2019

Helping migraine sufferers take control of their experience

Role
Senior Designer
Industry
Healthcare
Background Image
Overview

Migraine is the most common neurological disease, affecting 1 billion people worldwide, with many more likely undiagnosed.

The sheer pain and consequences of a migraine can be almost impossible to live with and exhausting to communicate with others. Millions of migraines happen every day and those suffering can feel frozen in response both to the thought and experience of an attack. This invisible and often stigmatised condition can be isolating, making it challenging for individuals to share their needs—particularly in the workplace—or seek support.

Our client, a provider of care for people with migraine, partnered with our team to ideate and develop a solution that would support migraine sufferers in the moment of an attack. This project included a series of design sprints to shape an impactful, validated product and supporting product marketing strategy.

Team

1 x Engagement Lead

1 x Design Lead

1 x Senior Designer

1 x Service Designer

1 x Visual Designer

Areas of focus

Product Strategy

Brand Experience

UX/UI Design

Service Design

Visual Identity

“How might we empower individuals with migraines to find support in moments of need, and reduce the isolation caused by this often invisible and stigmatised condition?”

Challenge to solve

Our client, a healthcare provider who had developed groundbreaking medication to support migraine sufferers, wanted to explore additional service solutions. Following a series of co-creation workshops, they selected a concept that would solve the problem statement.

I joined this project in the second phase, following the initial ideation concepts, and was responsible for the following areas:

  • Testing, iteration, and validation of solutions created through a series of 4 design sprints.
  • Planning and facilitating 6 qualitative interviews during the design sprints.
  • Synthesising and translating research insights into design decisions.
  • Designing high-fidelity mockups during the design sprints for testing.
  • Leading the brand strategy, visual identity, and design system.
  • Contributing to the product launch and marketing strategy.

To deeply understand the journey of migraine sufferers, we conducted extensive explorative and generative research, identifying critical pain points and untapped opportunities for intervention. These insights shaped our design approach, and through a series of fast-paced design sprints, we developed and tested prototypes that addressed the core needs of users.

The result was a thoughtfully designed application that offers users a personal emergency plan. With just a swipe, individuals can navigate their way to a safe place, ensuring they feel supported in the moments leading up to and during a migraine attack.

Beyond the digital product, we crafted a cohesive brand identity that reflects Mimo’s empathetic mission and developed a strategic launch campaign to engage and inspire the community. This holistic approach ensures that Mimo isn’t just a tool—it’s a beacon of empowerment for those living with migraines.

Brand development process

In addition to the traditional vision, mission, and manifesto development, to deepen brand identity and evolve our design practices, I developed several new or customised methodologies such as the following:

  • Tone of voice x Experience: a method to adapt the language of the app based on the moment of the experience.
  • Personality traits matrix: a more strategic approach to guide alternative design routes.
  • Value mapping: a method to derive subprinciples from principles through design filters such as “data”.
Brand guide

The Logo is composed of two parts: **Mi**graine **Mo**de. The combination of these two parts creates a kind and playful abbreviation that describes the identity and feel the service stands for.

By simply connecting the ‘m’ & ‘i’ and the ‘m’ & ‘o’ with ligatures the word flows in a more elegant, calm and playful way. This subtle change in the visual structure of the word symbolises the ups and downs of migraine sufferers.

A composite of our expressions and balancing forms enables us to convey different moods and emotions that reflect the moment in the migraine experience.

Marketing approach

Our product marketing strategy for Mimo covered the following:

  • We began by mapping our audiences — not just core migraine sufferers, but also the people around them: friends, family, and professionals in the B2B space like NGOs, healthcare providers, and researchers.
  • The campaign plan unfolded in three phases: building a user base, growing brand awareness, and finally, activating our community with clear success metrics to guide the way.
  • To track real traction, we designed a conversion funnel with touchpoints from first awareness through to revenue — focusing on signals like repeat usage and peer referrals.
  • And to bring it all to life, we developed two creative campaign concepts spanning digital and physical channels, from paid social content to tangible migraine kits designed to spark connection and care.