The Combination Rule - Willow Case Study

Willow is a female technology company that empowers and supports mothers. Their first invention, launched in 2017, is a wireless, in-bra wearable breast pump that revolutionized the breastfeeding market and gave back mobility to mothers who previously felt tethered to the wall. In 2020, after years of innovation on the physical product and digital companion app, the team was questioning what else they could build to support the broader motherhood journey.

The task

The initial task was to establish and work closely with a new internal team on defining and testing options for new digital products across the broader motherhood journey. The goal was to find a signal on one or more solutions for further investment and then design an MVP. We initially found signal through a series of tests and then pushed into qualitative research and iterative design, establishing a deeper understanding of mothers' needs and desired solutions. To accurately capture signal on what was and wasn't interesting to moms and build the foundation for a predictive, personalized experience, we built a data pipeline and process for ongoing testing and data-driven refinement of the product. We also partnered with a creative studio to establish a new brand and deepen a catalog of assets for the product.

Product Approach

Map out and establish a common understanding of the broader motherhood journey and then overlay all the options for new digital product solutions on top of this journey. Define and execute a testing plan that enabled the team to run high velocity, high volume quantitative experiments across all the solution ideas to identify those with the highest interest.

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MVP Readiness

Create deeper solutions for those ideas with the highest interest among moms. Structure and conduct qualitative research to clearly understand the connection between mothers' needs and their interest in various solutions. Partner with a content studio to establish a new brand identity and layer digital assets into the product to prepare for MVP launch.

Data Infrastructure

Build a data pipeline and process for on-going testing and data-driven refinement of deeper prototypes and coded solutions. Enable testing and capturing signals to inform business and product strategy decision-making across social media through all levels of the client's marketing site and content platform. Build the foundation for a predictive, personalized experience from both a technical infrastructure and organizational perspective.

Motherhood is a journey.

Moms are not born with the knowledge or confidence required to be a parent. Much of the historically available digital information is not factual or evidence-based but rather DIY and agenda-driven. To meet moms where they are in the motherhood journey, we tested many product options and landed on building expert-created content for non and semi-clinical topics with a focus on making it accessible, relevant, and intuitive for moms as their needs change over time. The ultimate goal was to develop an ecosystem that frees pediatricians to focus on clinical issues and empowers moms to build relevant, actionable knowledge through a personalized and predictive experience.