HEALTHY & ECO-FRIENDLY MENSTRUATION
'MAKE A CHOICE'
HEALTHY & ECO-FRIENDLY MENSTRUATION
'MAKE A CHOICE'
HEALTHY & ECO-FRIENDLY MENSTRUATION
'MAKE A CHOICE'
HEALTHY & ECO-FRIENDLY MENSTRUATION
'MAKE A CHOICE'
HEALTHY & ECO-FRIENDLY MENSTRUATION
'MAKE A CHOICE'
HEALTHY & ECO-FRIENDLY MENSTRUATION
'MAKE A CHOICE'
HEALTHY & ECO-FRIENDLY MENSTRUATION
'MAKE A CHOICE'
HEALTHY & ECO-FRIENDLY MENSTRUATION
'MAKE A CHOICE'
HEALTHY & ECO-FRIENDLY MENSTRUATION
'MAKE A CHOICE'
HEALTHY & ECO-FRIENDLY MENSTRUATION
'MAKE A CHOICE'
Gayatri Chudekar
Information design. Design research. Educational design
MANAGING MENSTRUATION
NON DIGITAL MENSTRUAL TRACKERS
I chose to work on ‘Tracking of menstrual cycle’ in my internship with Eco Femme, Auroville. As very few non-digital tools are available and worked upon for tracking menstrual cycle, along with Eco Femme, I have tried to develop prototypes of the calendar-based non-digital tool, which could be accessible for women and girls and can be used by them without hesitation. With this, we aim to inculcate the habit of cycle tracking in women and encourage them to have the data for over at least a year. Along with it, I have developed a survey to understand the usage of the calendar or other tools for tracking cycle. This survey would point out wrong assumptions If any, high-light workable aspects and provide directions for further development of tools.
This project was done under the mentorship of Kathy Walkling (Co-Founder, Eco Femme)
APPROACH
Setting context
-Understanding the importance of menstrual tracking
-Current scenarios
- Case studies
Research Methodology
-Semistructured interviews
-Observational Insights
-Facilitating awareness programs and discussions
Defining
user needs
​
Devise design
intervention
Ideation of
non-digital trackers
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Feedback and iterations
Prototypes
to be tested in awareness programs by facilitators
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Survey to understand user feedback for facilitators
SETTING CONTEXT
Many digital platforms and mobile applications are developed recently to track the menstrual cycle.
These platforms may not be accessible to women in rural parts of India. At many of these locations affordable and accessible sanitary products are also not available. Many times, at these places, Women don’t have means and knowledge of managing their periods with dignity. Tracking the menstrual cycle is one part of menstrual hygiene management. Organisations like Vikalp design, Eco Femme have been working towards including non-digital tools like charts, bracelets, spreadsheets. etc in their awareness program to make tracking easier for girls and women.
Even with the widespread usage of the Internet in the United States in 2007, Heather Rivers, a software developer, could not find a website to track menstrual cycles after using Google to search for one (Eveleth, 2014). Rivers developed and established a website called MonthlyInfo in 2008 to track her own period and opened it to other users (CrunchBase, 2008); the site quickly grew to over 100,000 users, and a market for tracking periods emerged (Eveleth,2014)’. Fitbit and Apple health kits did not consider tracking of the menstrual cycle as one of it features, it was added later after the backlash faced by them.
CASE STUDIES
Rhythm method (1920)
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To predict the ovulation phase.
Tracking 6-12 menstrual cycle
1st fertile day= Shortest cycle-18
Last fertile day=longest cycle-11
Not reliable Inaccurate for an irregular cycle. A least effective method for
birth control
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Vikalp Design- Bracelet.
The bracelet is made of red and yellow beads by women and girls in an awareness workshop by Vikalp Design. They use red beads for a number of days they have menstruated and yellow beads for all the other days of the month.
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Concerns ​
Though it is a good awareness tool to start conversations, tackle taboos, and promote tracking cycle it does not help women know where they are in their cycle.
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Eco- Femme Chart
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Eco Femme provides tracking charts in their workshops and starter kits. It enables girls to enter the date when their period begins and ends.
The concern here is that the exercise is followed only during the workshop but does not get translated in keeping a yearlong record.
It is important to educate women about tracking their cycles, through different means available.
RESEARCH
The research included semi-structured interviews with eco -femme Facilitators, facilitating awareness program at Sacred Grooves in Auroville and interacting with their team, engaging in information sessions at Eco- Femme office, Engaging with locals in Pondicherry through information stall at Promenade Beach.
engaging with visitors at Eco Femme
,Auroville about Menstrual health & Hygiene and to know about how they track their period.
Setting up art activity to get user insights & providing information about menstrual hygiene practices for
MHM Day 2018
INSIGHTS & DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
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Any tool should integrate with tools women are already using to manage life events and check frequently.
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It should provide for tracking moods, mental and bodily wellbeing.
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It should account for changes caused by irregular cycles and other changes associated with it.(Stress, exhaustion, diet changes)
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Women should be able to observe, record, predict and identify the changes.
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The tool should be made for everyone who menstruates and not only women. It need not have floral, feminine themes. Tools should be gender neutral.
IDEATION
Calendar-
A small usual calendar that can be given away at workshops or along the kits. The flip sides of calendar pages bear Information and importance of tracking the cycle. Cycle can be marked with red stickers provided with the calendar, or with help of using bindis or kumkum smear
Punch hole Strip-
Similar to the punch hole strip provided by contraceptive pills. Holes to be punched for each day of period.
Folding fan-
Folding fan with 12 strips, each for a month. Start and end date of period could be written on each strip for each month. It could be a handy, foldable and fun device for tracking.
PROTOTYPE
After research and feedback from the team and facilitators, Idea of crating different sizes of calendars was taken forward for prototyping. These prototypes are to be tested by facilitators by giving it to the workshop participants.
Usage of calendars as trackers
SYSTEM DESIGN
COMMUNICATION DESIGN
Cards and coasters with conntent intended to bust MHM related myth and taboos