3 research outputs found
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.
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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
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This publication includes a selection of peer reviewed academic papers. The full paper/Proceedings publication for the DRHA2014 conference showcase up to-date discussions, dynamic debates and innovative keynotes and aims to open a discussion on defining digital communication futures, as a theme that connects interdisciplinary practices, focusing particularly on issues of communication and its impact on creative industries