Democratizing the Doula Experience.
Kin provides every mother with the experience they deserve.
Type: Interaction Design, Experience Design, Mobile App
Category: Strategy, Design Research, Experience Design, Digital Product Design
Context: Masters Thesis Fall 2019
Challenge:
Black women are 3 times more likely to die from childbirth related causes. Many of these causes are preventable, causing unease and fear around the medical system.
Opportunity:
How might we leverage the ancestral knowledge of the doula in a way that is safe and accessible to all mothers regardless of socioeconomic status?
Kin is a mobile app that provides low cost, virtual doula care by leveraging members of the expectant mothers current care team.
Introduction
The Maternal Mortality Rate in the US has nearly doubled from 10.3 to 23.8 per 100,000 births. And Black women are 3 times more like to die from childbirth related causes and these results are consistent across socioeconomic backgrounds. The modern clinical model of care has not shown up for black women-pregnant and otherwise and I wanted to use my thesis to explore how more traditional notions of support can.
Identifying an Opportunity: The Pregnancy Ecosystem
To begin understanding the systems at play, an ecosystem map was constructed to understand the multiple touch-points and concepts present in the maternal health landscape. Although this is not a comprehensive map, it gives us insight into where systemic change can be implemented.
Primary Research: Qualitative Interviews with Experts
I had the opportunity to talk with over 30 subject matter experts in the fields of Obstetrics, Midwifery, Doula Studies and Medical Research. This included conversations with Designers, Doctors, Doulas and most importantly-mothers.
Design Research
In December 2019, a co-creation session was held as research provocation. In it, black women collaborated around their relationships with their bodies and co-designed futures of collective wellbeing.
Go Deeper: View my workshop design and insights
Insights:
Black pregnant women manage the fear and uncertainty of the medical system in many ways but one of the most impactful is through using a doula. Specifically a doula of color and studies have shown that doulas have positive medical effects on both mother and newborn.
Challenges
Although doulas provide tremendous benefits for black women, there can be some challenges including accessibility issues that can prevent mothers from getting one. We learned more as we spoke to more mothers:
Existing Products
Most of the products on the market are targeted towards the mom. This puts responsibility on the mother without understanding that there could be a lot of reasons why a mom is unable to devote fully herself fully to her wellness. There is an opportunity to leverage the family and community of the pregnant person.
Intervention Spaces
Through this research in addition to participatory design sessions, I identified 3 opportunity spaces that prevented every mom who desired one from getting a doula.
Solution
Prioritized Feature List
Mockups and Prototyping
I decided to further my exploration by brainstorming based on the feature list. As I began working on this, however, like many good projects, the list continued to evolve and so do my designs. I then began to create some basic wireframes that I used to further test my assumptions with my target user group.
Product Design
Choosing a Doula Coach
When a member of the care team signs up, they would them select a doula coach. After selecting a doula, they would be prompted to schedule a three way call between the doula, themselves and the expecting mother.
Learn Relevant Content
One of the things I heard from the supporters I researched was that reliable information can be hard to find, especially if they don’t feel confident in their abilities to provide help.
Receive Helpful Feedback on how to Improve
Supporters can schedule coaching calls with their doulas. Calls are recorded so they will always have access to the information in case they want to go back of have follow up questions.
Organize Support Groups
During the fourth trimester, supporters can also invite members of the mothers extended support network to organize social support groups for the new mom centered around check-ins, meal trains and childcare.
App Site Map
Kin as a Social Venture
Unlike other pregnancy related apps on the market, Kin is centered involves the community and shifts the burden from solely the pregnant woman. It leverages knowledge from doulas in a cost effective way.
Next Steps:
Project is in progress, more updates to come but I am really looking forward to working through the navigation of the app. I would also start to imagine what the doulas accompanying app would look like.
More Projects Related To My Thesis:
Wellness By Design: Design Research
The Care Collective: Service Design
Kin Care Doula Platform: Product Design (In progress)
All work copyright Victoria Ayo © 2020