<aside> 🕦 November 4 2020, 11:45 am IST

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<aside> 📑 Attendees: @Haashika Raj @Pao Arias and @fer arias

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Tyler told us that the most important part of this stage is to really describe our thinking process of going from a big scope problem to a specific "bet" on the solution. Here, I believe that the most valuable thing in our team, is that we reached interesting multidimensional descriptions of the problem, and that the specific research that can be done in different labs in all places on earth can approach a solution individually as long as they realize the submission on female bodies, the stigmatization and the labeling of just getting the test done. If we can manage to describe the guidelines to a better product/research/strategic design, I think we hit the jackpot. Also, the specific argument of the gaps of global data on this and the consequences of it, can incentive the creation of more accurate databases. We thought on providing an example for this, as we do have at least three options to develop a homemade pregnancy test:

• We discussed Manu's frog proposal, I made some research with some zoologist friends and said that apparently this frog is really used for lab testing's, and is around 10 pesos (0.5 dollar) to get it. Though she thinks is a bad idea to let the "regular people" (her words) have it, as is a threat to local species and it carries this dangerous fungi and parasites (I also looked for this, and its described on the frog page). I was thinking of the pros and cons of having the pregnancy and reproductive health taboo as a shield for it.
• Pao is working in some class with ways to measure PH of the things on her house, and realized that she could measure the PH of her vaginal fluids to really match her cycle with the acidity and realize if an afterday pill is working, or just to keep track on when you might have a welcoming uterus to sperm.
• Haashika told us that in her class also discover ways to find out if you are pregnant by using colorimetric detection urine. All of this solution can be registered as possible future projects.

As we found out that we have at least 3 frugal ways to detect something (3 research projects with pros and cons that will be described), they all respond to different stages of uncertainty after an intercourse has been performed (that sounded like my mother). And the ways woman approach solution heuristically depends on

1. The previous information they have

2. Whether they can talk to somebody or not

3. The money they have

4. The tendency to keep it or not.

And every solution, frugal or not only reduces uncertainty in a certain part of the uncertainty threshold. So, we have a bunch of possible solutions (some of them still encrypted to women about what is happening in their bodies) that do not necessarily solve a specific problem. For example, if you take the post-day pill, you won't be able to know if it worked or not until you take another test a few weeks later. The PH test here might help on letting you know how acid your uterus is before you take the pill and afterwards. That combined with having a frog in your bedroom is a really frugal way to know stuff. But the pros and cons of every method and the requirements of each design haven't been set, and that information is really valuable. SOOOOOOOOOOOOO What we were thinking is "splitting" the team in two: the illustration-argument team (including data description) which is you and me and the testing-empathy team (describing pros and cons on the three technical solutions that we have) which is Haashika and Pao. This is just for practical matters, as we both can suggest and question them and they can suggest and question us.

The solution itself is a careful mix of what Manu told us, a really good problem statement (I'm thinking in a kick-ass illustration/infographic taking into account the stages of the uncertainty process because really, actually taking a pregnancy test is the last step of it, previous to the new threshold of uncertainty in whether having a baby or not) and really good descriptions of the technical solutions for it, with the special feature on locating the solutions on the specific part that solves in the big problem picture.

IDEA FROM A NIGHT WITHOUT SLEEPING (POST DISCUSSION)

I have a little complementary idea. It in no way cancels what is proposed above.

We have little time to prototype a solution. A single solution does not solve all the problems and often imposes new constraints on women here and there in this or that part of the world. Moreover, we are smarter when there are several of us.

What if, in addition to our "solution" from above, we offered a free and open source "kit" (choose a license that goes with it, General Public License for example) that could be translated into many languages?