Technology Mediated Collective Caring through Menstrual and Reproductive Journeys

January 2024—January 2026

Objective
Aligning with the Digital Futures call for a “rich and healthy life,” this research will explore designing for collective caring as the core of the next generation Femtech for menstrual and reproductive wellbeing. Using a cross-cultural approach (Sweden and India), the objective is to investigate what it means to nurture trust and cooperation when engaging menstruators with parents and/or partners to digitalize collective caring for intimate health. Here, it is crucial to acknowledge that the conventional methodological approach to participant recruitment and data collection inadequately addresses the stigma and language barriers inherent in the taboo nature of the topic.

Thus, using a qualitative method and participatory design approach, this research will explore assets of culture and heritage for crafting appropriate methods and designing Femtech to navigate taboos and build trust for facilitating a dialogue on the sensitive topic of intimate health and wellbeing. The motivation to undertake this research stems from a commitment to fostering equitable and period-positive futures where menstruating bodies are not stigmatized or seen as needing control, discipline, or fixing.

Background
Menstruation is a biological phenomenon experienced by millions of individuals daily around the globe, where varied stakeholders in a menstruator’s vicinity shape these experiences. Throughout the reproductive journey (menarche to menopause), parents and partners play pivotal roles in a menstruator’s life. In certain scenarios and contexts, the decision-making and/or financial power may be disproportionately in the hands of these two stakeholders. Thus, focusing on menstruators’ intimate health and well-being, it becomes imperative to expand the contemporary personal informatics approach to design Femtech by taking an ecological approach focusing on interpersonal cooperation to ideate, design, and implement Femtech.

About the Digital Futures Postdoc Fellow
As a qualitative researcher and interaction designer, Anupriya Tuli focuses on understanding and designing technology experiences toward just and equitable futures. Her research is situated at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), global health, taboo subjects, marginalization, and activism. She frequently engages with feminist perspectives, aiming to design socially responsible technologies that target health equity, focusing on women’s health, well-being, and empowerment.

She completed her PhD in Human-Centered Design at IIIT-Delhi, India, where she delved into the design of digital menstrual technologies to uncover how technology design can effectively address cultural taboos and systemic barriers to nurture positive menstrual experiences.  She received fellowships from the Indian Government and Google to support her doctoral research. In addition to her academic endeavours, she is deeply involved in collaborative efforts with practitioners and non-governmental organizations in India, particularly focusing on initiatives related to menstrual health and well-being.

Main supervisor
Madeline Balaam, Professor, Division of Media Technology and Interaction Designs at KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Co-supervisor
Airi Lampinen, Associate Professor, Department of Computer and Systems Sciences (DSV) at Stockholm University