Meet Uti: Your cycle buddy
warning: These are probably going to be the most uterine illustrations you’ll ever see in one article. Enjoy!
What do you have in common with your team?
If you’re part of the Apple Developer Academy, you’ve probably pondered this question. Whether it’s a shared search for similar kinds of knowledge or coming from a common background, every team has that special something that unites everyone.
Let’s dive into the story of how a group made up of 3 guys and 2 girls with various ages built a game about menstrual health. After all, we are connected by all different kinds of unexpected ways.
Day by day we learn that our own stories and identities weave their way into our projects— and that’s something to celebrate.
Speaking for myself, I’ve always been fascinated with the unique opportunity that ADA encourages to shed light on unconventional topics. I believe that design together with the right technology could amplify our possibilities to create something unexpected.
Differences, when viewed from the right perspective, can be turned into golden opportunities. Even though the situation may not appear promising — we were 5 people and only 2 uteruses trying to talk about menstruation — we learned that you gotta take it as an opportunity to think unlikely and expand your knowledge. I've always wanted to bring the menstrual health issue to the app development world, and I finally had the chance to do it in an alternative way.
Sure, the five of us didn't know much about the subject. Still, we shared a genuine interest in game design/mechanics, illustration, colors, interface logic, and developing a foundation in Swift UI… and yep, that was good enough.
That’s why, for just over a month, our diverse group decided to trust the process (and each other) and jump into the universe of PERIOD.
Impact
Is amazing how an idea can come from your own body in pain. However, in this instance, we weren’t referring to just a single woman but something much broader.
In Brazil, it's very common for young women to grow up with a fear/embarrassment of talking about menstrual health. 54% of young women are used to changing their habits during this menstrual phase, and acting like it's a secret. When it comes to hygiene items, more than 60% of them hide their tampons from their friends and family.
And it gets worst:
More than 60% of young women had avoided school and other places, while almost 80% had felt embarrassed in public spaces.
What If we change the cycle?
The menstrual cycle is still a subject that many people are afraid or don’t feel comfortable talking about it. Having that in mind, we wanted to create an app that demystifies this subject, helping people to learn about it in a fun and unique way. Certainly, trying to make it as accurate as possible.
So, the next step was to ask ourselves: what would we say to a Uterus if you could talk to it? And more importantly, what would it say back to you?
The only way to find out was by bringing the Uterus Tamagoshi concept. A casual game where the player needs to take care of a uterus in its different states, in order to make it healthy or less upset.
Create and prototype
After we had our concept aligned, it was time to create and prototype. Since I was the only designer on the team, I was responsible for all the interface and illustrations.
Initially, our team envisioned a 2D character that exuded Uti's angry and cartoonish vibe, ideally suited for our target audience. However, as we conducted further research and sought to reach a wider range of viewers, we realized the need to adapt.
As we embarked on the transition from 2D to 3D, we encountered a unique challenge — How to maintain varied expressions while departing from a cartoonish aesthetic?
The Solution: Uniting 2D and 3D Techniques. To overcome this challenge, we devised a hybrid approach that incorporated both 2D and 3D elements. I began by creating expressive 2D drawings, capturing the desired emotions for a determinate cycle phase. These drawings were then transformed into vector assets and crafted 3D components.
Through the fusion of 2D and 3D techniques, we achieved the desired emotional impact, capturing the essence of our character’s vibe while ensuring a broader appeal.
And just like that, Uti was born!
Uti (or Utinho, if you are intimate), our protagonist, has a mind of his own. The goal has always been to make it relatable, through facial expressions and dialogues that are unique and full of personality.
In our narrative, Uti has lived for 12 long years in quiet and tranquility, until the fated day finally came. He didn’t know yet, but his adventure had just begun.
In a VirtualGamePet format, the player needs to pay attention to the different states of his friend’s uterus, realizing what care/resources he will need. The general objective is to make him comfortable, addressing the 3 main areas of care: leisure | health| nutrition | (sleep/energy)
Get closer to Uti you will be able to find out what it needs, and where each item affects him differently depending on what phase he's in. Chocolate during PMS? A total win for relaxation and nourishment! But when it’s Uti’s menstrual phase, chocolate is a no-no for its health and nutrition because it can crank up the cramps.
We invite the player to join Uti in his Cycle Journey, helping him get through every phase (menstrual cycle phase). Day by day, the user will face different challenges, and learn from them.
Taking care of Uti helps the player gets information about possible diseases, different states of each menstrual phase, hormones, foods that are good for you, remedies, duration of a cycle, ways to prevent pregnancy and much more!
If you want a happy and healthy Uti, be prepared to handle his different moods. It’s all part of the fun! Get ready to unravel his desires and enjoy the whole experience of figuring out what he needs from you.
The experience
Developing Utinho was one of the main challenges I’ve personally faced as a designer and iOS student. But damn, it was amazing to see both women and men feel a connection to a talking uterus and laugh with our character while learning alongside him.
Available now on the App Store! https://apps.apple.com/br/app/utinho/id6459535302?l=en-GB
Until next time :)
Special thanks to Lucas, Michelly, Luke and Hube for bringing Utinho to live with me — and being the best game team he could ask for.
