Introduction
Why Afya?
Afya, meaning "life," is an application that addresses maternal health disparities by empowering women with health tools, education, and advocacy through community and hospital campaigns.
The Impact
Improve maternal health for mothers through health management, promote equitable healthcare outcomes, and strengthen public health initiatives.
Features and Iterations
Track Health Metrics.
Identifies spikes, highlights abnormalities, and alerts users to support timely, informed decisions.
Recommends Personalized Health Metrics.
Afya recommends critical health metrics to monitor based on the user's health history and entries.
Health Resources.
Users can learn about maternal health and wellness to keep informed during pregnancy and postpartum.
Health Trends and Reminders.
Quick access to personalized health trends and timely reminders to update health metrics.
Health Sharing.
Easily and securely share encrypted health data with OB-GYNs.
Why maternal health?
Project Challenge
Black maternal health is a crisis in the U.S., with the black maternal mortality rate rising significantly—an increment of 3.7 deaths per 100,000 from 2019 to 2020.
Research
Research Statement
The US CDC identified chronic conditions, structural racism, and quality healthcare as the key factors of maternal mortality disparities.
Data From Maternal Mortality Review Committees in 36 U.S. States, shows that Over 80% of pregnancy-related deaths were preventable.
Research Takeaway
The research demonstrates that Black women need support to track and manage their medical conditions during and after childbirth to make informed and life-saving decisions.
Families, communities, and OB-GYNs must attentively address women's concerns, particularly throughout the first postpartum year.
Design Solution Keywords
Design Target Demographic
Design Questions
Design Proposal
Digital Platform for Tracking Health Symptoms
This empowers Black women to track their health, learn about their body changes, offer suggestions for managing them, and make timely, informed decisions.
Awareness campaign
This raises awareness of systemic racism in healthcare and ensures Black women's health concerns are heard and respected in hospitals and community.
Health Monitoring Equipment
Blood pressure cuffs, glucose monitors, and digital thermometers accessibility program to provide essential health monitoring devices.
Market Research
Competitive Analysis
Mapping Matrix
Audience Profile
Who is going to use this service?
StoryBoard
Design System
Insights Synthesis
Success Metrics
Our success metrics will be largely based on user feedback on their maternal health outcome, including early detection of complications, awareness of maternal health risks, milestones, and community impact.
User Feedback
Key Insight 1
Users Want Instant Feedback On Health Metrics After Data Entry.
"Having the graph mapped out will make me determine if my sharp pains are randomized or if I get it mostly at a particular time." - P1
Key Insight 2
Users Find the App’s Recommendation Feature Helpful.
"The "See Recommended Metrics" was like, Oh, okay, let me see what I can track to help with my blood clotting disorder." - P3
Key Insight 3
Users Want Access To Learn More Using The App.
"Will there also be other aspect of health learning, to check morning sickness and sickness overall?." - P5
The Outcome
Afya redefines health education and management—shifting the focus from exclusive reliance on medical professionals to empower women to make informed decisions that improve their longevity and promote equitable healthcare.
Next Steps
- Implement AI Chatbot that translates written language to retrieve relevant health articles.
- Gather more feedback from our users on their interaction with the app, specifically in understanding the nuances of their health.
- Conduct further research on the regulations governing health data and the required frequency for health input.
- Conduct research with doctors and OB-GYNs on essential data points.