New Materiality in Intimate Care

Textiles have a long history of supporting personal health and wellbeing, and textile innovations concerned with the body abound. This paper delves into the biology of the body and brings to the fore its materiality as embodiment to reimagine modes of knowing in intimate care through textiles. It introduces two designerly studies of intimate care in women to advance that material engagement enables knowing and that the fabric of the body is a material of care in itself. In this paper, I embrace an epistemic practice that entwines a feminine sociocultural imaginary that challenges traditional approaches to health and care and, nonetheless, the design of textiles

Designing technologies for intimate care in women

PhD ThesisDesigning for intimate care remains an underexplored area of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI): while technologies for health and wellbeing might be plentiful, technologies for intimate care are limited. Intimate care is associated with personal hygiene, bodily functions and bodily products, and is a lifetime practice that requires well-defined interventions – by the self, or supported by others. With a move to experience, HCI has explored and responded to some of the concepts of intimate care in recent research, by addressing taboo and life disruptions. However, a wider understanding and conceptualization of intimate care work is missing from the broader HCI discourse on health and wellbeing, as well as a distinct framework for negotiating the design of technologies of intimate care. Addressing this space is noteworthy, within a field that designs technologies to support, enhance, and improve human life (Kannabiran et al. 2011). It is possible that this is related to uncertainty regarding the challenges that technology might bring to intimate interactions, particularly the challenges faced in practices that encompass bodywork and proximity to hidden parts of the body, and the impact of troublesome topics upon wellbeing education. The aim of this research is to enquire into the integration of digital technologies and intimate care towards the development of technologies for engagement with intimate care practices in women. I seek to investigate a methodological approach with a focus on the woman to understand the challenges of designing for and with intimate care; explore the qualities of such woman-centered approach in practice. In this thesis I present three case studies that incorporate empirical methods and new designs that I developed throughout this programme of research. These include 1) ethnographic observations of women’s health physiotherapy within a clinic to understand the components of intimate care within a professional setting; 2) a design toolkit that explores e-textiles for teaching female pelvic fitness, delivered through a series of workshops in which discussions that blended humour and laughter made it entertaining and less embarrassing to ask questions and to express curiosity about intimate bodies; 3) Labella, a probe/intimate wearable for self-learning about hidden parts of the female body and a technology which encompasses embodied interaction, that aims to contribute to breaking down the taboo of looking at oneself to help reduce the barrier of selfcare. Furthermore, Labella aims to support knowledge of the other, while exploring perceptions of esteem and reliance towards practices of care within the body. These three case studies begin to explore and offer insights on how designing for intimate care is entwined in woman-centered approaches to design. ! iv! This thesis contributes to interaction design research and outlines a framework for designing technologies for and with intimate care in women. The research highlights how intimate care pervades personal and professional settings, and its significance throughout the lifecourse. Specifically, I contribute to an underexplored area of HCI, women’s health (outside maternal health) by focusing on a woman-centered methodological approach. In doing this, I explore this approach in practice through challenging existing practices of care within women’s health and by offering novel design concepts and devices, in which I explore humour in design as a method to support learning of sensitive topics and as a tool to diminish the taboo nature of the interactions. Lastly, I propose woman-centered design as a novel form of inquiry in design practice research

Enhancing Proprioception and Regulating Cognitive Load in Neurodiverse Populations through Biometric Monitoring with Wearable Technologies

This paper considers the realm of wearable technologies and their prospective applications for individuals with neurodivergent conditions, specifically Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). The study undertakes a multifaceted analysis that encompasses biomarker sensing technologies, AI-driven biofeedback mechanisms, and haptic devices, focusing on their implications for enhancing proprioception and social interaction among neurodivergent populations. While wearables offer a range of opportunities for societal advancement, a discernable gap remains: a scarcity of consumer-oriented applications tailored to the unique physiological and psychological needs of these individuals. Key takeaways underscore the emergent promise of tailored auditory stimuli in workplace dynamics and the efficacy of haptic feedback in sensory substitution. The investigation concludes with an urgent call for multidisciplinary research aimed at the development of specific consumer applications, rigorous empirical validation, and an ethical framework encompassing data privacy and user consent. As the pervasiveness of technology in daily life continues to expand, the article posits that there is an imperative for future research to shift from generalized solutions to individualized applications, thereby ensuring that the spectrum of wearable technology truly accommodates the full scope of human neurodiversity

The Next Familiar

Using a speculative design foresight approach, this study explores the rapidly developing area of wearable, implantable and ingestible technologies, and how they might influence us over the next several decades. The authors have combined traditional research methods such as literature review and expert interviews; foresight methods, such as environmental scanning, trends analysis and scenario creation; and narrative, imagery and conjecture to produce an evocative account of future possibilities in the realm of the tools we keep and use close to and inside our bodies

Technologies and Social Justice Outcomes in Sex Work Charities: Fighting Stigma, Saving Lives

Sex workers' rights are human rights, and as such are an issue inherently based in social, criminal, and political justice debates. As HCI continues to move towards feminist and social justice oriented research and design approaches, we argue that we need to take into consideration the difficulties faced by sex workers; and explore how technology can and does mediate social justice outcomes for them. We contribute directly to this challenge by providing an empirical account of a charity whose work is built on the underlying move towards social and criminal justice for sex workers in the UK. Through ethnographic fieldwork, meetings, interviews, surveys, and creative workshops we describe the different points of view associated with the charity from a variety of stakeholders. We discuss their service provision and the ways in which HCI is uniquely positioned to be able respond to the needs of and to support sex work support services

Augmenting Workplace Wellness Programs with Biometric Monitoring

This annotated bibliography contains recent research describing the practices, policies, risks, and results regarding employer-sponsored wellness programs in the United States that are increasingly augmented with biometric monitoring features such as fitness trackers. The goal of this study is to improve the understanding of common risks and shortcomings so that individuals designing or augmenting wellness programs have improved chances of achieving success in helping employees reach positive health outcomes

Co-designing for care: craft and wearable wellbeing

This chapter examines the design of wearable medical devices. Design is understood to be a process and output that concerns the form, function and the meaning of the designed object. However, participation in the design process by users can actively influence the output. Involvement in the co-creation of personal medical devices (PMDs) contributes towards patients’ wellbeing and increases their adherence to device usage. The chapter takes a case study approach to the design of orthotics in which patients are involved as co-designers, considering the solutions crafted by traditional and digital technologies within the framework of a biopsychosocial model of healthcare. The chapter concludes with insights into the benefits to patients and healthcare services from orthotics conceived and worn as desirable objects

Emergent Medical Data: Health Information Inferred by Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) can infer health data from people’s behavior even when their behavior has no apparent connection to their health. AI can monitor one’s location to track the spread of infectious disease, scrutinize retail purchases to identify pregnant customers, and analyze social media to predict who might attempt suicide. These feats are possible because, in modern societies, people continuously interact with internet-enabled software and devices. Smartphones, wearables, and online platforms monitor people’s actions and produce digital traces, the electronic remnants of their behavior. In their raw form, digital traces might not be very interesting or useful; one’s location, retail purchases, and internet browsing habits are relatively mundane data points. However, AI can enhance the value of digital traces by transforming them into something more useful—emergent medical data (EMD). EMD is health information inferred by artificial intelligence from otherwise trivial digital traces. This Article describes how EMD-based profiling is increasingly promoted as a solution to public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, gun violence, and the opioid crisis. However, there is little evidence to show that EMD-based profiling works. Even worse, it can cause significant harm, and current privacy and data protection laws contain loopholes that allow public and private entities to mine EMD without people’s knowledge or consent. After describing the risks and benefits of EMD mining and profiling, the Article proposes six different ways of conceptualizing these practices. It concludes with preliminary recommendations for effective regulation. Potential options include banning or restricting the collection of digital traces, regulating EMD mining algorithms, and restricting how EMD can be used once it is produced