Yona
Humanizing the Pelvic Exam
Our Expertise
“frog is full of passionate designers, technologists and strategists who use their collective talent to create solutions that make a real difference in people’s lives. We encourage our people to follow ‘passion projects,’ which is how Yona came to be, because there is such phenomenal potential for design to transform Healthcare.”
A team of designers and engineers at frog set out to redesign and generate concepts surrounding the current clinical pelvic exam experience. To date, their work has included in-depth, inclusive design research, and a completely new design for the speculum, which now includes an MVP prototype.
Breaking Taboos
The Yona team knew that not only the experience of the pelvic exam had to change, but also the taboos that surround vaginal health. They conducted research speaking with patients and providers to gain a deeper understanding of the journey from both sides of the exam table. They also conducted additional research with members from the LGBTQ+ community to ensure that they were able to provide a truly inclusive design for all people with vaginas.
Designing Beyond the Speculum
The team took a holistic approach in redesigning key moments of the exam. Not only did they come up with a more effective speculum design concept that benefits patient and provider, they also redesigned different touchpoints of the exam experience, both in the physical space and in the form of a digital app concept.
Advocating for Vaginas
Not all people with a vagina identify as female. Yona strives to be inclusive for all people that experience vaginal healthcare. This is done not only through the language on the Yona site and social channels, but also their brand character, Jamie. Specifically, Yona does not use female pronouns and took deep consideration in the creation of Jamie’s name and body type.
54.5 Million Impressions
After 10 months of thorough design research, Yona launches in October 2017 as an early-stage experience design concept, gaining over 50 million impressions to the website in just two weeks.
22 Media Placements
After receiving over 100K page views on launch day, Yona has continued to receive praise from critics and potential users alike, with over 22 media placements including WIRED, Fortune, The Lily, Bustle, and FastCo.
1 Webby Nomination
Yona is nominated for a 2018 Webby Award in the Healthcare category, and also received an honorable mention for “Best Visual Design–Aesthetic.”
Careers
