Portfolio

The Ovulation Cycle Experiment

The ovulation cycle is one of the most fundamental biological processes in the human body, but it is consistently taught in a way that makes it nearly impossible to retain. In most biology classrooms, it is presented through static diagrams and a microscopic scale that offers no tangible point of reference. Without a way to experience the sequence, feel the progression of phases, or interact with the hormones involved, the knowledge rarely sticks.

Proposal

The Ovulation Cycle Experiment is an augmented reality experience for Apple Vision Pro, designed for secondary school students, that makes the cycle physically explorable, interactive and memorable. Inspired by classic hormone cycle diagrams, the experience focuses on the three phases of the ovulation cycle and the four key hormones FSH, LH, estrogen, and progesterone. Students drag the hormones through space, walk around the egg cell, and hear the cycle explained as they go.

This work was created in a group of three as part of the Minor User Experience at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), supervised by Martin Meier and Florian Wille.

Softwares Used: Figma, Blender, Onshape, Weavy AI

The Egg Cell

Deliberately avoiding the aesthetic of a biology textbook, the egg cell was designed as an abstract, visually compelling object with layered materiality references. The outer cage structure alludes to the social suppression and lack of visibility the ovulation cycle has historically faced. The nucleus is rendered in a pearlescent tone, representing the most precious and generative part of the cell. We initially explored various materialities for the egg cell in Blender to find the right visual expression.

01-cellar

03-mucosa

02-membrane

The Hormones

What do Hormones look like ?
Because of their extremely small size it was hard to find visualisations we could use as a reference or inspiration. Therefor we had to create our own visual language that would highlight their essential role and be in harmony with the rest of the scene. This was achieved by a long process of iterating which is summarised in the following pages.

Progesteron

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Prepares and maintains the uterus for pregnancy after ovulation and supports early stages of pregnancy.

Technical

We built the experience in SwiftUI and RealityKit for visionOS, with 3D assets made in Blender and composed in Reality Composer Pro. It was our first time working with the platform, which meant a lot of figuring out on the go — an unfamiliar shader system, export issues between Blender and Reality Composer, and coordinating code between two people via GitHub. Working across tools and as a development team for the first time taught us a lot about version control, compatibility, and designing within technical constraints.

Final Product & Outlook

The current prototype demonstrates the core experience — walking through the three phases, dragging hormones, and hearing the cycle explained in space. In a final product, the experience would begin with a short onboarding and support up to three students exploring together in the same AR space. Going further, we'd want to fully animate the egg cell across all phases, expand the spatial layout to make each phase more distinctly its own area, and add richer hormone feedback to make every interaction feel more alive.

Elena Fabrikant

This work was created in a group of three as part of the Minor User Experience at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), supervised by Martin Meier and Florian Wille.