Walking Through Normativities of Reproductive Bodies: A Method for Critical Analysis of Tracking Applications

Title of the Paper

Walking Through Normativities of Reproductive Bodies: A Method for Critical Analysis of Tracking Applications

Bibliographic Information

• Subject Area: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Women's Health and Reproductive Health Technology
• Keywords: Reproductive health, self-tracking, methodology, fertility, gender norms, body data, femtech

Research Background and Problem

• What issues or challenges did the authors identify? Fertility and menstrual tracking applications have seen rapid growth, yet these apps embed normative understandings of gender and reproduction, limiting users' comprehension of their own bodies. These applications may lack inclusivity for certain user groups (e.g., non-binary individuals, LGBTQ communities, and people using these apps due to infertility challenges). The authors argue for a method to understand how these apps operate in daily practice and how they shape users' bodily awareness and choices.

• Why is this problem important? Reproductive health and women's health represent emerging areas in HCI research. While technologies in this domain promise to enhance bodily awareness, their normative designs may alienate or mislead certain users. Fully uncovering the norms embedded in these apps and their sociocultural impacts is crucial for designing more inclusive and diverse health technologies.

• Research Motivation and Related Work The authors focus on the intersection of self-tracking technologies and reproductive health, particularly the impact of gender norms and technology on marginalized groups. The paper references related studies, including discussions on privacy and sociocultural impacts, and highlights that while these apps may empower users, they often reinforce traditional gender and biomedical narratives.

Solution

• What methods or solutions did the authors propose? The authors employed the walkthrough method, a qualitative approach designed for analyzing digital media, to systematically document and evaluate the three-stage user experience of applications: entry, everyday use, and exit. They also incorporated first-person reflections to uncover hidden sociocultural norms.

• What is innovative about this solution? This method examines the interplay between technology and sociocultural systems, focusing not only on the interface and functionality of the design but also on the underlying cultural assumptions. Compared to traditional user evaluations, the walkthrough method reveals how design reproduces or challenges gender and health norms related to reproductive bodies.

• What are the implementation steps and key techniques used?

  • Stage 1: Entry – Investigating design elements during the registration process, such as data privacy and user information collection.
  • Stage 2: Everyday Use – Simulating typical user scenarios to record app functionality and design elements that guide user behavior.
  • Stage 3: Exit – Examining how user data is handled upon account deletion or exit.
  • First-Person Reflections – The authors engaged in months-long interactions with the apps, collecting comprehensive observational data and analyzing supplementary materials (e.g., websites, user feedback).

Research Findings

• What specific findings were achieved?

  • Highlighted how gender and reproductive norms are reconstructed in technological design, such as how apps categorize and represent reproductive bodies through data collection and graphical interfaces.
  • Analyzed newer, more inclusive apps (e.g., Drip and Tilly) that attempt to challenge mainstream norms in fertility health applications, while noting their continued reliance on traditional normative frameworks.
  • Encouraged designers to consider how to create reproductive health technologies that are inclusive for non-binary individuals and users in non-traditional relationships.

• What advantages does this solution have compared to existing approaches?

  • Offers an innovative method combining quantitative and qualitative analysis to uncover the cultural implications behind product design.
  • Goes beyond focusing solely on data privacy or functionality to comprehensively examine health-related technologies from sociocultural, ethical, and political perspectives.

• What were the experimental or evaluation results? Through a step-by-step analysis of three applications (Clue, Drip, and Tilly), the authors revealed the normative elements embedded in interface design, functionality, and user interaction. They provided detailed insights into how these apps construct "normal" reproductive experiences and address marginalized users.

• Limitations and Future Directions

  • Limitations: The authors acknowledge that their personal backgrounds and positions (e.g., gender, fertility experiences) influenced their interpretation of the data, which may limit the applicability of the method.
  • Future Directions: Expanding research to consider how intersectionality (e.g., race, geographic location, class) shapes the user experience of reproductive health technologies; developing design methods inspired by diverse bodily and health experiences.

Conclusion

This paper provides a robust methodology and detailed analysis for studying gender norms in reproductive health tracking applications. It offers insightful recommendations for designing technologies that cater to marginalized groups while identifying directions for further research and acknowledging methodological limitations.