The problem I am choosing has to do with women hygiene products, this includes items that women need for their periods as well as preventative health items for sexually active women. More specifically, I want to find a way to make the process of acquiring hygiene products more convenient and less uncomfortable for women.
- The who: Women who have their menstrual cycle.
- Testing the 'who':
- Not only adult women have this problem. Many teens that are just experiencing this change in their bodies for the first time can also have a hard time buying hygiene products.
- The what: The buying experience of hygiene products can be uncomfortable and inconvenient for many women.
- Testing the 'what':
- I was able to interview a high-schooler who commented on how going to the super market or CVS and having to buy menstrual products such as pads and tampons caused her a lot of anxiety. Although this is not a situation any young woman should feel self conscious about; This is a very turbulent time in an adolescent girl’s life and having to buy such a personal item in public can make them very nervous. She even went on to say how she sometimes would even feel embarrassed when she would go to the cash register and the employee at the register was a man.
- When speaking to older woman, from college students to women in their 30’s, the biggest concern for this age group was not the pressure and judgment they felt from the people around them when they were shopping. These women had the biggest trouble with actually choosing products that would be beneficial to them. There are hundreds of brands and types for pads, tampons, soaps, lubricants, etc. That it can get really overwhelming when they have to stand there and pick just one. It is a hit or miss with these types of products, and more than likely it will be a miss.
- The why: Societal views on menstruation have a big effect on the buying experience. As for the inconvenient part, many women work and/or all day and then have to go home and take care of personal things leaving them with very little to no time to go to the store and explore all the hygiene products available to buy.
- Testing the 'why':
- As much as society has progressed and women are becoming more respected, there is still many things that have not been embraced and accepted completely. One of these things are women’s hygiene products and the fact that having a menstrual cycle is not something that women choose to have. The stigma surrounding this topic is toxic and causes women to stress out and worry about yet another issue which they have no control over.
- In all the interviews I conducted the interviewees all had responsibilities in their life that took time away from researching which products would be the best to use. So every time they showed up to the store to buy what they needed, they would usually get a random product or the cheapest item on the counter.