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Lush Club: Breaking Cycles One Pad at a Time
Project Type
Branding, Product Design
Project Duration
6 Months
Role
Principal Designer & Market Researcher
Period poverty is the term which refers to an inability to afford and access menstrual products, sanitation, and hygiene facilities, adjacent to a lack of education and awareness to manage other menstrual health issues as a result of social, cultural, and economic factors. In Australia, the 2024 Big Bloody Survey recorded the data of 153,000 respondents and reported that 3 in 5, or 64% of people are suffering from period poverty to some degree, with low-SEIFA suburbs, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities, and LGBTQ+ populations being most at-risk.
The Solution
My proposed design solution to this pressing issue is Lush Club, a collective that prioritises community and education as tools to dismantle this cycle at its root.
Lush Club’s primary medium is a free mobile app that connects its users to a network of period product vending machines in their area from which they can withdraw or donate menstrual products. These machines will appear discreet and be placed in well-lit areas to ensure both the safety and anonymity of the user.
Aesthetically, Lush Club follows a bold, ungendered jungle animal theme, recognising that mainstream menstrual products and services often appear feminised even though people of all different stripes, spots, and feathers menstruate.
Research & Project Scoping
Due to ethical concerns, all contextual and preliminary research was extrapolated from surveys conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and Share The Dignity's 2024 Big Bloody Survey to collate data on menstrual health and hygiene in Australia. The research helped to shape Lush Club's approach to providing for the needs and wants of its target demographic.
Low-Fidelity Prototyping
During this sampling and modeling stage, I explored different treatments for the logo, focusing on imagery such as flowers, paint strokes, and droplets.
Low-fidelity prototypes were made from paper and tested using the Wizard of Oz method and usability tables which highlighted issues with hierarchy and visibility of systems status that left users feeling that some tasks were tedious and unclear.
High-Fidelity Prototyping
Lush Club’s final graphic mark is the flower, designed to both appear as a blossom, a euphemism often used to refer to menstruation, and a menstrual pad in its centre to further emphasise Lush Club’s focus on menstrual products.
Lush Club’s high fidelity prototype went through 4 iterations to experiment with stronger branding and visual identity, incorporating different graphic elements throughout the user task flow. After collating feedback from mentors and peers, I decided on sparingly using the logo mark as background elements, with micro interactions and animations to add visual interest, interactivity and to improve visibility of systems status.
The home page went through the most significant changes, going from a minimalistic interface with 2 clear functions, to a hub where live notifications and personalised statistics have been added to improve information hierarchy, user engagement, and overall dashboard usability through increased visibility of system status and contextual relevance.
Meaningful Change by Design
Undertaking this project allowed me the opportunity to deeply research and explore how UX/UI design can be used to address issues of health equity and social stigma. By grounding my design process in real data, Lush Club became more than just a digital product—it became a tool for visibility, dignity, and empowerment. The final prototype demonstrates a cohesive system that supports anonymous access to menstrual products, promotes donations, and fosters educational engagement. Through thoughtful visual language, micro-interactions, and an inclusive design philosophy, Lush Club not only challenges the norms around period care but also provides a scalable, community-driven solution to period poverty.
