VR MEDITATION PROGRAM THAT REFLECTS REAL-TIME FETAL DATA FOR PREGNANT WOMEN
UX/UI DESIGN
SERVICE DESIGN
SPECULATIVE DESIGN
PRODUCT DESIGN
Mental well-being support for pregnant women is often limited, which can negatively impact the experience of pregnancy, affect the bond with the foetus and even postpartum mental well-being. To address this issue, Sangeun Park introduces ‘Babitation’, a VR meditation program that invites parents into a virtual metaverse world connected to the foetus.
Using real-time data from a speculative foetal scanner, this immersive experience transports parents into a meticulously crafted world, that serves three functions. It supports the physical and mental well-being of the expectant parents, it provides them with invaluable knowledge about pregnancy, and enables real-time communication with the foetus, facilitating early bonding with the unborn child. Throughout the pregnancy journey, the metaverse environment blossoms and evolves, becoming increasingly beautiful and magnificent, mirroring the growth and vibrancy of the baby.
Oct. 2023
Designed by
Sangeun Park
Collaborated
with TU/Delft
Writing a paper
based on this project
UX/UI DESIGN
SERVICE DESIGN
SPECULATIVE DESIGN
PRODUCT DESIGN
VR MEDITATION PROGRAM THAT REFLECTS REAL-TIME FETAL DATA FOR PREGNANT WOMEN
Mental well-being support for pregnant women is often limited, which can negatively impact the experience of pregnancy, affect the bond with the foetus and even postpartum mental well-being. To address this issue, Sangeun Park introduces ‘Babitation’, a VR meditation program that invites parents into a virtual metaverse world connected to the foetus.
Using real-time data from a speculative foetal scanner, this immersive experience transports parents into a meticulously crafted world, that serves three functions. It supports the physical and mental well-being of the expectant parents, it provides them with invaluable knowledge about pregnancy, and enables real-time communication with the foetus, facilitating early bonding with the unborn child. Throughout the pregnancy journey, the metaverse environment blossoms and evolves, becoming increasingly beautiful and magnificent, mirroring the growth and vibrancy of the baby.
Oct. 2023
Designed by
Sangeun Park
Collaborated
with TU/Delft
Writing a paper
based on this project
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CONTENT
PROJECT PROCESS _ DOUBLE DIAMONDS
01
PROBLEM-
NEEDS
Close relationship between maternal mental health and fetal development, but mothers find it difficult to find lasting and effective mental care methods.
During pregnancy, the mother's mental stress affects the health and development of the fetus, and furthermore, the development of the child after childbirth. However, mothers do not recognize the importance of mental health care as much as physical health care. Currently, there are some methods for maternal mental health care, but there are many mothers who do not think it is effective and many mothers who find it difficult to use it continuously.
02
SURVEY
Ten women with multinational pregnancy experiences were surveyed about their overall pregnancy experiences and stress during pregnancy.
Response
10 people
Duration
2022 Sep.
Tool
Google Forms
KEY FINDING
‘COMMUNION/COMMUNICATION
WITH FETUS’
affects relieving their stress
Many mothers experience stress for various causes during pregnancy,
and they are aware that this stress will affect the health of the fetus.
However, they have not been able to be aware of effective mental care methods other than ordinary methods such as listening to songs,
talking to partners, and walking.
What made you happy and relaxed
during your pregnancy?
If they have a lot of stress from pregnancy, on the contrary,
when do they feel happy during pregnancy?
Wouldn't effective mental care be possible
if they find and maximize the feeling of happiness?
03
IN-DEPTH
INTERVIEW
Specific individual interviews were conducted based on the previous survey. During pregnancy, mothers who have experience in mental care methods were interviewed specifically about existing mental care methods to explore touch points and paint points. In addition, through interviews with stakeholders, the opinions of not only the mother but also those related to the mother's mental care were investigated.
COMMUNICATION WITH FETUS
CURRENT METHODS
STAKEHOLDERS
CURRENT METHODS
DEFINE
04
DESK
RESEARCH
Desk research was conducted on existing mental health care methods for mothers. The methods were analyzed for their characteristics and strengths and weaknesses.
05
SOLUTION
Based on surveys, IDI, and desk research, we created a solution by inverting the Pane points and Touch points obtained.
06
DESIGN GOAL
A meditation program in which mothers
and partners are invited to the world of
the fetus to have a good time
with the fetus and relieve stress.
07
PERSONA
08
LOW FIDELITY
09
EARLY
PROTOTYPE
10
FEEDBACK
During the 2022 Dutch Design Week, we had time to receive various feedback at the Healthcare Design Conference using Digital Twin technology hosted by TU/Delft. The people who participated in the conference were diverse, including engineers, healthcare providers, designers, and educators.
Response
20 people
Duration
2022 Oct.
Tool
Conference Q&A
10
FEEDBACK
During the 2022 Dutch Design Week, we had time to receive various feedback at the Healthcare Design Conference using Digital Twin technology hosted by TU/Delft. The people who participated in the conference were diverse, including engineers, healthcare providers, designers, and educators.
Response
20 people
Duration
2022 Oct.
Tool
Conference Q&A
11
REVISE
Based on the feedback from the previous conference, three items were revised and added.
SOLUTION 01
THE WORLD
In order to visualize the experience of pregnancy beautifully and immersively, mothers were asked to describe specifically what experiences they felt during the pregnancy process in images. Many mothers expressed their happy and beautiful moments during the pregnancy process by comparing them to nature. It creates a beautiful and immersive environment by expressing the fetus’ world by comparing it to nature.
INSIGHT
Many mothers beautifully express the experience of pregnancy
in light of natural phenomena.
SOLUTION 02
THE WORLD
The design based on communication with the fetus or the form of the fetus speaking directly makes some people feel an uncanny valley because it is the fetus that cannot speak. So I created three other voice guide options besides the one in which the fetus speaks directly. It's a regular meditation guide and a pick-up character. The two characters are adults and children, respectively. Both characters were set up to have an intimate relationship with the fetus in the world of the fetus and to communicate with the mother on behalf of the fetus.
SOLUTION 03
THE SCANNER
In communication with the fetus, it has a scanner that can measure accurate data that allows the mother to see the reaction of the fetus, such as the heartbeat, movement, and location of the fetus. If you scan the mother's stomach around with the scanner, the mother can check the information of the fetus in real-time in the form of visualizing and sound.
The first prototype
The second prototype
09
SERVICE
STORYBOARD
FINAL DESIGN
“
YOU GOT AN INVITATION
FROM YOUR FETUS!
“
01
THEMES AND
VOICE GUIDES
Users have the opportunity to select themes and speakers according to their preferences using mobile to enjoy the beautiful world of the fetus in meditation mode.
Choose
a theme
During in-depth interviews with pregnant women, many of them described that an overall feeling of pregnancy resembles the image of sublime Mother Nature. Through various virtual worlds that resemble nature, parents are designed to feel the beauty of pregnancy and feel relaxed.
Choose
a voice guide
This meditation program can set the speaker who guides by voice to suit the user's taste.
1. A cute young voice with the concept of a friend of a fetus living together in the fetal world.
A comfortable and stable adult voice commonly used in meditation programs.
It's a guardian angel concept that protects the world of the fetus.
It’s a voice that can have a holy feeling.
A cute young voice as if talking to one's own fetus
02
THE FETAL
SCANNER
The fetal scanner based on an advanced ultra sound technology scans the fetal heartbeat, fetal movement, and development. The fetal data scanned by the scanner is reflected in interactive real-time in the fetal metaverse world. Parents can visually and acoustically check the condition of the fetus beautifully.
Furthermore, this scanner can enjoy various activities together as a communication medium and have an early bond with the fetus.
03
THE
ENVIRONMENT
Users have the opportunity to select themes and speakers according to their preferences using mobile to enjoy the beautiful world of the fetus in meditation mode.
(*Design derived from in-depth interviews with actual pregnant women)
Real-time
fetal data
The fetal metaverse world is created based on actual fetal data scanned by the advanced fetal scanner. The appearance of the fetus is abstractly visualized according to the theme selected by the user. The world of the fetus changes depending on gestational week, and as the fetus grows, the world of the fetus becomes larger and more colourful. If user zooms in each part, they can check what senses and organs the fetus has grown, and activities to help develop according to the growth of each week are provided.
Each creature
reflected by fetal
development
This example is a metaverse activity of pregnant women at week 28 who chose the 'Deep sea' theme. Meditation activities that pregnant women can enjoy when they enter the Head part and get close to the glowing clams are shown.
In the 28th week, the fetus's auditory development takes place, so parents can enjoy activities related to auditory development with the fetus.
04
THE
MEDITATION
SEQUENCE
Babitation divides the gestation period into trimesters, and each different meditation program that fits the characteristics of each trimester is conducted.
As the gestational week and fetal growth develop further, the VR environment becomes richer and more beautiful.
05
HIGHT
FIDELITY
06
USER
TEST
At 2023 Dutch Design Week, we introduced the demo version of BABITATION to the public. This project were able to get feedback from various segments. Based on this feedback, the project will be based on the next revision and the paper will be written.
