Fetal Movement Visualizations to Empower Pregnant People

Pregnancy is a beautiful journey, bringing miracles of life to the world. But miracles do not occur all the time. To help monitor the health of third-trimester babies at home, fetal movement counting (“kick counting”) emerged as a technique to help mothers become more aware of their baby’s movement trend. Mobile apps assist mothers in keeping track of when and how many times their babies kicked and graph the baby’s movement trend, though not always clearly. This study proposes and evaluates three different ways to present fetal movement tracking data recorded on a mobile app. By conducting usability testing with 19 women, we find that the most effective visualization depends on the baby's movement type. A bar and calendar chart which lays out explicitly the time of the day the mother records is helpful if the baby moves differently throughout the day, while a line chart graphing individual kick count sessions on the x-axis is more effective for babies who move similarly throughout the day. Supporting pregnant women with fetal movement visualizations helps to achieve a more informed pregnancy overall.