haven.

Helping Immigrant mothers navigate the postpartum journey.

3rd Place Winner!

ROLE

UX Designer
UX Researcher

TIMELINE

2023 May 6-7

Zareen Tasnim (Me)
Juhi Khare
Cobi Stancik
Ian Teodoro
Ocean Vu

TEAM

TOOLS

Figma
Protopie

OVERVIEW

01

MY PROTOTHON EXPERIENCE

A Journey to Empower Immigrant Mothers

My journey began with a shared aspiration to leverage technology for profound change allowing me to join the 10th annual Protothon hosted by DubsTech at the University of Washington. This protothon offered four distinct tracks for innovation, including Classic, Enterprise, Artificial Intelligence, and FemTech, my team swiftly gravitated towards the FemTech track because of the unique problem space.

Embracing the prompt “Design a Femtech Solution that Helps Mothers through Postpartum,” we embarked on an intensive research phase to understand the diverse experiences and challenges mothers face during this sensitive time. Our exploration led us to a poignant realization: the unique struggles of immigrant mothers which resonated deeply with our team, with each of us being children of immigrants. This personal connection fueled our determination to create a solution that would provide meaningful support and guidance to immigrant mothers navigating the complexities of postpartum life.

Protothon Challenge

"Design a FemTech Solution that helps Mothers through Postpartum."

Problem Space

Obtaining postpartum care can be a challenge for all mothers. Especially for immigrant mothers who may face various barriers, including insufficient support networks, restricted access to resources and education, as well as language and cultural barriers that hinder outreach efforts.

Goals

We began our research with three goals in mind:

People hold different levels of comfortability in regard to sharing and receiving information on personal pregnancy and maternal concerns, especially Postpartum Depression (PPD‍)
It is important to acknowledge the vast spectrum of socioeconomic, cultural, and overall environmental aspects of PPD in order to facilitate connection, whatever that may look like for any mother
PPD doesn't occur because of something a mother does or not do. The approach should not be preventative, but rather palliative

DESIGN PROCESS

02

PHASED APPROACH

Project Plan

Research → Framework → Storyboard → Moodboard → Style Guide → Wireframes → Prototype

Our team decided to approach the protothon using a phased approach we had previously used in a design class. We applied our classroom learning to a real-world project to work through our ideas till the final deliverable.

Our lovely team during planning!

Research & Ideation

Our journey began with brainstorming. We had an individual research session for about an hour where we came up with existing solutions, notes, resources, questions, and potential interview questions we could ask our mothers to gather first-hand research.

Initial Research Notes

Stages of postpartum: The postpartum period can be divided into three distinct stages; the initial or acute phase, 8–19 hours after childbirth; the subacute postpartum period, which lasts two to six weeks, and the delayed postpartum period, which can last up to six months
Types of PPD:
- Postpartum Blues (also referred to as “baby blues”)
- Postpartum Anxiety
- Postpartum Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Postpartum Panic Disorder
- Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Postpartum Psychosis
- Between 10% and 20% of women who have recently given birth experience PPD, but like Merritt, more than half of them go undiagnosed.
Most people leave their child with the husband or grandparents for care.
Postpartum Depression Is a Family Illness:
Men can also get postpartum depression, Meyer says, noting that an estimated 10% of new fathers experience the condition.

Existing Solutions

MamaMend: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mamamend-postpartum-tracker/id1460420716
Non-screen: Therapy, antidepressants, partner support
Peanut - Postpartum community app

Predicting women with depressive symptoms postpartum with machine learning methods

Interview

We decided to conduct User Interviews to get an idea of how relevant the problem is by asking our mothers and other immigrant mothers we know. Below is our Interview format.

Introduction (5 minutes)

1. Introduce yourself and explain the purpose of the interview.
2. Build rapport by asking the participant about their general experience of motherhood so far.

Background Information (5 minutes):

3. Ask the participant about their age, educational background, occupation, and any relevant personal information.
Inquire about their previous knowledge or experience with postpartum care or related products/services.

Postpartum Experience (10 minutes):

4. Ask the participant to describe their postpartum experience in general, focusing on their emotional and physical well-being.
5. Explore the specific challenges they encountered during this period, such as physical recovery, emotional changes, sleep deprivation, etc.
6. Probe further into any unexpected or overwhelming feelings they experienced and how they coped with them.
7. Inquire about any support systems they had in place, including family, friends, healthcare professionals, or online communities.

Technology and Support (5 minutes)

8. Discuss the participant's use of technology and digital solutions during the postpartum period.
9. Explore any apps, devices, or technology they found helpful or would have liked to use.
10. Ask about their preferences regarding receiving support and information through technology.

Current Needs and Pain Points (5 minutes):

11. Inquire about the participant's current needs and challenges as a new mother.
12. Ask them to identify the pain points they faced during the postpartum period and the areas where they felt additional support or resources were lacking.
12. Discuss any concerns they have about their physical and emotional well-being during the postpartum period.

Wrap-up and Final Thoughts (5 minutes):

Summarize the key points discussed during the interview.
14. Ask the participant if there is anything else they would like to share about their postpartum experience or any other relevant thoughts.

Thank the participant for their time and participation.

KEY INTERVIEW COMMENTS

We discovered that having family & friends ready to step in was very important. A physical presence helped deal with mental health and lift any other burdens. Having resources to support the mothers financially was huge too. We took all of the feedback and got to work creating the framework of our project.

Framework

Storyboard

To create our app flow and decide what features we want to include we played crazy 8's. The main ideas we all shared were:

A welcoming simple onboarding page
A chat feature and forums where questions can be posted
A way to connect and find communities specifically based on location so that people can meet up
A way to involve professionals and actual health physicians to answer questions on the app
Using circles and round shapes to make the app feel comfortable and smooth

Moodboard

To experiment with what type of vibes we want we created moodboards of other app systems. We took inspiration from the colors and played with gradients, fonts, shapes, and more. Here is a peek into exploring different app color styles and concepts.

Below are some color variations we explored, along with our homepage design featuring circular elements. We chose the rounded circle approach to evoke a sense of comfort and safety. Initially, we experimented with gradient and ombré color mixes, but ultimately opted for a flat, minimal color palette to create a more approachable and less overwhelming user experience.

Styleguide

Here is our final style guide, developed after experimenting with various color palettes. We chose these colors for their ability to evoke feelings of safety and comfort for users. Additionally, we incorporated Bitmojis for storytelling and as icons to create a more relatable and engaging user experience.

Wireframes

We created the basic wireframe of our app and each page. We really enjoyed the idea of using "circles" to express community. And so the circles and ring represent different levels of community and groups. And each circle is a user.

Here is the onboarding flow with colors incorporated.

FINAL PROTOTYPE

03

Prototype

For the prototype, we focused on 3 pain points:

Finding the right community.
Finding the appropriate resources and help in a new country
Unable to deal with isolation.

Haven Walkthrough

Haven Presentation

REFLECTION

04

Reflection

Earned 3rd place in the track!

As I reflect on this incredible experience, I am filled with immense gratitude for the chance to contribute meaningfully to the lives of others. The Protothon was more than just a competition; it was a reminder that our skills as UI/UX designers can shape the world in beautiful and meaningful ways. I carry this inspiration forward in my journey, knowing that I will continue to create designs that touch hearts and enrich lives.