Hannah Day
Hannah Day
Leona
The Leona container is a user-centered design that focuses on the cleaning process and storage for a reusable menstruation cup when on-the-go. Leona addresses the amount of menstruation waste created by the overconsumption of disposable period products by making menstruation cups more convenient for a woman’s on-the-go lifestyle; and redresses current menstruation habits and reduces the amount of reliance the industry has on disposable period products. Leona rebels against disposable menstruation products and makes the menstruation cup much more appealing and convenient.
My product is named after Leona Chalmer, who designed the menstruation cup in 1937. The Leona container is designed to make cleaning and storing the menstruation cup easier and less messy. This elegant, simple, and efficient design makes rinsing the menstruation cup in a public bathroom much simpler. The average menstruator will have their period for around 38 years, spending an average of 65 days a year dealing with it. In that time, a single menstruator will throw away around 8,000 to 17,000 tampons. In the US alone, approximately 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons are disposed of in a single year. Combining the reusable menstruation cup and the Leona container will dramatically reduce menstruation waste and normalize its use among active women.
Hannah Day
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Leona is an on-the-go sanitation and storage container for a menstruation cup.
There are approximately 2 billion menstruators globally. The average woman will have their period for around 38 years, using and disposing of an average of 8,000 to 17,000 period products. In the U.S. alone, approximately 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons are disposed of in a single year.
The menstruation cup is a safe, effective, and cost-saving device. Because it is reusable, it dramatically reduces the amount of menstruation waste. But it has pain points that have yet to be addressed. When living an active lifestyle, where do you clean and store your menstruation cup?
Leona Chalmer invented the menstruation cup in 1937. Production of the cup was interrupted by WWII due to material shortage. In 1950, the cup was reintroduced but failed to catch on due to consumer discomfort and stigmas.
There are currently two options for cleaning a menstruation cup in a public bathroom. Rinsing it over the toiled with a water bottle. Or rinsing it in the sink, which is embarrassing.
The pain points that come with using a menstruation cup in public differ depending on the woman. From personal experience and individual interviews, the core issue is handling the menstruation cups in public bathrooms.
Combining the menstruation cup and the Leona container addresses most of the problems that come with using a reusable menstruation cup: Ease of rinsing/sanitizing the cup, privately, in a public bathroom, and convenient, conspicuously designed on-the-go storage cup.
There are currently storage containers for cups and sanitation canisters on the market. Leona satisfies both needs with a single product.
The design of the Leona has been tested for manufacturability, ergonomics, and function, and has easily met the requirements for each. Leona is also an aesthetically attractive object.
Using different viscosities of fake blood out of rehydrated cinnamon and syrup, testing confirmed the menstruation cup would come out clean using.
Leona.
Just pre-fill with water before entering the toilet stall.
After emptying the used menstruation cup in the toilet, hold it upside down and put it into the Leona container.
Close Leona and shake vigorously for ten counts to ensure the menstruation cup comes out clean.
Re-insert the menstruation cup. Empty the Leona container into the toilet the cup, reseal, and go!
Six easy steps: 1. Pre-fill Leona with water before entering the bathroom stall. 2. Remove and empty the menstruation cup in the toilet. 3. Hold the cup upside down and guide it into the container. 4. Shake vigorously for at least ten counts. 5. Empty the container water into the toilet. 6. Re-insert rinsed cup and go!
Leona is designed to be manufactured with either injection or blow molding using low-density polyethylene (LDPE), a material that is soft, lightweight, and flexible as well as tough and corrosion-resistant.
Leona is designed to normalize the use of the reusable menstruation cup for menstruators on the go.
Students will love Leona.
Leona is perfect for travel.