Designing for Support during High-Risk Pregnancy - Master project
In this ongoing project, we investigate how digital technologies can enhance the support provided by midwives to expectant parents experiencing high-risk pregnancies, as well as explore how certain aspects of clinical care might be complemented by technology. This work builds on insights from prior participatory studies conducted with pregnant individuals, midwives, and clinicians.
Background: Through qualitative interviews with pregnant individuals, midwives, and obstetricians in Switzerland, we found that pregnancy tracking is not only a medical activity but also an emotional and social practice shaped by lived experiences, interpersonal relationships, and the broader healthcare ecosystem. While digital tools can support individuals in understanding and reflecting on their pregnancies, they may also introduce additional uncertainty and stress ([link] to appear in Proceedings of the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’26)).
These findings underscore the importance of designing digital health technologies that are sensitive to psychological, social, and clinical dimensions of care, rather than focusing solely on data collection or technical functionality. Furthermore, midwives and clinicians perceived self-tracking as most valuable when there is a clear medical need, such as in high-risk pregnancies, and when data use and interpretation are supported by healthcare professionals.
Building on these insights, we conducted a series of workshops with expectant parents with a history of high-risk pregnancy, as well as midwives, and complemented these with interviews with gynecologists. The goal was to understand participants' lived experiences, needs, and concerns related to care and support during high-risk pregnancy, and to collaboratively imagine and design potential technological solutions through co-design activities.
Problem: High-risk pregnancy involves complex medical care but also significant emotional, informational, and coordination challenges that are often insufficiently addressed. Support is typically provided by multiple professionals, such as midwives and clinicians, yet it is often fragmented, difficult to navigate, and not well aligned with women's lived experiences.
Goal: The goal of this project is to design and develop interactive prototypes grounded in the needs and challenges identified by expectant parents with a history of high-risk pregnancy, as well as the midwives and clinicians who support them. These prototypes will be evaluated with a range of stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, psychologists, ethics experts, and potentially expectant parents.
Approach:
- Prototyping (e.g., using Figma or similar tools)
- User testing and iterative evaluation
Eligibility: This project is open to students who have previously taken HCI course and have a strong design background (e.g., experience with Figma or similar design tools).
If you are interested in working on this as your master's project, please contact mehere after reviewing the application process and requirements here.