With the digitization of healthcare, there has been an increase in self-tracking technologies for health. One group of self-tracking technologies is FMTs, fertility- and menstruation technologies. By gathering information on users’ menstruation and fertility, these technologies have access to intimate and sensitive data that requires secure protection. Previous research has criticized FMTs for lacking in data security and several risks with this data being shared have been identified. Risks of lacking data security include discrimination against the user in the workplace, and being targeted by cyber-criminals. This thesis explores how users perceive trust and data privacy in fertility- and menstruation technologies by conducting a user study. Participants (n=18) were interviewed in pairs about their experiences of FMTs, data privacy, and trust. Based on the interview findings, seven design guidelines were created to enhance user trust and ensure data privacy. Additionally, an Android application was developed as a high-fidelity prototype to visualize and discuss the guidelines. The research contributes to the field by identifying design aspects that can be used by creators of FMTs to improve their privacy practices and generate trust among their users. / Med digitalisering har det skett en ökning av självspårande teknologier inom hälsa. En typ av självspårande teknologier är FMT:er, fertilitet- och menstruationsteknologier. Genom att samla information om användares menstruation och fertilitet har de här teknologierna tillgång till intim och känslig data som kräver ordentligt skydd. Risker med bristande datasäkerhet inkluderar att användaren diskrimineras på sin arbetsplats, blir offer för cyberbrottslingar, och blir kontrollerad av en familjemedlem eller partner. Tidigare forskning har kritiserat FMT:er för bristande datasäkerhet och har identifierat flera risker med detta. Den här uppsatsen utforskar hur användare uppfattar tillit och datasäkerhet till fertilitet- och menstruationsteknologier genom en användarstudie. Deltagare (n=18) intervjuades parvis om deras erfarenhet av FMT:er, datasäkerhet och tillit. Utifrån intervjuresultaten har sju riktlinjer för design av FMT:er för ökad tillit och datasäkerhet tagits fram. Dessutom utvecklades en Android applikation som prototyp för att visualisera riktlinjerna. Denna uppsats bidrar till forskningsområdet genom att identifiera designaspekter som kan användas av FMT utvecklare för att förbättra deras sekretesspraxis och påverka deras användares tillit till deras produkt.

The increasing demand for female-centred services and devices in the digital era has challenged traditional notions of privacy. This thesis explores how users perceive privacy issues in period- tracking applications provided by various developers. By utilising mixed-method research and adopting an ethnographic methodology within the framework of Actor-Network Theory, this study examines the trade-off of sensitive data in exchange for predictions through agential roles in the use of period-tracking applications. The results reveal that users desire control over whom they share their menstrual information with and feel confident doing so with non-human actors, the period-tracking application. Users are unaware of the developers' access to their data and the potential selling of it to third parties. The study highlights the power dynamics between users, period-tracking applications, and developers and their impact on perceived privacy. The research emphasises the mediating role of the period-tracking application in trust and power dynamics as users perceive privacy differently in the digital and physical worlds. The thesis proposes a podcast prototype that demonstrates the impact of technology on user behaviour and their willingness to compromise their privacy. The prototype aims to evokes emotions and encourages reflection on how non-human actors can influence decision-making. The podcast prototype emphasises user's need for more awareness of how data is used and highlights the potential dystopian future. Through this demonstration, the thesis aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between human and non-human actors in the digital world and their effect on individual privacy.

This thesis brings period tracking apps into the discourse of menstruation. How we speak of and communicate around periods contribute into building the idea of the menstruation and, by extension, the female body and femaleness. This is also true for visual communication, which is why this thesis analyses the form, function and representation of three of the most popular period tracking apps. The questions posed are: What are the most important characteristics of the general visual appearance? How are the apps meant to be used? In what ways can form and function be placed into a cultural historical context with focus being on symbolic representation? To answer these questions a method of semiotic analysis paired with case studies are used. Previous research has shown that period tracking apps in some ways play into the idea of menstruation as a taboo. This essay shows that the notion of menstruation as something to be kept and handled in private is present in the design of the apps.

The popularity of mobile period tracker apps, designed to help women track their periods and fertility, has skyrocketed over the past decade. The target audience is people who menstruate, most often women. There are numerous articles on personalisation in mobile apps, but personalisation in mobile period tracker apps has been little studied. Therefore, in this thesis, I analyse the ways of collecting information about users and personalising the user's account in the period tracker apps, as well as whether this personalisation meets the needs of female users. My research question is: How could the personalisation of mobile period tracker apps be improved through design to meet real users' needs? The study builds on the user experience (UX) design process and consists of the following phases: UX research, design, and user testing. In addition, it includes an ideation part. I used post-structural feminist theory from the perspective of Judith Butler's work as a framework. I conducted seven semi-structured interviews with female users who actively use period tracker apps. I studied three chosen period tracker apps using the walkthrough method and conducted a co-design workshop using the themes identified through the thematic analysis of the interviews. The research output is a design solution tested on five participants of the study and then iterated. Through my work, I contribute to studies of reproductive technologies and the field of feminist human-computer interaction (HCI) through suggestions on personalisation.

<p dir="ltr">FemTech is a booming subset of mHealth applications that was worth $51 billion in 2021 (Stewart, 2022b). FemTech largely focuses on menstruation, pregnancy, and fertility tracking. As with any technology, it comes with privacy and security risks for users, but these risks are more acute due to the sensitive nature of the data being collected. While privacy and security shortcomings have been highlighted for years, concerns were discussed widely in the United States after the Supreme Court released its <i>Dobbs v. Jackson</i> decision on June 24, 2022, which overturned <i>Roe v. Wade</i>, a 1973 decision that protected abortion as a constitutional right and limited states’ abilities to place restrictions on abortions. With abortion no longer a constitutional right, many states have outlawed or heavily restricted the procedure, and individuals expressed concern about their digital data being used in investigations as it has been in select previous cases (e.g., <i>State of Indiana v. Purvi Patel</i>, 2015; <i>State of Mississippi v. Latice Fisher</i>, 2018; <i>The State of Nebraska v. Celeste Burgess</i>, 2023; <i>The State of Nebraska v. Jessica Burgess</i>, 2023). While Big Tech has been scrutinized for turning user data over to law enforcement, many have more heavily questioned the protections offered by period tracking app companies due to the abundant amount of health data these companies possess about their users (e.g., Basu, 2022; Bradley et al., 2022; Cole, 2022). These apps have historically fallen short in protections for their user data in general (e.g., Beilinson, 2020; <i>Developer of Popular Women’s Fertility-Tracking App Settles FTC Allegations That It Misled Consumers About the Disclosure of Their Health Data</i>, 2021; Quintin, 2017). Clue is one of the most popular FemTech apps with millions of downloads across the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and the company has spoken out widely about their privacy protections in the wake of the <i>Dobbs v. Jackson</i> decision (<i>‎Clue Period Tracker & Calendar</i>, n.d.; <i>Clue Period Tracker & Calendar</i>, n.d.; <i>Clue’s Response to Roe vs Wade Decision</i>, 2022). This research presents a forensic analysis of Clue on both iOS and Android after two months of data population, finding that some user-entered data was available in the app cache or .db-wal files on both iOS and Android but was entirely erased after the deletion of the app on the phones. This research also presents results from a survey of 31 menstruators in the United States, finding that online privacy in general is a concern for many users, and most find it unacceptable for period tracking applications to share user health data with advertisers or law enforcement.</p>

Les applications de suivi du cycle menstruel sont aujourd’hui utilisées par des millions de personnes dans le monde. Elles permettent de soutenir et d’aider le suivi des menstruations, de garder des traces des cycles précédents, et de rapporter une variété de symptômes reliés. Les usager·ère·s de ces applications partagent avec les entreprises propriétaires des données sensibles et personnelles sur leur corps et sur leurs ressentis. Cependant, certaines de ces applications partagent ces données avec des tiers. En utilisant ces outils numériques, les usager·ère·s composent donc entre deux éléments en tension : d’un côté, l’utilité de ces applications, et de l’autre, des risques d’atteinte à leur vie privée à travers l’usage de leurs données. Ce mémoire analyse les pratiques et les discours permettant aux usager·ère·s de composer avec cette tension ainsi que les préoccupations qui y sont reliées au prisme des théories féministes sur les données, et sur la surveillance. Pour ce faire, j’ai réalisé plusieurs entrevues semi-dirigées collectives, des focus groups de 2 à 3 participant·e·s, avec des personnes menstruées, qui utilisent une application de suivi menstruel. La recherche fait ressortir que les usager·ère·s ne considèrent pas forcément les données sur les menstruations qu’elles partagent comme des données intimes et personnelles, et que certain·e·s ne savent pas vraiment à quels usages peuvent servir ces données, ce qui soulève des questions quant au consentement éclairé et valide lors de l’usage de ces applications. La plupart des personnes, bien que dérangées par la surveillance de leurs données de suivi menstruel, l’acceptent dans leurs pratiques quotidiennes, au même titre que la surveillance numérique générale. Selon les personnes interrogées, ces applications sont utiles et pratiques au niveau individuel, mais elles peuvent aussi avoir une utilité à un niveau collectif, dans ce qu’elles peuvent accomplir pour la recherche sur les menstruations, la valorisation du ressenti des femmes et de leur bien-être, des éléments que la discussion collective a permis de mettre de l’avant. / Period tracking applications are now used by millions of people around the world. They support and assist in tracking menstrual cycles, keeping track of previous cycles, and reporting a variety of related symptoms. Users of these applications share sensitive and personal data about their bodies and feelings with the companies that own them. However, some of these applications share their users’ data with third parties. By using these digital tools, users need therefore to deal with two elements in tension: on the one hand, the usefulness of these applications, and on the other, the risks of invasion of their privacy through the use of their data. This thesis analyzes the practices and discourses that allow users to deal with this tension and the concerns related to it using the perspective of data feminism theory and feminist surveillance studies. I conducted several semi-structured group interviews, focus groups of 2-3 participants, with menstruating individuals who use a menstrual tracking application. The research highlights that users do not necessarily consider the menstrual data they share as intimate and personal, and that some of them do not really know how these data can be used, which raises questions about informed and valid consent to use these applications. Most people, while bothered by the monitoring of their menstrual data, accept it as part of their daily practices, along with general digital monitoring. According to the interviewees, these applications are useful and practical on an individual level, but they can also be useful on a collective level, in what they can accomplish for research on menstruation, valuing women's feelings and well-being, issues that the collective discussion brought forward.