Fourth Trimester Health
Defining a sensor ecosystem that bridges the postpartum care gap.
53% of pregnancy-related deaths occur during the postpartum period. This is how a full sensor stack, artificial intelligence, and a telehealth portal can address that.
Role(s)
Research Lead, Team Lead, Service Designer
Team
30+ Multidisciplinary Crew
5 Cloud Engineers,
4 Environmental Engineers,
4 Wearable Engineers,
5 Software Engineers,
6 AI/ML Engineers,
10 HCI Specialists
Client
99P Labs
Honda’s Research Lab Dedicated to Innovation
Duration
4 Months
Jan 2025 – Apr 2025
Performed market research to identify project scope. Define product features in dialogue with engineers. Identified key assumptions for product adoption and applied the appropriate methodology to remove this potential risk.
TLDR
“Four in 5 pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable” CDC Study 2022
Some Background about the Project
The Challenge
99P Labs, our client, tasked our team with creating a product, and they had clear parameters.
[1] Use Sensors.
Whatever we decided to build needed to include environmental and wearable sensors.
[2] Leverage AI/ML.
Specifically, the product needed to create a digital twin of the user using the data collected.
[3] Focus on Health.
The system should utilize this digital twin and collected data to improve the user's well-being.
Brainstorming a Use Case
We had free rein to determine the focus of the product. During initial brainstorming sessions, a suggestion arose to focus on outpatient care. However, this was still a vast problem space.
With my passion for women’s health, I realized the potential of focusing on the postpartum period.
What I Discovered
There was a clear care gap and a clear potential for a meaningful tech intervention.
A concerning drop off. Multiple health complications can occur during the postpartum period, however
A need for health monitoring. 80%– this is the amount of pregnancy-related deaths that are preventable. A system that could actively detect and prevent serious health complications would be a game-changer.
Existing solutions are limited. Current wearables for health, such as the Apple Watch and Oura ring, are limited in scope and are not specifically calibrated for the postpartum period. They don’t collect critical biometrics, such as blood pressure, which are linked to many health complications that arise during this time.
Presenting Our Vision
Building on the desk research I compiled, the HCI team and I created a presentation on why the postpartum period should be the project focus. Our pitch was selected!
A Peak at the Solution
The Research Process
Product Definition
Determining the actual features and requirements of our product.
Objective
Identify the biometrics that our sensor system should collect.
Attain a firm att
Methodology
Desk Research, consisting of 10+ sources that included academic articles from medical and biotech journals, news articles, and government reports by the CDC and NIH.
Uncovering Unmet Needs and Pain Points
Connecting with key user groups, mothers and healthcare providers.
Objective
Methodology
2 In-Depth Interviews with ObGyn practitioners
1 In-Depth Interview with a Doula
5 In-Depth Interviews with Mothers
Impact
Provided user-validated direction for iteration of product features.
Impact
Produced the functional requirements for Fourth Trimester Health
Collaborated with the engineering teams on the biometrics to be collected and successfully pushed for the inclusion of blood pressure collection and a thermal camera.
“Because when I was pregnant, it was my health and the baby's health. But then, once the baby's out... it's just the baby itself and nothing about me, nothing about my health.”
- KY, 34-year-old mother of a 2-year-old
Iteration and Evolution
Creating a product that supports users by understanding them.
Objective
Accomplish firsthand validation
Methodology
2 Usability Tests with ObGyn Practitioners
5 Card Sorting Tests with Mothers
Impact
Defined customer segmentation for Fourth Trimester Health.
Some of the questions that drove the design process.
Questions 1
Is there a value proposition for mothers?
Objective: At this point, I had not heard from mothers firsthand. My secondary research demonstrated the clear potential for this product; however, this was not an actual guarantee that Fourth Trimester Health resonated with its intended users: mothers.
Methodology: 5 in-depth interviews with mothers
Insight 1
Current systems of care have left mothers feeling neglected, overwhelmed, and abandoned during the postpartum period. A product dedicated to diligently monitoring a new mother’s health would be a game changer.
Question 2
What tone and wording for encouraging messages resonates with mothers?
Objective: From learning about the loneliness and uncertainty mothers felt during this time, my team and I realized that an encouraging message feature could help alleviate it.
Methodology: “Message” Sorting with 5 Mothers
Insight 2
Clinical language generates results. Hearing results that acknowledge the challenge of this period provided mothers with a st
The
Question 3
How do we create a dashboard that best informs and supports a doctor’s ability to care for their patients?
Objective: Designing for doctors is a complicated practice. As users,. As a result, every component of the dashboard needs to be optimized to ensure the
Methodology: 3 Usability Tests with Doctors
Insight 3
“Because when I was pregnant, it was my health and the baby's health. But then, once the baby's out... it's just the baby itself and nothing about me, nothing about my health.”
- KY, 34-year-old mother of a 2-year-old
Some of the questions that drove the design process.
Reflection
Don’t delay connecting with the users. Initially, I was hesitant about connecting with doctors. I wanted to wait until we had a more fully realized prototype before reaching out to hear their perspective. This approach negated to consider how gaining a preliminary understanding
Advocate for what you believe in. Initially, I was hesitant about connecting with doctors. I wanted to wait until we had a more fully realized prototype before reaching out to hear their perspective. This approach negated to consider how gaining a preliminary understanding
Really consider all of your stakeholders. If I had more time, I would have loved to speak with partners. Partners are a vital component of maintaining and monitoring the health of new mothers. Learning how to support them in this system would have facilitated more support for mothers.
Focus on the core functionality. While building this product, it was easy to get carried away thinking about all the potential features and qualities Fourth Trimester Health could have. Creativity and imagination