Role: Student Service Designer
Partner/Client: Independent project (dissertation)
Industry: Healthcare - Menopause
Project: Just, Pause
Year: 2023
The problem: Invisibility
My research consisted of speaking with women and men about their menopause experiences, conducting and analysing digital surveys, observing online and in person support groups, and connecting with various stakeholders across the menopause landscape.
Championing the social movement of positively repositioning menopause in society.
Menopause is a natural stage of life experienced by every woman, yet it remains largely invisible in society. A lack of early awareness, open conversation, and accessible resources leaves many unprepared for its impact - reinforcing stigma and silence.
I wanted to challenge this status quo. Inspired both by my own perspective as a woman and by seeing people close to me experience menopause, I set out to use service design as a tool for change. My goal was to reframe menopause not as a hidden struggle, but as a natural transition that deserves visibility, dignity, and support.
From this ambition, I developed Just, Pause as my RCA graduation project - a wellness brand providing accessible educational and preparatory resources for pre-perimenopausal and perimenopausal individuals.
Just, Pause offers a portfolio of mini-interventions aligned under the brand’s mission: to positively reposition menopause in society. With early awareness cues, digestible resources, and a growing community, it fosters both preparation and a positive shift in cultural perception.
Poor universal understanding
Poor education earlier in life has left many people unaware of the signs of perimenopause. In the UK alone, 2.2 million women were perimenopausal last year - yet nearly half (46%) did not know what the term meant. Many women describe dismissing symptoms as “something else,” assuming they were too young, or quietly enduring difficulties because speaking up felt unacceptable. What’s missing is a universal understanding of menopause and an open dialogue about its impact across society.
Limited and divided access to care
Menopause care is often described as a postcode lottery, with GP training not mandatory and diagnoses frequently delayed. As a result, many women are left to self-diagnose or rely on peers for information. Even with a diagnosis, symptom management remains unclear - what works for one woman may not work for another. Socio-economic inequalities further limit equitable access to care, leaving many women adrift in an overwhelming sea of information that can feel both confusing and distressing.
Stigma
Self-directed ageism, shaped by society’s negative perceptions of aging, often delays acceptance of menopause as a natural stage of midlife. To change this, menopause needs to be rebranded - not as decline, but as a catalyst for growth, empowerment, and self-betterment.
Define
How might we alleviate the challenges faced by those who are affected by menopause through early interventions that better prepare individuals for their own transition and influence enhanced experiences?
There are 3 essential pillars required to build this early preparation and move closer to acceptance:
Identification through improved education
Awareness through increased access and agency
Expression through improved communication
If as a society, we can foster menopause conversations earlier through improved avenues of education and expression, and invigorate women with increased agency and clarity of their own transition through improved access to care ahead of time, then all affected individuals will be better equipped with readiness for when symptoms arise, preventing them from becoming too debilitating, whilst being part of a movement that pushes society closer to acceptance through enhanced experiences.
Develop: Making it visible
Design
Early Exposure
Peri Pack
Pre-perimenopause
Many menopause services are available for those actively seeking support. However, perimenopausal women who haven’t yet recognised and connection their symptoms to menopause may not be looking for help, allowing symptoms to have a deeper impact. To address this gap, I propose adding a new stage to the menopause journey that deserves the same recognition and attention as later stages - pre-perimenopause (ages 35–40). By introducing the concept of menopause earlier, we can encourage women to engage with existing services sooner, potentially reducing confusion and distress when symptoms do appear. The challenge is that younger women often view menopause as an “older woman’s issue,” so it rarely enters their awareness in their 30s. To overcome this, we need strategies that make younger women aware and curious: creating meaningful incentives, sparking interest in early symptoms and possible treatments, or offering discreet prompts, designs, and information that empower them to prepare in advance.
Humour
With menopause needing a rebrand to reduce stigma, incorporating humour can be a powerful tool in creating more positive environments for open discussions, and even alleviating some symptoms.
Co-creation workshop with a group of women ranging from 28-60.
Just, Pause is a wellness brand providing accessible educational and preparatory resources for pre-peri and perimenopausal individuals.
The brand symbolises a moment for mindfulness, to gain clarity on the journey ahead, and to prioritise wellbeing. Our mission is to empower women to connect more deeply with themselves and those around them, recognise what is happening, and approach menopause with a positive mindset.
In the first instance, we provide non-invasive, but necessary interventions in the lives of pre-perimenopausal women to emphasise the importance of early menopause awareness. These interventions direct women to our central product line - the Peri Pack and a portfolio of communication aids - which, as a service in its entirety, encompasses our overall goal of positively repositioning menopause in society.
With a range of early awareness cues, digestible resources, and a growing community, the components of Just, Pause all fit under the umbrella of positive perception & preparation, and all strive to spotlight the brand vision: To create equitable opportunities for every individual to manage their menopausal journey.
Based on focus group discussions, a key requirement is raising awareness of early symptom onset. Just, Pause aims to do this by scattering exposure over different touchpoints, clinical and commercial, to reach a wider audience.
HCP consultations
Healthcare professionals have more authority when planting the seed. Smear testing and contraceptive consultations seem viable scenarios to implement initial discussions or handouts from the age of 35.
Collaborations with women's health & wellbeing products
As period irregularity is one of the first signs of perimenopause, by using existing product packaging to integrate conversation, we can extend awareness and reach a wider market through non-intrusive means by normalising the transition. Similarly, femtech products that focus on tracking and formulating menstrual patterns would be seen as reliable sources through their extended use. The integration of AI could recognise early connections to menopause based on relevant logged symptoms and age, and subsequently inform individuals.
The central product of Just, Pause is an educational toolkit containing the preliminary resources, care, and know-how information to deal with perimenopausal changes with reduced ambiguity. Similar to a mum-to-be pack, the peri pack contains a symptom checklist, holistic information guides, branded complementary goodies, and try-before-you-buy samples of products that alleviate symptom effects whilst reducing the cost of finding what works for you.
As every individual requires different forms of treatment and management, it is important to include guides encompassing tips for a range of different methods of alleviation. Here are 3 as an example:
Peripause 101
Nourish & Flourish
Let’s get moving!
These guides offer reassurance by informing, preparing, and encouraging women towards healthier lifestyles. It provides power of choice through improved access.
Laughing together creates a positive bond which relieves stress and diffuses disagreements in relationships. Just, Pause offers a range of additional small, separately sold products that reinforce positivity by encouraging communication through fun interventions:
Partner guide
Partners are often left in the dark, unable to comprehend women's experiences when women themselves are unaware. Just, Pause offers a partner guide with approachable education, using upbeat language to reframe sensitive issues and promote open discussions to nurture stronger relationships.
Menopause playing cards
I wanted to create a method of educating people about the symptoms and what women go through in a fun, inclusive way. When considering all associated symptoms, 52 playing cards seemed beneficial. With relatable illustrations and humorous anecdotes, I hope to promote positive interactions, encourage empathy and acceptance. I have renamed some of the classic games, e.g. you’re so snappy (snap), avoid the flush (chase the ace), and I’ve got no patience (patience/solitaire).
Fun fans
When it comes to menopause, the ultimate cliché is a woman fanning herself, having a hot flush. With a bit of light-heartedness, we believe that to break a taboo, you have to own it. We’re reclaiming the hand fan as a symbol of empowerment and an act of positive expression.
Communication Aids
Impact
Just, Pause has 3 unique selling points in creating value: tangibility, brand language, brand position. This is highlighted through the impact it made on my product testing group. (See video below)
Designed, empowered, and inspired by women; at Just, Pause we champion the social movement of positively repositioning menopause in society by ensuring that this generation of women feel better supported and understood at this pivotal time in their lives through enriched awareness, access, and expression.
Where premature menopause education has previously been neglected, our motto is be informed, be ready, be healthy. We’re devoted to promoting menopause as a time for self-betterment and demonstrating that lives should not come to a standstill during a normal chapter of womanhood. Instead, we encourage women to just pause, reflect, and continue through life empowered with the knowledge they need to take charge of their health.
Thanks
I would like to give thanks to my project participants, both women and men, who have kindly given their time and openly shared personal stories from their menopause experiences. This was a deep privilege and has given me perspective and optimism into this stage of life. Thank you to all the healthcare professionals and menopause champions who shared their insightful knowledge and expertise throughout the project - your continued work to help others is inspiring. Thank you to the individuals in my user testing groups for their constant engagement and support through development and prototyping.
Just, Pause was the first project I have completed solo as a service designer, meaning I had to push myself out of my comfort zone when liaising with experts, focus groups and when presenting to faculty, and it is something that I am personally proud of. This 6 month project has cemented my ambition to work within social impact, using my creativity to drive social change.