, and translated to wireframes.

USABILITY TESTING

From two usability tests, key issues were identified: refining language on onboarding screens, check-in reminders, and making minor cosmetic adjustments.

Deemed as low-effort, high-impact based on the Design-Prioritization matrix, I implemented all the changes.

View Figma Final Mid-Fi Prototype →

HIGH FIDELITY

View Figma High Fidelity Prototype →

BRAND IDENTITY

To begin creating a visual identity for ‘Keep In Touch’, I crafted a moodboard, drawing inspiration from the beauty of sunsets.

Elegant

Refined

Calming

Welcoming

Elegant Refined Calming Welcoming

COLOUR

For my brand and app, I chose a neutral colour palette with a pop of yellow as the same creates a warm and vibrant feel.

I joined the letters ‘KIT’ since this abbreviation will shape the icon version of my wordmark.

For the app icon, a circle was incorporated to symbolize connectivity and inclusivity.

WORDMARK

UI LIBRARY

Take a peek into the UI Library, designed following the principles of the Atomic Design Methodology.

RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN

I designed a marketing website for 'Keep In Touch' to highlight the app's key features and brand identity, optimized for both desktop and mobile displays.

Drawing inspiration from SaaS companies, I targeted employers directly.

View Figma Prototype (Desktop) →

View Figma Prototype (Mobile) →

KEY LEARNINGS

In retrospect, I would have liked to conduct more user interviews to deepen my understanding of the problem space.

Nonetheless, this project improved my grasp of UX Design fundamentals. I loved expressing creativity through ideation, sketching, branding, and refining designs