Duo Birth Control Concept
Rethinking agency: codependent birth control
CHALLENGE
How can we balance the power paradigm when it comes to reproductive power?
ROLE
Graphic designer
OUTPUT
A speculative contraceptive technology product for couples that aims to empower both partners, as well as hold them accountable. DUO consists of two pill packs: one for the male and one for the female partner.
ACTIVITIES
Concept development, branding, packaging design
IMPACT
DUO taps into challenging questions about equality, agency and codependency in romantic relationships.
TOOLS
DURATION
CLIENT
Illustrator, Photoshop
4 weeks
MFA in Product Design
Takeaways
1. Iterate, iterate, iterate. After a half dozen prototypes of the packaging, I finally got the product to look real, which is crucial to cultivate the world-building that speculative design depends on.
2. Treading the line of challenging cultural topics like gender and reproductive rights is hard (and at times scary), but I find these questions too interesting and too important to shy away from.
Next steps
1. This speculative product is only for male/female couples, but the relational challenges it brings to light are not unique to this demographic. I'd like to contemplate other product and interaction concepts that might benefit non-traditional couples in their quest for agency, connection, or collaboration.