Participation: How Much is Enough? Balancing Insight and Cognitive Load in Menstrual Health Visualization

What is the purpose of the study?

This study explores how people interact with and perceive visual information in a digital health application. We are interested in how different ways of presenting information influence user experience and understanding.

What will you do?

You will be asked to view a mock-up of a menstrual health application and imagine using it. Afterwards, you will complete a short online questionnaire about your experience. The questionnaire includes questions about:

• Your understanding of the information
• Your experience while using the app
• Your general impressions and attitudes

No personal menstrual health data will be collected or processed.

Who can participate in the study?

People who menstruate and are aged 18 years or older. No prior experience with menstrual cycle tracking applications is required.

What will taking part involve?

If you decide to participate:

• You will be asked to view and explore a prototype of a menstrual cycle tracking application,
• You will complete a short questionnaire about your experience, and
• The study is conducted entirely online and takes approximately 15-20 minutes. 

Are there any benefits from participating?

By participating, you contribute to research on menstrual health literacy, and user-centered design in digital health. The findings may help improve how menstrual health applications present information, making them more understandable, useful, and supportive for users. 

SurveyCircle users receive points for their participation, which can be used to recruit free survey participants at SurveyCircle.com

Are there possible disadvantages and/or risks in participating?

There are no known physical or psychological risks associated with this study. Some questions may relate to menstrual health, which could be mildly sensitive. You may skip any question or stop participation at any time without giving a reason and without any negative consequences. 

What are my rights during participation?

Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary. You can withdraw at any time without providing a reason and without any negative consequences.

What information is being collected?

We collect demographic information such as your age and gender, your self-reported menstrual health literacy and prior tracking experience as well as questionnaire responses, such as questions about insightfulness, cognitive load, trust and behavioral intentions of the visualization. No personally identifiable health data or menstrual health tracking records are collected.

How will my data be used?

All data will be used solely for research purposes. The study aims to better understand how different visualization designs affect perceived understanding, cognitive processing, and behavioral intentions in digital health contexts. Your Data will be anonymized and analyzed in aggregated form and may contribute to academic publications. 

Where are the research data stored?

All original and anonymized data will be securely stored on SharePoint folders hosted by the University of Zurich, and only accessible to the research team in accordance with current data protection regulations for a period of ten years. 

Who has access to my data?

Only authorized research team members will have access to original data. Members of the University of Zurich’s Ethics Committee can access the original data for verification purposes. Scientific results may be presented in aggregated form at scientific conferences or in scientific journals. 

Anonymized data may (need to) be shared for scientific purposes with non-commercial third parties such as peer reviewers, but only upon request and under strict conditions that ensure compliance with data privacy and security standards. Our ethical obligations guide our practices, ensuring that any data sharing is conducted with the highest standards of research integrity.

What are my rights regarding my data?

Your participation is completely voluntary. You may withdraw from the study at any time without providing a reason and without any disadvantages. Until your data has been anonymized, you may request to see, correct, or delete your data. If you have questions or wish to withdraw your consent, you can contact the research team at any time. You also have the right to file a complaint with the data protection authority if you believe your data has been handled improperly.

Who funds the study?

This study forms part of a master’s thesis at the University of Zurich. The project is funded by the Chair of Digital Health Interventions at the University of Zurich and does not receive external funding.

Who reviewed the study?

This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zurich under review number MeF-Ethik-2026-19.