Placing the product on the pregnant belly.
Rural pregnancy
Degree Project
2025
In the rural regions of northern Sweden, travel times to the nearest maternity ward can be several hours. This distance often causes anxiety and uncertainty during late pregnancy and in the early stages of labor especially when deciding when to leave for the hospital. MONI is a service concept developed to support expectant parents who live far from maternity care. It includes a wireless EMG based monitor that measures uterine contractions at home. The data is sent directly to a midwife via Sweden’s national healthcare platform, 1177, allowing for video conversations and real time remote support. The concept aims to improve communication between home and hospital, reduce stress, and help ensure that parents arrive at the right time, not too early and not too late. The product combines medical reliability with a positive design language, made for people without experience of medical equipment.
Project Information
Long travel distances to maternity care have become a growing issue in northern Sweden where several birth clinics have closed in recent years. For many expectant parents in rural areas, the nearest hospital may be many hours away. This geographical challenge increases feelings of stress and uncertainty, particularly in late pregnancy and the early stages of labor.
Through interviews, surveys, and conversations with midwives and pregnant women, the project identified a key challenge: the uncertainty of when to leave for the hospital. Many expressed fears of giving birth in the car or being sent home for not meeting hospital criteria for active labor. The project explores how a product and service system could reduce this uncertainty by improving communication between home and midwifes from a distance.
Methods
The project followed a user centered design process and the research included literature studies, interviews with midwives and expectant parents and a user survey. Insights from these methods revealed a need for reassurance, clear information, and timely contact with healthcare professionals during early labor.
The ideation phase involved sketching, co-creation sessions with fellow students, and concept development. Several ideas were evaluated through discussions with users, healthcare professionals, and supervisors. The chosen concept was developed through form studies in clay, ergonomic testing, and digital 3D modeling. Physical prototypes were 3D-printed in 1:1 scale to explore size, comfort, and usability. The result was visualized through renderings and building a model in true scale.
Result
The outcome of the project is MONI, a service designed to strengthen the connection between home and hospital. The system includes a wearable monitor that measures uterine contractions using surface EMG technology. It is placed on the belly during early labor and can be worn the whole journey to the maternity clinic. The contraction data is transmitted to a midwife via Sweden’s national healthcare platform 1177, where it can be viewed alongside a live video conversation.
MONI aims to reduce stress and build trust by helping parents understand their labor status and decide when to go to the hospital. It supports more accurate assessments and improves the user’s sense of safety and control. The product is designed to balance medical reliability with human warmth.
MONI is a speculative concept that explores how future healthcare solutions can offer better support to expectant parents in geographically remote areas. It highlights the role of communication, accessibility, and thoughtful design in promoting more equitable access to maternity care regardless of physical distance.
Placing the product on the pregnant belly.
Render of product hardware. Uterine contractions are measured with EMG technology via electrodes.
User journey of MONI.
MONI is integrated into Sweden´s national healthcare platform, 1177.
Early form iterations in clay.
Prototyping in real scale throughout the project to evaluate ergonomics and usability.
Prototyping in real scale throughout the project to evaluate ergonomics and usability.
Interaction with the button located on top of the product.
The product is designed for users with no prior experience of medical devices.
