Understanding the Challenges and Design Opportunities of Using Voice Assistants to Support Postpartum Mothers in Brazil

DOI

The postpartum period is a crucial time for physical and mental adjustment for a mother, which can worsen through increased demands and mental load. In Brazil, as in many Latin American countries, the unequal division of childcare responsibilities increases mothers’ risks of postpartum depression and anxiety while preventing mothers from focusing on their recovery. While today's Voice Assistants (VAs) are promising to offer hands-free, eyes-free, and on-demand support, it remains unclear how VAs can be designed to effectively support mothers and their associated tasks during the postpartum period. To address this challenge, we conducted an online survey study with $55$ Brazilian mothers to investigate how VAs support postpartum mothers and their current usage in childcare-related tasks. We identified key challenges preventing VAs from effectively supporting Brazilian mothers, including language barriers, lack of personalized information retrieval, and missing features tailored to postpartum care and early childhood needs. We then proposed a set of design considerations for how VAs could meet mothers' needs for greater adoption in Brazil.