Continuum
A care-centered platform keeping surrogates, parents, and coordinators in sync after pregnancy confirmation.
Jan 2025 · Course research, independent design · 3 min read
Project Overview
Most surrogacy tools manage paperwork. Continuum manages the human experience.
My Role
I researched this with a class team of 7, focusing on how hospital systems handle surrogacy, then independently designed Continuum after the course, building on that research. Translated highly sensitive, multi-stakeholder emotional anxieties into clear, quiet UI patterns that protect user trust.
- COURSE
- MGT 120: Managing and Using Information Technology
- ROLE
- Researcher (team), then solo Product Designer
- TEAM
- 7 (research) · Solo (design)
- SERVICE
- UX Research, Journey Mapping, Interaction Design, Design Systems
Highlights
Less chaos, more continuity.
Single shared timeline for parents, surrogates, and coordinators
Progressive disclosure model: only the next task is ever shown
One-tap, emoji-based emotional check-ins for surrogates
3
stakeholder groups designed for
9
months of journey mapped
Timeline
Course research · Jan–Mar 2025 · Team of 7
Solo design · Spring 2025
Stakeholder interviews
Hospital systems sub-problem (my focus)
Progressive disclosure
Timeline-first communication
Design system draft
Frictionless check-ins
My Role & Impact
Problem
Once a surrogacy pregnancy is confirmed, agencies drop their high-touch support. Families are left to navigate complex medical, legal, and emotional milestones using messy spreadsheets and chaotic group texts.
Solution
A shared mobile and web platform that replaces chaos with a unified, stress-free timeline, proactive coordinator tools, and lightweight wellness tracking.
Intended Impact
Designed to cut down the anxious, off-channel messages coordinators receive, by making a shared timeline the default place families check for updates, so they get answers without having to ask.
The Problem
Through our team's stakeholder interviews, we found a major gap: Support fades the moment pregnancy is confirmed exactly when emotional labor and uncertainty spike.
I led the 'Hospital Systems Don't Understand Surrogacy' sub-problem: hospital staff often aren't trained for surrogacy, so surrogates get misrecognized and intended parents miss critical updates and bonding moments.
The answer wasn't a better administration tool. It was a care system that sustained trust over nine months.
3 Critical Design Decisions (And the Tradeoffs)
Instead of showing every wireframe, here are the strategic decisions that shaped the product:
1. Progressive Disclosure (Legal Tasks)
- The Anxiety: Parents were overwhelmed by massive, complex legal checklists.
- The UI Fix: I show only the immediate next task; future steps are hidden.
- The Tradeoff: Parents lose the "big picture" view, but gain daily peace of mind.
2. Timeline Default (Communication)
- The Anxiety: Group chats created pressure for instant replies, spiking stress.
- The UI Fix: Made an auto-updating shared timeline the default homepage.
- The Tradeoff: Communication is slower, but it eliminates conversational urgency.
3. Frictionless Check-ins (Surrogate Care)
- The Anxiety: Surrogates wanted support but hated feeling monitored or given "homework."
- The UI Fix: One-tap, emoji-based mood checks with optional short notes.
- The Tradeoff: I gave up more granular health data in exchange for authentic participation.
Designing for Multiple Stakeholders
Intended Parents
Core need: Reassurance & Clarity
- Shared access to timelines, calendars, and documents
- Guided prompts to ask the right questions at the right time
- Reduced need for constant messaging
Surrogates
Core need: Autonomy & Care
- Emotional check-ins and wellbeing signals
- Clear expectations and consent-based visibility
- Reduced feeling of being monitored
Care Coordinators
Core need: Risk Detection
- Live case dashboard with alerts
- Tools to track readiness, alignment, and blockers
- Centralized communication loops
Design System: Designing for Emotional Safety
To lower cognitive load during high-stress medical moments, the visual system prioritizes calm:
- Warm, non-clinical tones to avoid looking like a sterile medical portal or tracker.
- Mobile-first layouts optimized for quick, one-handed use in waiting rooms.
- Large, readable typography and soft microcopy that feels supportive, not authoritative.
What I'd Do Next
- Pilot with a clinic to test how the emotional check-ins hold up over months of real-world use.
- Measure success by tracking if the platform reduces the volume of anxious, off-channel messages sent to coordinators.
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