EMPATHY:
The first and most crucial stage in design thinking is empathy .It is a skill that enables us to comprehend the requirements of our clients. Through empathy, we may put ourselves in the customer's shoes and understand how they could be feeling about their issue, set of circumstances, or situation in general. IMPACT ON WOMEN: Typically, menstruation causes a lot of difficulties for women between the ages of 12 and 55.A survey was taken in Singapore, and out of the 5561 participants: • 23.1% said their periods were irregular. • The most frequently reported issue (15.3%) was oligomenorrhea. • The occurrence of polymenorrhea was substantially lower (2.0%). • The prevalence of oligomenorrhea increased significantly with body mass index (BMI), whereas polymenorrhea was more common in girls with low BMI. • With 83.2% of respondents reporting it in various degrees and 24% of girls reporting school absences as a result, dysmenorrhea was a significant issue. • In 45.1% of all participants, dysmenorrhea was severe enough to warrant the use of analgesics to ease pain. • Despite the fact that menstrual issues are widespread, only 5.9% of girls said they sought medical assistance. • Traditional Chinese medications were used most commonly for menstrual cycle problems, and over-the-counter medications for dysmenorrhea.
To investigate the typical menstruation issues women encounter during their menstrual period, another survey was conducted. A standard questionnaire was used in a personal interview with 210 residents in the Tiruchirappalli district's Allithurai and Lalgudi neighbourhoods.The chi-square test was used to determine the level of significance, and the results showed that • 31.4% of women had their first period at age 14. • Most respondents (68.6%) reported experiencing pain, and 68% reported moderate bleeding, rashes and irritation in skin. • The majority of them had psychological issues that interfered with their daily activities. • Anger (35.7%) is the most common psychological manifestation. • The majority of the people surveyed (92.9%) had regular menstrual cycles with few abnormalities and fear of leakage. Sanitary Napkins has absorbent gel, which absorbs all the moisture in our body and leaves our body dry and irritating.
General problems faced by women like:
• Stress and Mood Swings • Allergies • Dryness • Period Cramps • Rashes • Skin Irritation • Fear of Stains • Forgetting Menstrual Cycle Date
IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT:
Sanitary napkins are also detrimental to nature when it comes to disposal. As sanitary napkins are mostly made up of plastic, it takes more than 600 years to decompose. Apart from the product used in its manufacturing, napkins contaminated with blood are a biological hazard & pose great health risks for the waste collector. According to the Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998, items contaminated with blood and body fluids, including cotton, dressings are a bio-medical waste and should be incinerated and autoclaved to destroy pathogens. Most alarming is that there is no proper mechanism for disposing of these pads. They are either flushed down the toilet or tossed away. Ideally, these pads should go to the incinerator. In India that happens rarely as we do not have incinerator that needs to be of world health organisation standard. In India, we still have incinerator which is only around 400-500 degree Celsius, while as per WHO standards, it should be 800-degree Celsius ,When we toss these pads contaminated with blood away, other waste management workers expose themselves to hazards, who come in contact with it. With better outreach and education on sustainable menstrual products it is possible to improve the situation, particularly because there are no recurring costs in reusable products like cups and ancillary products required to manage periods. Another way of Disposing these Sanitary pads are Burning. Burning plastics with such Blood and Body fluids may lead to Air pollution. People in the surroundings who inhale the polluted air frequently may acquire Lung Problems and Breathing issues. Large amount of burning of plastics may even lead to Ozone depletion and Global warming.
People who are affected by this problem:
• Women • Waste Collectors • Sewage & Garbage Cleaners • Garbage Separators
TARGET AUDIENCE :
• Women between the age 12 to 55
Requirements collected from the Target Audience:
• Creation of a website/application • Selling Sustainable products related to menstruation like: o Reusable cotton cloth Napkins o Menstrual cups o Menstrual sponges o Organic Biodegradable Pads o Overnight Reusable period panties o Menstrual Disc • Get Notified regarding our own menstrual cycle • Calendaring it • Educating both Men and Women about it • Normalising it
DEFINE:
The second phase of design thinking is Define. During this phase, we attempt to extract the problem statement from the empathy section. It is a core part of design thinking. Menstruation, or period, is normal vaginal bleeding that occurs as part of a woman's monthly cycle. Every month, your body prepares for pregnancy. If no pregnancy occurs, the uterus, or womb, sheds its lining. The menstrual blood is partly blood and partly tissue from inside the uterus. There are several types of menstrual disorders. Problems can range from heavy, painful periods to no periods at all. There are many variations in menstrual patterns, but in general women should be concerned when periods come fewer than 21 days or more than 3 months apart, or if they last more than 10 days. Such events may indicate ovulation problems or other medical conditions. Many different factors can trigger menstrual disorders, including hormone imbalances, genetic factors, clotting disorders, and pelvic diseases.
During menstruation, we use lot of sanitary napkins, cups etc. But we don't notice about whether those products are reusable or decomposable and sustainable to the environment. Actually, the sanitary pads commonly used by women from all classes contain super-absorbent polymers (SAP), which they take up to 500 - 800 years to decompose.
They gradually break down into what are known as micro-plastics, which contaminate soil, water and air. They also enter the food chain injecting toxins into the food humans and animals consume. India generates 3.3 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, according to a Central Pollution Control Board report (2018-19). It is necessary to convert to biodegradable pads which are made from natural ingredients like cotton, sugarcane, straw bale and cassava to ensure proper absorption.
Since these pads are soft and then with a leak-proof surface, you will be comfortable when you are on your periods and also environment friendly. That is, as they decompose, they release vital nutrients into the soil, which helps plant growth. Most of these 'biodegradable' pads claim to be chemical-free and compostable.
PROBLEM STATEMENT:
• Generating Harmness to the environment due to disposal of napkins by burning and it’s non biodegradable ability. • Adolescent Women facing Difficulties during Menstruation.
IDEATE:
The Third stage of Design Thinking process is the Ideation. The Main aim of the Ideation stage is to consider creative ways to address the requirements that consumers have highlighted in the Empathize stage and more clearly outlined in the Define stage. By Expanding the solution space, the design team will be able to look beyond the usual methods of solving problems in order to find better, more elegant, and satisfying solutions to problems that affect a user's experience of a product.
OUR WEBSITE FOCUSES ON:
Period calendar and reminder to stay on track Suggesting natural remedies Virtual store to place your order and get your products delivered Selling Sustainable Menstruation products Awareness about Menstrual cycle
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