Droma™

Migraine & POTS tracking that sees what’s coming

I'm a former marketing strategist and life coach transitioning into UX design. I bring something most designers don't — years of living with chronic migraine and a comorbid diagnosis of POTS since middle school. That lived experience didn't just inform this project. It shaped every single decision in it.

This project was completed as part of the IxDF AI for Designers course, which challenged me to use AI tools critically — not as a shortcut, but as a research and ideation partner that I evaluated, fact-checked, and pushed back on throughout the process.

Tools used: Figma, Claude, ChatGPT, Pixelmator Pro.

TL;DR

I've had migraines since middle school and abandoned every tracking app I've tried. Droma™ is the app I designed to fix that — connecting Apple Watch biometric data to migraine patterns for patients with POTS, and warning you before you feel it.

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The Problem

People living with migraine already generate rich health data through wearables and symptom tracking, but existing apps fail to turn that data into personalized, actionable insights. Logging feels burdensome during attacks, feedback is generic or absent, and apps offer no meaningful utility during migraine-free periods. Users abandon apps before they can deliver value — and the opportunity to improve clinical care and daily self-management is lost.

This problem is personal. I've abandoned every migraine tracking app I've ever tried.

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The Research

As part of the IxDF course methodology, I began by asking AI a specific research question:

"What are the most common reasons migraine tracking app users abandon apps, and what design features are most associated with long-term adherence?"

I then evaluated the AI's answers against my own domain knowledge, fact-checked them against peer-reviewed literature, and compared responses across multiple AI tools. The AI got most of it right — but my lived experience revealed nuances the research missed, including the critical gap between what apps promise and what they deliver for patients with comorbid conditions like POTS.

The insight that changed everything

Five peer-reviewed studies(citations at bottom of page) confirmed what I suspected from experience: HRV decreases during the migraine prodrome phase, stays suppressed through the attack, and remains low for 24-48 hours afterward. POTS patients already have lower baseline HRV. And resting heart rate rises during the ictal phase.

This data is already sitting on Maya's wrist. No app is connecting it to her migraines.

That gap became Droma™.

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The User

30-something Asian woman with shoulder-length hair, glasses, and a crimson collared shirt

Meet Maya Chen — a 32-year-old UX researcher with chronic migraine and POTS, planning a pregnancy within the next 12-18 months. She monitors her heart rate daily on Apple Watch due to POTS, suspects her autonomic symptoms and migraines are connected, and has abandoned both Migraine Buddy and Bearable after about two months each.

Maya isn't a fictional edge case. She's me — with a few details changed.

“I know my body is trying to tell me something. I just need something that can actually translate it.”

AT A GLANCE

OCCUPATION

UX researcher, mid-size tech company (hybrid)

HOUSEHOLD

Lives with partner. No children yet — planning to conceive in 12–18 months.

INCOME

Dual income, comfortable. Can afford premium apps and wearables.

TECH COMFORT

High. Uses Apple Watch daily, Apple Health, multiple wellness apps.

DEVICES

iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9, MacBook Pro

SUPPORT NETWORK

Supportive partner who is aware of her conditions. Neurologist she trusts.

HEALTH PROFILE

PRIMARY DIAGNOSIS

Chronic migraine — 15+ migraine days/month at baseline.

CURRENT STATUS

Propranolol (preventive) has cut migraines days to 7–8/month. Ubrelvy as rescue medication.

COMORBIDITY

POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) — managed with increased salt/fluid and compression garments.

WEARABLE USE

Monitors heart rate on Apple Watch daily for POTS. Notices patterns but can’t connect them.

PREGNANCY CONSIDERATION

Propranolol is pregnancy-compatible but requires monitoring.

CARE TEAM

Neurologist for migraine and POTS. OB-GYN for preconception planning.

TRACKING HISTORY

APPS TRIED

Migraine Buddy
Bearable

Both abandoned in about 2 months.

WHY SHE QUIT

Too many inputs during attack
Heart rate data imported but not explained
No insights linking POTS and migraine
Felt like homework with no payoff

GOALS

Undertand POTS-migraine connection
Build a pre-pregnancy baseline
Get a warning about an impending migraine

Share meaningful reports with neurologist
Monitor how pregnancy affects migraines
Spend under 15 seconds logging during attack

FRUSTRATIONS

Detailed input when she can barely open her eyes
Data collected by never interpreted

Generic insights that ignore comorbidities
Feeling surveilled, not supported

“As a chronic migraine patient with POTS, I need an app that automatically pulls in my health data and connects it to my migraine patterns so that I can anticipate attacks and make better decisions with my care team.”

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The most critical interaction in Droma™ had to work when Maya feels worst. Three entry paths — a Watch tap, an "I feel off" signal, or a post-attack check-in — all converge on the same outcome: a confirmed, logged attack with passive biometric data already attached. Maya never loses data because she was too sick to log completely. The app waits, then asks gently.

Task Flow 1

Logging an attack

When Droma™ detects a biometric pattern matching Maya's personal pre-migraine signature, it alerts her quietly — with context. Whether she acts on it, dismisses it, or misses it entirely, the app keeps monitoring. If an attack follows, it's already being tracked. If it doesn't, the near-miss becomes data that refines her signature over time. Every outcome is useful.

Task Flow 2

The warning window

Maya shouldn't have to think about her report — Droma™ should have it ready. Whether prompted by an appointment reminder or initiated manually, the flow takes Maya from selecting a time period to a shareable PDF in under a minute. One comprehensive report, one tap to export, shared with whoever she chooses. The data she collected does the work her neurologist needs.

Task Flow 3

Generating a report

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The Design

Droma™ is a migraine and POTS tracking app that passively ingests Apple Watch biometric data — HRV, heart rate, sleep — and uses it to build a personalized pre-migraine signature over time. When Maya's pattern matches her historical prodrome signature, Droma warns her before she feels it.

Key design decisions:

Ultra-low friction logging — a single Watch tap starts an attack log. The ideal interaction during an active migraine takes under 15 seconds.

Passive intelligence — Apple Health data is captured automatically every day. Maya never has to enter data she's already generating.

The warning window — Droma's most distinctive feature. A gentle amber alert when biometrics match Maya's pre-migraine signature, with context: "Your HRV is lower than usual — you also slept 5 hours last night."

Emotionally gentle UX — dark mode by default, minimal animation, validating language throughout. "You had a hard week" not "7 migraine events recorded." No streak pressure. No guilt for missed entries.

Clinical utility — a one-tap comprehensive PDF report Maya can share with her physicians.

Privacy by design — cycle tracking is optional, on-device only, never synced to the cloud. A deliberate decision for users in states with abortion restrictions.

Designing for a sensitive nervous system

Migraine sufferers are photosensitive by nature. High contrast, saturated colors, and busy interfaces can be genuinely triggering — not just aesthetically unpleasant. Droma™'s palette was built around this reality from the start.

Dark mode is the default — not a preference toggle. The background is a warm near-black (#1C1A1F) rather than pure black, which reduces harshness without sacrificing depth. Text uses a warm off-white (#E8E4DF) rather than pure white for the same reason.

The single accent color — a muted, dusty blue (#7BAFD4) — was chosen for calm and clarity. It's distinguishable across the most common forms of color blindness, and its low saturation keeps it from competing with content.

Status colors are intentionally desaturated — amber for warning, soft teal for positive patterns, pale rose for active migraine states. None are aggressive. All are paired with icons so color-blind users always have a second signal.

The palette was refined iteratively — every color was tested at 100% zoom against the question: "Could Maya read this with one eye half open during a prodrome?" If the answer was no, it changed.

The name

Droma™ derives from the same Greek root as syndrome and prodrome — the pre-migraine warning phase is the heart of the app's intelligence. It's also the name of a Tibetan bodhisattva meaning compassionate guide. The name earns its place on both counts.

The result

12 high-fidelity screens across iPhone and Apple Watch. A complete design system. A phased feature roadmap. A secured domain at droma.health. And a trademark claim on a name worth protecting.

Droma™ is the app I've needed for 40 years. I designed it because no one else had.

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