Have you ever given breastfeeding much thought? Unless you have children, the answer is probably "no".
Ireland has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world. On leaving hospital, only 49% of Irish women breastfeed their babies. This contrasts with 90% of Germans and 81% in the UK. Here, breastfeeding is a taboo subject. Embarrassment, shame and a lack of education make it a topic of discussion the Irish simply do not have.
In this project entitled 'The Booby Trap', I use a speculative design approach combined with social media to put a spotlight on breastfeeding. By asking speculatively, “What if women could sell their breast milk?”, it is hoped that the targeted audience are encouraged to question their preconceived attitudes against breastfeeding.
The Booby Trap is composed of three products offered by the speculative business, 'Breast Friends'. The app, the milk tester and the milk pasteuriser have been designed to bring this hypothetical scenario to life. Videos of the project featuring these "props" have been posted on popular social media platforms to reach my desired audience and begin this much needed conversation.
Testing the milk
Syncing the milk tester and the app
The milk tester
Pouring milk into the pasteuriser
Buying the milk user flow
Testing the milk user flow
The conversation
The online conversation