10+ Cycle Tracking Apps Explored: The Unique Mission and Design of Hormona

Illustration source: Hormona App Store

Today, let’s explore Hormona, a London-based digital health startup with a unique focus on hormonal health. It provides a hormone toolkit within one app, offering personalized, science-backed guidance for users to understand and manage their hormones. In 2022, Hormona secured £1.2 million in pre-seed funding, as reported by Femtech Insider.

Now, the big question: what sets Hormona apart in a sea of cycle tracking and fertility apps?

Well, I wondered too. So, I investigated 10+ the most popular apps in this space. The key lies in its mission. While other apps have a more targeted user segment (think pregnancy, cycle tracking, or managing Menopause, PMS, PCOS, etc.), Hormona's target is more expansive - all women. Yes, you read that correctly.

So, what's their mission?

In a nutshell, their mission is to educate all women about the impact of hormones on their overall health and wellbeing. As their website proudly states, “We’re not just talking PMS here. From Periods to Perimenopause, and everything in between, hormones affect us at every life stage.”

Imagine this: we carefully track our fitness, sleep, nutrition, mood, calories, weight, and even productivity. Why not track and later decode something as vital as our hormonal health, which affects our overall performance, well-being, and quality of life?

Why this mission?

During their TechCrunch 2022 presentation, the founders pointed out a glaring gap in research: cyclical hormone levels unrelated to fertility and pregnancy. The limited research in this area is "understudied, underutilized, and underfunded." Hormona is here to change that, on a mission to empower women with hormone knowledge.

Ever wondered about hormones like Testosterone, Progesterone, and Estrogen (just to name a few)? If not, Hormona is here to tell you why you should.

How can this mission be achieved through product design?

Let’s take a closer look into how Hormona's product design brings this mission to life. As illustrated in the product feature mapping below, Hormona's app reflects this mission through four core functions, designed to achieve two primary goals.

*Information source: Hormona App, Hormona Website, Hormona App Store

To achieve the first goal of helping women understand their hormones, Hormona offers:

• Tracking and reporting on cycle and symptoms.

• Personalized predictions on cycle and symptoms.

• Daily insights on hormone health.

• A extended learning module.

On their second goal of helping women manage their hormones, Hormona provides:

• Personalized daily meal plans.

• Access to cycle-synced breathwork and meditation.

• Programs designed to build healthy habits and ease symptoms.

• A community support section for connecting with others and involving partners.

My absolute favorite feature?

Among all these product features, I have to admit, I'm totally obsessed with Hormona's personalized meal plans. It's like having your personal culinary genie, crafting meals that align with your current cycle phase. They provide daily recipe suggestions for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, complete with ingredients, cooking steps, and the nutritional lowdown. Plus, they curate a shopping list tailored to your cycle. A food lover's dream come true!

Illustration source: Hormona App

More on areas of improvement.

While Hormona is effectively fulfilling its mission, looking ahead, there are a few north star features to invest in from a product standpoint, in my view.

1. Strengthening the connection between personalized insights and solutions, making it even easier for users to act on the insights. Imagine having direct links to personalized solutions when you need them. Pretty amazing, right?

2. Merging insights from personal data trends with general insights on how hormones impact overall well-being. Right now, Hormona's Prediction section relies primarily on personal data, while the Daily Insights draw from broader hormone studies.

3. Expanding the variety of personalized solutions. In addition to its fantastic meal plans for diets and nutrition, Hormona could consider incorporating workout plans for physical health, relationship advice for sexual health, empowering content for mental well-being, and more. Broadening the array of solutions can boost user engagement and adherence.

Looking Ahead.

Overall, Hormona's journey is not just about hormone tracking; it's about enlightening women and advancing hormone-related health and wellness. Their commitment to this mission is truly inspiring.

And that's not all. Hormona is cooking up something big - an at-home urine test, currently in the works. This test will measure three different hormones in less than 15 minutes using image processing and AI, providing quick quantitative results.

Resources:

• Hormona App Store

• TechCrunch Disrupt 2022 | Hormona wants women to track their ‘hormonal health’ with at-home testing

• TechCrunch Disrupt 2022 | Hormona Founders’ Presentation

• Femtech Insider | Hormonal Health Startup Hormona Raises £1.2M in Pre-Seed Funding to Prepare for Launch in Europe and the U.S.

• Vogue Scandinavia | What is the link between women's hormones and mental health? This new Swedish app is unlocking the answers

*Note:

The prioritization analysis conducted by Health Tech For Her is rooted in the evaluation of Hormona App's UX/UI design, marketing language, and the interconnectedness of its features.

Disclaimer:

This article is based on publicly available resources and expresses my personal opinion. It does not represent the views or endorsement of any affiliated organization. It is for informational purposes only, not professional advice, and readers should use their own judgment.