Vaginas are amazing. Taking care of them should be too.
There is no reason why the responsibility of caring for your vagina should involve such routine discomfort that many people delay, or even forgo, their pelvic exams. This is a fixable problem — one that a kickass group of women has set their sights on solving.
Yona is an early-stage experience design concept that reimagines the pelvic exam from a patient-centered perspective, beginning with the design of the speculum. Our goal is to transform health care, one vagina at a time.
Vaginas are amazing. Taking care of them should be too.
There is no reason why the responsibility of caring for your vagina should involve such routine discomfort that many people delay, or even forgo, their pelvic exams. This is a fixable problem — one that a kickass group of women has set their sights on solving.
Yona is an early-stage experience design concept that reimagines the pelvic exam from a patient-centered perspective, beginning with the design of the speculum. Our goal is to transform health care, one vagina at a time.
The Exam —
~60 Million
Pelvic Exams...
are performed by providers across the U.S. annually*. That’s a lot of awkward scootching and cold butts on crinkly paper. This important routine exam affects half the population but remains inefficient and archaically inconsiderate of the patient’s physical and emotional needs.
* Despite how substantial this number seems, there is still a huge proportion of people who do not have access, due to factors including insurance cost and the scarcity of OBGYN providers. As the population continues to grow, there is an increasing need for an efficient, effective, and well-designed pelvic exam.
Source: U.S. Preventative Services Task Force
* Despite how substantial this number seems, there is still a huge proportion of people who do not have access, due to factors including insurance cost and the scarcity of OBGYN providers. As the population continues to grow, there is an increasing need for an efficient, effective, and well-designed pelvic exam.
Source: U.S. Preventative Services Task Force
The Exam —
* Despite how substantial this number seems, there is still a huge proportion of people who do not have access, due to factors including insurance cost and the scarcity of OBGYN providers. As the population continues to grow, there is an increasing need for an efficient, effective, and well-designed pelvic exam.
Source: U.S. Preventative Services Task Force
The Provocation —
We’ve all wondered
Why does the pelvic exam have to be so uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing? Why is it taboo to talk about? And why hasn’t the speculum been improved in nearly 200 years?
Redesigning the speculum was the right place to start, but it’s inseparable from the context in which it is used. The exam itself is inconsiderate of the patient’s physical and emotional needs and, as a result, can be procedurally inefficient.
The Yona concept, informed by both patients and providers, considers the end-to-end exam experience by focusing on a redesigned speculum, a digital experience, and physical exam room improvements.
Redesigning the speculum was the right place to start, but it’s inseparable from the context in which it is used. The exam itself is inconsiderate of the patient’s physical and emotional needs and, as a result, can be procedurally inefficient.
The Yona concept, informed by both patients and providers, considers the end-to-end exam experience by focusing on a redesigned speculum, a digital experience, and physical exam room improvements.
The Provocation —
Redesigning the speculum was the right place to start, but it’s inseparable from the context in which it is used. The exam itself is inconsiderate of the patient’s physical and emotional needs and, as a result, can be procedurally inefficient.
The Yona concept, informed by both patients and providers, considers the end-to-end exam experience by focusing on a redesigned speculum, a digital experience, and physical exam room improvements.