Client
Trimester Tracker
Duration
18 months
Role
Founder + Lead Product Designer
Platform
Android + iOS based app
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Trimester Tracker is a personal venture that is close to my heart. In October 2021, I pitched to a panel of experienced entrepreneurs and investors at Creative HQ in Wellington, New Zealand and was delighted to be awarded a coveted place in their six-month incubator programme.
This position gave me unlimited access to expert coaching and in-depth workshops to further develop my concept– a user-centric, workflow management tool to help midwives manage their caseload, document medical findings, while also alerting them to any potential patient health concerns.
The first few months were spent iterating and testing my idea by creating user journey maps, storyboards, prototype development, user testing, etc. Subsequently the focus then progressed to what might be needed to get the idea to market, including pitching to investors, global market strategies, financial modelling and sales, etc.
My role: Being the Founder of this venture, my responsibilities varied a great deal from formulating and progressing the concept into a viable business solution, to user research and MVP development.
Tools:
Throughout the development of Trimester Tracker, I applied a diverse range of skills to bring this concept to life, ensuring it was strategically positioned for success.
Business strategy and market positioning – Defined goals and competitive advantages for a new product launch.
Lean Canvas development – Mapped out problem areas, solutions, revenue streams, and key metrics.
User research and insights gathering – Conducted interviews and surveys to understand midwives' challenges.
Problem-solving and innovation – Identified inefficiencies and designed a digital solution to streamline workflows.
UX research and usability testing – Validated designs through iterative testing with real user feedback.
AI integration for workflow automation – Designed predictive features to enhance efficiency and patient safety.
Wireframing and prototyping – Created interactive models to refine and test the user experience.
Financial planning and investor pitching – Developed financial models and pitched to secure funding and support.
Midwives face significant barriers that prevent them from providing optimal care. The combination of excessive administrative tasks, fragmented healthcare systems, and workforce shortages places immense pressure on them. These inefficiencies not only increase stress and burnout but also impact the quality of care expectant parents receive, making streamlined workflow solutions a necessity. Some key challenges included:
To tackle these challenges, I explored ways to streamline midwifery workflows while maintaining accuracy and compliance. Trimester Tracker directly addresses midwives' biggest pain points by providing a user-centric platform designed to streamline workflow management. By automating documentation, simplifying collaboration, and integrating AI-driven safety features, it reduces administrative burden, improves efficiency, and enhances patient care, ensuring midwives can focus on what matters most—supporting expectant parents throughout their pregnancy journey.
Existing midwifery documentation tools fail to fully address the challenges midwives face. Many solutions are outdated, complex, or lack key automation features, leaving midwives burdened with inefficiencies. Expect is the most commonly used system but lacks predictive analytics. MMPO’s Maternity Note Application offers basic record-keeping but little in the way of workflow automation. Trimester Tracker fills this gap by prioritising ease of use, automation, and predictive analytics.
Overworked and time-constrained midwives currently struggle to keep accurate and up-to-date records. Failure to do so could lead to miscommunication and misguided care, by the midwife themself, and/or other healthcare professionals.
All midwives are 100% liable for their decisions – no action, or omission should ever put the patient and/or baby at risk. Also, if a complaint was to be made against a midwife, their records need to show meticulous evidence of the care and medical attention that patient received.
Midwives are only human, and mistakes can be made – these mistakes not only have a huge impact upon the families involved but also the midwives themselves. Trimester Tracker will help midwives keep on top of their documentation, not only for the potential liability, but also for the health and safety of their patients.
The generation of clear and well documented digital records will ensure critical information and potential alert ‘red flags’ won’t be missed – reducing medical oversight and increasing the health and safety of our community.
By removing the administrative inefficiencies midwives currently face it will shift the focus of midwives’ attention away from the ‘paperwork’ piling up on their desks, to the patients themselves. This will not only help improve their sense of job satisfaction but also their work/life balance. It will also help make midwifery more appealing to new recruits – in turn helping address the ongoing shortage of staff our hospitals are constantly facing.
Trimester Tracker has the potential to reduce administrative workload by 30%
According to the 2020 Midwifery Workforce Survey, New Zealand has 3,274 practicing midwives. The midwifery workforce is almost completely female, with the average time spent in the field being just under 15 years.
Gender
99% female workforce
Patient caseload
40-90 patients a year
Age
Average age of 46
Working hours
On-call, 24/7, everyday
There are a variety of different midwifery roles including, core hospital staff, educational and management roles and self-employed midwives who work either in a team or independently.
The focus of this app will aim to help self-employed community midwives who work independently of the District Health Board. User research has found it is these midwives who often feel unsupported and marginalised.
New Zealand has one of the best midwifery health care systems in the world and as such it makes it the perfect system to develop a base for a globally, first class healthcare product.
The total addressable market within New Zealand is relatively small, however, by expanding the total addressable market to include those countries with similar midwifery care systems to New Zealand we can increase our reach exponentially.
Global midwifery workforce per 10,000 carers
New Zealand
3,200 midwives
United Kingdom
44,475 midwives
Australia
43,874 midwives
Netherlands
4,192 midwives
Ireland
10,663 midwives
Germany
25,000 midwives
The initial version of Trimester Tracker was strategically designed to address the most pressing pain points midwives face. To ensure immediate value, the MVP focuses on three core functionalities:
Initial brainstorming idea generation
By prioritising these key features, the MVP lays the groundwork for a scalable, efficient, and intuitive workflow management tool, setting the stage for further refinements based on real-world user feedback.
The lean canvas model for Trimester Tracker defines a clear strategy for addressing midwifery workflow inefficiencies. The framework focuses on identifying critical pain points, developing solutions tailored to user needs, and establishing sustainable revenue streams. By prioritising automation, collaboration, and predictive analytics, Trimester Tracker is positioned to become an essential tool in improving midwifery care on a global scale.
Early draft of the lean canvas
Midwives using Trimester Tracker experience a seamless workflow from onboarding to patient care. The platform guides them through registration, case documentation, scheduling, and compliance reporting. By ensuring that every touchpoint is intuitive and efficient, Trimester Tracker enhances the user experience and simplifies midwifery workflows.
Transition to using product
Transition to using product
Midwifery patient care timeline
Early wireframes were developed to visualise how midwives and patients interact with the platform. The designs prioritise simplicity and efficiency, ensuring that even non-tech-savvy users can navigate the system with ease. A streamlined dashboard, automated scheduling, and predictive alerts form the foundation of the user interface.
Low-fi wireframes sketches
I truly believe Trimester Tracker can successfully bring to the market an intuitive digital app that efficiently reduces the administrative workload for midwives by at least 30%. By harnessing modern technology, there is the potential to create a solution that benefits the entire healthcare ecosystem.
Next steps include:
These enhancements will ensure the platform continues to evolve, meeting both user expectations and industry demands in the years to come.
Trimester Tracker is still being developed, if you would like to get involved, please let me know!
