Engaging Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in the Design of Self-Management Apps

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is an increasingly prominent health issue in pregnant women. While various technology solutions have been developed to support self-management of women with GDM, usability and functionality limitations have precluded their adoption. More active engagement with women with GDM in the design process could mitigate these limitations, thus we developed a design method to support the involvement of women with GDM in the design phase of a GDM self-management system. Thirteen online workshops were conducted involving five women with GDM and two postpartum women with previous GDM, who participated in idea generation, paper-based sketching, and group discussions, followed by interviews to gather their experiences of participation. We found that women valued their inclusion in these design workshops and felt confident sharing their ideas, from which we introduce recommendations for design procedures that enhance the contributions of women with GDM in the design of self-management apps.