Period.
Period is an app, aimed at making menstrual products free and accessible to all across United States University Campuses. The Period App competed for the top 10 products in the 2023 McCloskey New Venture Competition.
Dates
2023
Services
Visual Design
UI & UX Design
Brand Design
Tools
Figma
Illustrator
Project Type
Passion Project
THE PROBLEM
There is a lack of free, easy-to-find period products on campus.
A COMMON PROBLEM
93%
have unexpectedly had their period and been without a period product.
90%
have stopped their hectic schedules
to leave campus to purchase one.
OUR CROSS CAMPUS SURVEY
Over 200 people responded to our survey, and 165 of those were members of the community that menstruate. When we ran the numbers, we found that 93% of respondents have unexpectedly gotten their period without a product, one-third have gone to multiple bathrooms to find one, and 90% have stopped their hectic schedules to leave campus to purchase one.
WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM?
RESEARCH SHOWED
84% reported ruining an article of clothing, overall students and staff do not trust notre dame to provide the products they need. Only 10% of the UND community regularly uses on-campus resources to procure menstrual products, and 61% rely on an off campus resource. Period products have been advertised as free and accessible on Notre Dame’s campus for the past two years — so why are they so hard to find?
7 in 10 people agree period poverty is a public health issue - only 4% of Americans know where to find free period products
A 2021 study found that two in five people have struggled to purchase period products. And nearly seven in ten people agree that period poverty is a public health issue, yet only 4% of Americans are aware of a local resource where free or reduced-cost period supplies are available. In 2022, The World Health Organization called for menstrual health to be framed as a human rights issue, not a hygiene issue.
This problem is not just about convenience or comfort, it’s about dignity. Everyone deserves to feel safe and supported by their community when they menstruate.
HOW DOES NOTRE DAME ORDER & SUPPLY PERIOD PRODUCTS?
Our administrators lack the tools to successfully support the people in their community who menstruate. Of the Notre Dame staff surveyed, we identified no centralized ordering process for products on campus. Each building has a different administrator responsible for stocking bathrooms, some of whom do not menstruate. For example, at Notre Dame one building administrator who was asked to purchase products for his staff, instead ordered ‘butt wipes.”
THE SOLUTION
A PHONE APPLICATION THAT HELPS YOU FIND FREE MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS.
When you open the app you’ll find a map of the closest buildings with period products. In app you can filter based on product type and on each product you can see if it’s available. If a bathroom is empty you can report when a bathroom is low or out of stock. Our app also allows users to save preferred buildings that may have the best products. You can also write reviews based on the buildings’ bathrooms and product availability.
HOW DOES PERIOD SOLVE THE PROBLEM?
On campus, there is no centralized ordering process for period products. Using period the administrator portal provides building admins with the tools they need. The building admins typically restock multiple bathrooms with period products and aren’t sure when some bathrooms are out or low on stock can see when they need to reorder for their buildings and also see a school calendar for when students may not be in session as monthly order history. It also helps prevent ordering the wrong quantity in months when there may be less individuals in certain buildings.
Period Competitors
There are currently no apps where you can find period products accessible in the United States. Through our competitive analysis we found that PERIOD. is the first app to integrate our proprietary product finder and bathroom reviewer with existing cycle tracking applications.
THE INTERACTIVE PROTOTYPE
If universities and colleges intend to attract the brightest minds to their campuses, they must provide services for their students that set them up for success and enhance their quality of life. Just as universities spend money to pay for services like Calm, Handshake, and TalkSpace, they can invest in PERIOD. This will make the university more marketable to the next generation of socially minded students.
