How our Slow Design Approach Makes the Euki App Different

Written by Marlee Turner

Technology moves fast, but faster isn't always better. In an age of constant and rushed development that leaves behind the people it claims to serve, Euki represents a step toward a more thoughtful approach—one that prioritizes the people and communities facing the greatest legal, financial, and/or social barriers and risks, all without compromising our values. At Euki, privacy, accessibility, and sustainability are at the forefront of all that we do, and our design process is no different. 

When creating and improving the Euki App, we take a “slow design” approach, prioritizing partnership with the people who use our products over rushed, constant development. Our process centers on co-creation and power-shifting rather than a traditional top-down approach. It also prioritizes our core values: collaboration, privacy, bodily autonomy, and centering the de-centered. We believe in the right to privacy, data autonomy, and bodily autonomy for all, and ensure that our design approach deliberately considers the full diversity and equally important experiences of the Euki community.

One aspect of slow design includes a “design from the margins” approach, which is central to what makes the Euki App stand out from other period tracking applications. Defined by the Harvard Kennedy School as a “design process that centers the most impacted and marginalized users from ideation to production,” designing from the margins “pushes the notion that not only is this something that can and must be done, but also that it is highly beneficial for all users and companies.”

At Euki, this means that we center the de-centered. We strive to be an anti-racist organization that advances health equity by centering the experiences and identities of people that face the greatest barriers to accessing reproductive health care, or who have more data privacy concerns and needs. This includes young people, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), gender expansive and transgender people, and people living in restrictive settings to healthcare. 

To understand the needs of these communities, Euki works with and alongside them. Our User Advisory Team (UAT) is a diverse, paid cohort of real users who we collaborate with for one year at a time. The team brings together a diversity of experiences and communities, collaborating with our internal product team to co-create the Euki App’s content, features, and design, as well as to define the product’s priorities. In return, team members gain UX design skills and experience, becoming part of a growing workforce reshaping tech from the inside out. At Euki, we don’t just build with the UAT, we give them the power to make decisions.

In addition to the UAT, Euki engages a broader range of users through our anonymous User-Feedback Survey. This survey allows users to share ideas, feedback, and needs for the Euki App, helping us develop new features and better understand our community’s priorities.

Once feedback is submitted, we follow a thorough review process to identify the most pressing needs of the communities we serve:

At Euki, we prioritize people. We co-create new features and information that our users want and need and do so with privacy, sustainability, and well-being in mind. But this commitment does not come without tradeoffs. 

Unlike traditional tech companies, where frictionless ease of use often comes at the expense of user data privacy and employee well-being, Euki takes a different and more thoughtful approach. In for-profit tech models, personal data is automatically collected, and fast releases often overwork staff, all to meet financial benchmarks.

Euki’s slow design approach works differently. It impacts both our team and our users: we ask for patience as we build the app through a process that is intentional, transparent, and inclusive. Our approach also rejects the burnout culture typical of tech companies. Our team is made up of real, passionate people who prioritize their well-being, allowing them to produce the best product possible while genuinely enjoying their work and personal lives.

Since our founding, Euki has remained committed to these values. As an organization, we unwaveringly center the de-centered and practice slow design at every step. By co-creating with users, listening to feedback, and giving them real decision-making power, we ensure that every feature reflects the needs, identities, and well-being of the communities we serve.