The goals of my research process were to:
- Understand the current market of wearable medical devices and e-textiles
- Identify current issues with maternal ECGs
- Investigate the main issues pregnant women have with maternity wear
- Determine what products pregnant women would prefer to wear
- Calculate an estimated manufacturing and sale cost for each garment
I discovered that most wearable ECG devices on the market are advertised as fitness products,
such as watches and chest bands.
Additionally, companion apps for these products are common, but they often provide consumer-level information and don't provide feedback from healthcare professionals,
which can make it difficult to properly analyze the data for uses beyond monitorizing heart rate.
Additionally, ECG devices in hospitals often require a pregnant woman to lay down while multiple electrode leads are stuck to her stomach.
This process can take some time and isn't always an option for those who don't live near a clinic.
As expected, pregnant women desire garments that are breathable, stretchy, and can stay put over the apex of their stomach bumps.
Tight and constricting fabrics, like thermal underwear and some leggings, can be very uncomfortable or may not even stay put in the right place,
meaning that any garment designs must take into consideration how to ensure the electrodes of an ECG stay properly oriented.
A wearable ECG will have to stay in roughly the same spot on the stomach during use, so a moderately tight and stretchy fabric must be used.
We decided to use single-brushed, four-way stretch polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for each garment,
which is a soft and breathable fabric with elastic properties that adapt to changes in weight or size.
According to an online survey, the most popular maternity clothes are underwear, athleisure, and dresses,
and a very popular maternity accessory is a belly supporting band that goes under the bump.
We plan to develop five product lines: a belly band, zip-up leggings, zip-up biker shorts, zip-up yoga pants, and maternity underwear.
Significant research focused on finding comfortable yet accurate electrodes to be sewn into the garment.
We decided to utilize innovative electrodes made of a silver-plated nylon and Elastomer polymer as detailed in
An et al. (2018).
These electrodes would send data to a removable data processing and Bluetooth device located on the back of the garment using
3D printed silver ink wires as described in
Galante et al. (2022).
Using these specialized electronic components will allow the garments to be machine washable and avoid exposing wearers to live wiring.
After factoring in all of these materials and manufacturing techniques, the average manufacturing price per unit for each garment will be $75 to $80.
Our product would fill a gap in the market for a wearable ECG that goes over the stomach and reads the heart rates of both the mother and baby simultaneously,
while also sending live data to the mother's PCP and providing a chat portal through the app.
After compiling my research findings, I created a user persona to represent the target audience of our product.
Thinking about my persona's needs will help us develop solutions and smoothly integrate them into the final product.
This is Jackie, a new mom who has limited access to medical resources and is looking for a remote solution.
The final electrode orientation on the belly band can be seen below (in white).
The belly band covers the whole stomach from the 6th intercostal space (just under the bra) to above the sacrum (just above low-rise underwear).
The five proposed product lines are shown below (in white); from left to right: the belly band, zip-up leggings, zip-up biker shorts, zip-up yoga pants, and maternity underwear.
For the first wave, the belly band and maternity underwear would be available in 3 skin tone varieties, and the pants and shorts would be available in black.
These designs show the depth of our research and incorporate the most relevant needs of our target persona.
They are comfortable, stretchy yet firm, and breathable, and they keep the electrodes in place properly.
The final product would be sold for about $250, but its machine washability and durable design means that it would stay in pristine working condition for years.
Mobile App Design
Task Flow
In order to enhance users' navigation through the application and pinpoint the primary user flow during task completion, I devised three task flows centered around the key features of the app. This approach enabled me to define the scope of my design, carefully consider the required steps, and thoroughly assess the user experience.
First Time Signing In
Send a Direct Message to PCP
Edit User Information and Notification Settings
User Flow
Based on the task flow, I created user flows using the established tasks to anticipate various scenarios they may encounter during normal use.
Since the app is quite simple, there weren't many pathways to consider.
Application Map
After completing the task and user flows, I created a simple app map to prepare for developing the wireframes.
This map prioritizes simplicity and clarity, so there are only three navigation pages that contain all of the app's content.
UI Kit
The iCare ECG UI kit reflects the identified brand focuses and prioritizes high impact and contrasting design elements for ease of use.
A bold pop of color helps easily define the brand and provide accents, while a mostly neutral secondary palette is easy on the eyes and isn't overwhelming.
Additionally, mesh gradients play a key role in breathing life into the design while remaining clean and minimalistic.
High-Fidelity Prototype & Interaction Flow
View Full HiFi Prototype
The interaction flows below demonstrate how a user would navigate through the app, with a circular cursor to guide the eye.
The app has four main screens, five subscreens, and requires two system permissions to function optimally (Bluetooth and Push Notifications).
Overall, this app serves as a simple but effective companion to the iCare wearable ECG device to ensure new mothers like Jackie have a safe and reassured pregnancy.
