Insights Gained from Preliminary Research on Existing Solutions
Concerns raised by OrganiCups
Prior to the design phase of our project, we spent the majority of the quarter, conducting research on existing products. Of the many products we studied, we came to understand Organicup and Afripad as organizations at the forefronts of addressing menstrual health and hygiene for women and girls in Subsaharan Africa. When analyzing these the products of the 2 organizations we identified a few concerns. Organipads is an organization that provides menstrual cups to women and girls in needs. Though their organization has found great success, menstrual cups however effective and accessible, would not be accepted by women and girls in Jinja, Uganda. Feminine hygiene products that need to be inserted into the vagina are often unacceptable for cultural reasons. There are myths that they interfere with female reproductive organs and that they cause females to lose their virginity.
From this, we concluded, once in the design phase, we must ensure our product design was culturally consciousness.
Concerns raised by AFRIpads
Similarly, despite AFRIpads finding great success as an organization, their reusable pad design wouldn't address the needs of women and girls in Jinja, Uganda. Studies show that in rural areas with limited access to water, women and girls were not able to clean and care for the pads as Afripads intended them to be able. AFRIpads rely on the fact that the user would hang the pad to dry, however many studies, found drying the pad on a clothesline outside may provoke concerns that the menstrual product will be seen.
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“Drying reusable pads and cloths was difficult because they could not be put on public display. Seventy-nine percent of girls dried menstrual hygiene materials on covered peg hangers in their dormitories or bedrooms. Less than 3% of girls dried pads and cloths in the sunlight. Away from the sun’s bacteria-killing properties, these could take 3 days to dry and become malodorous. One in seven girls said they had used materials that were still damp, which they claimed often caused chafing and infection. There is a lack of empirical evidence linking vaginal or urinary infections with this practice, although it is not an unreasonable assumption.
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From this, we concluded a need to design a pad that was discreet in design, a pad that didn't necessarily look like your typical pad. This would allow for girls to shamelessly hang their pads to dry outside, where the sun could act as a powerful disinfectant. Additionally, hanging the pad outside the sun would ensure the quickest drying time therefore increasing the likelihood of the fabric being fully dry before wearing or storing.
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This concern was addressed in Sophia's design prototype.