CycleSync helps people with irregular or absent periods record their symptoms, review past entries and prepare for a doctor visit.
An iOS app, designed over six weeks.
View prototype
CycleSync gives people with irregular or absent periods a place to record how they feel. They can look back at their entries over several months and prepare a summary to discuss with their doctor. It helps them keep a personal health record; it does not diagnose a condition.
Notes are on the phone. Reports are on paper. Before a visit, they have to be brought together.
When someone has not had a period for months, they may have no recent date to add to a period calendar. They can still experience symptoms and need a way to record them.
Their information may also be spread out: symptom notes on a phone and medical reports on paper. Before an appointment, they have to gather it all and remember what has changed. Important details can be forgotten between visits.
Show entries across several months. Make it clear that a blank day does not necessarily mean there were no symptoms.
Let people record symptoms even when they have no period date to enter.
Gather cycle dates and symptom notes in one place, ready to discuss at the appointment.
I wanted to understand what people with irregular or absent periods needed from a tracking app. The research took place in two stages: a review of published information before the first design, followed by a survey to guide improvements.
Clinical background: WHO PCOS fact sheet.
I compared existing tools to understand what support was already available and where CycleSync could help. The review covered tracking apps such as Flo and Clue, PCOS information from AskPCOS, clinical care through Allara and general AI chat tools. I looked at how each supported symptom tracking, access to information and preparation for a doctor visit.
| Tool | Good at | Falls short |
|---|---|---|
| Flo and Clue | +Cycle and symptom tracking | –Reports focus on selected symptoms –Details outside recent cycles need separate review |
| AskPCOS / AskPMOS | +PCOS information, symptom tracking and question prompts | –The documentation reviewed did not confirm whether users could export a personal report |
| Allara | +Clinicians and dietitians | –Care depends on location and eligibility –Coverage or self-pay affects access |
| Generic AI chat | +Quick conversational answers | –A conversation is not a structured symptom history –Health answers still need reliable sources and medical review |
After reviewing the survey, I created an affinity map to identify concerns that came up across different responses. I grouped related answers into five topics: tracking periods, understanding a diagnosis, gathering records, finding advice and paying for care. The notes below summarise what people said; they are not direct quotes.
I created six personas to keep different user needs in mind while making design decisions. Some people want to understand their cycle history; others need to record symptoms when their periods are absent. I developed Maya and Aisha from desk research, and the other four personas reflect themes from the later survey.
MayaThe app should fit my cycles, not force them into a standard month.
Maya’s period predictions can be wrong by weeks. She wants to see what has happened over several months, not just when the next period might arrive.
The user flow maps how people move through CycleSync, from setting up an account to preparing for a doctor visit. After setup, Home gives them access to symptom logging, past entries, questions for Luna and their visit summary. Recording symptoms does not require a period date, so people can keep track even when their periods are absent.
CycleSync uses light backgrounds, dark text and colour to organise the information on each screen. Violet is the main app colour and is used for actions such as “Log today.” Softer colours distinguish entries such as cramps and low energy, with text labels explaining what each one means. The typography separates headings, daily entries and supporting notes. These styles are repeated across the app so the same action or type of information is easy to recognise on another screen.
Luna appears beside explanations and in the question screen. The same character is used throughout the app.
CycleSync brings daily symptom tracking and preparation for doctor visits into the same app. Users can record how they feel today, look back at changes over several months and bring that history to an appointment. The screens below explain how each part works, from the initial setup to a visit summary they can share with their doctor.
The Home screen shows mood, recent symptoms and cycle information in one place. Users can add an entry without opening the calendar. Predicted period dates are presented as estimates.
The setup asks a few questions about cycles and symptoms. Someone who does not have a diagnosis can skip those questions and continue.
When periods are far apart, a single month shows only part of the history. This screen brings twelve months together so users can look back without switching calendar pages.
Users can ask Luna questions about their symptoms. The answer includes a source so they can see where the information comes from. The aim is to explain the information and its limits.
Users choose their symptoms, mood and energy for the day, then save the entry. They can select ‘None’ for flow when there is no bleeding, so recording how they feel does not depend on being on their period.
Before an appointment, users can bring their cycle history and logged symptoms together in one report. They can share it with their doctor and use it to explain what has happened since their last visit, rather than relying on memory.
The first design focused on cycle tracking. The survey later showed that a period calendar was not useful for everyone, especially when periods were absent. Some respondents needed a simpler way to record symptoms and bring those records to a doctor visit.
The next version should make symptom logging easier to find, including for someone who has no period date to enter. The visit summary also needs to contain the details people want to discuss with their doctor.
Further testing should look at how people record a day, understand their past entries and prepare a visit summary. A review of the health information and Luna’s answers should also check that the explanations are clear and their limits are easy to understand.
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