Abstract
This study explores design opportunities to support postpartum mothers during “zuòyuèzi,” a culturally significant confinement practice in southern China, through the lens of home-based Internet of Things (IoT) systems. Grounded in feminist ethics of care, the research employs a three-phase methodology combining digital ethnography, co-design workshops, and thematic analysis. Participants from multigenerational households shared experiences and envisioned the roles of IoT systems to facilitate postpartum transitions. Findings reveal that users expect technologies to function as empathetic intermediaries that foster emotional well-being, facilitate caregiving management and negotiate relationships. Distinct patterns emerged across care distribution, interpersonal communication, and interaction, underscoring the cultural specificity of postpartum care and the importance of inclusive technology design. This work contributes to design research and feminist ethics of care by articulating how domestic technologies can be reimagined to support caregiving, family negotiation, and socio-technical intimacy in postpartum contexts.
Keywords
Design with Care; Postpartum (zuòyuèzi); Home IoT ; Co-design
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.932
Citation
Deng, W., Chen, Y., Luo, Y., Hu, Y., and Wang, Y. (2026) Reconfiguring Care: Envision Postpartum Support for Women in Southern China through the Lens of Home-based IoT, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.932
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Reconfiguring Care: Envision Postpartum Support for Women in Southern China through the Lens of Home-based IoT
This study explores design opportunities to support postpartum mothers during “zuòyuèzi,” a culturally significant confinement practice in southern China, through the lens of home-based Internet of Things (IoT) systems. Grounded in feminist ethics of care, the research employs a three-phase methodology combining digital ethnography, co-design workshops, and thematic analysis. Participants from multigenerational households shared experiences and envisioned the roles of IoT systems to facilitate postpartum transitions. Findings reveal that users expect technologies to function as empathetic intermediaries that foster emotional well-being, facilitate caregiving management and negotiate relationships. Distinct patterns emerged across care distribution, interpersonal communication, and interaction, underscoring the cultural specificity of postpartum care and the importance of inclusive technology design. This work contributes to design research and feminist ethics of care by articulating how domestic technologies can be reimagined to support caregiving, family negotiation, and socio-technical intimacy in postpartum contexts.