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Identifying how voice-based assistant (VAs) devices can help postpartum mothers with reducing mental load and managing childcare-related tasks. The main goals of this nee-finding study were:
Identify how existing VAs are used to support Brazilian mothers during postpartum;
Find existing gaps in VAs that hinder their effectiveness and user-centered solutions to address the specific needs related to mental load, childcare, and self-care.
The need-finding study
The need-finding study
A formative study was conducted through online surveys with Brazilian mothers who have children under the age of 5 and have voice assistants at home. The survey consisted of multiple-selection answers and open-ended questions and provided contextual information about mothers' postpartum experiences, their habits with broad technology use, and their specific use of voice assistants in the context of childcare-related tasks.
Methodology
Methodology
Participant's demographics
In total, there were 34 questions for the online survey.
The questions were split into three categories: (a) background and context information on motherhood, (b) use of technology postpartum, (c) experience with voice assistants in general and childcare-related contexts.
The surveys were available in Brazilian Portuguese and later translated for further analysis.
The open-ended answers composed a thematic analysis, which informed the role of technology in postpartum care, how voice assistants help mothers during postpartum, and the challenges and missing features that need to be addressed for more extensive use and acceptance of VAs by Brazilian families.
Key Findings
Key Findings
The table below summarizes how smartphones and tablets helped mothers during the first year of their child’s life. Additionally, the main problems with VAs found during data analysis were the following:
Issues with understanding language, forced format of prompts, and lack of contextual awareness;
Mothers miss seeing child-specific features and more parental support apps;
VAs could better help with reminders and baby routine management;
Lack of mental health and emotional support resources;
Lack of in-depth and scientific-based information for health and food-related prompts;
Context-specific connectivity with home automation and other smart devices was not subtle and would disrupt the child during quiet hours.
Design Opportunities
Design Opportunities
The study identified a few potential directions based on the general themes uncovered in the survey. The following list shows applications that could impact how voice assistants can assist parents in the future.
Designing for Inclusivity: Using universal design principles and user-centered design when creating tools tailored for postpartum mothers and childcare;
Incorporating Spoken Language Understanding Systems and Large Language Models (LLMs) for Portuguese Language understanding in voice prompts;
A need for cultural sensitivity when building systems outside of US contexts for better use and more practical applications for Latinx users;
Outcomes from this study
Outcomes from this study
This work composed a full-paper that is currently under review and waiting for approval.
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