One in five women experience prenatal or postpartum depression, yet most new mothers aren’t prepared for it. Despite the government’s recent recommendation to screen all pregnant women and new mothers, the current way of screening isn’t effective due to its stigma and fear. To address that, mothers need a screening tool that is presented in the right context and helps her to be aware of her mental status continually. HeyMama helps mothers access and communicate their moods and specific needs frequently with a small circle of friends and family. Based on that, our experts guide them with the tailored advice and present Postpartum Depression symptoms in a personal and compassionate way. By doing so mothers learn what is normal and what isn’t, and to know when to ask for help. It also increases access to the treatment by providing concierge service to match and place a back-up counselor during the pregnancy.
Yena Lukac
Yena Lukac is a UX designer and researcher based in New York City. She came to DSI with many years of experience working as a graphic and web designer.
At DSI, she found a passion for health care innovation, particularly in solving problems for young children and families. This led her to create Sunny (a wearable thermometer for children with chronic conditions) and HeyMama (an app to combat postpartum depression). Her thesis project, HeyMama, achieved recognition as a finalist in the Interaction Awards (IxDA).
After DSI, Yena co-founded an ed-tech startup called Kidhoo, creating a digital platform to change how parents, teachers, and therapists can better collaborate in supporting children with special needs. Currently, Yena works as the UX lead for Nanit, where she helps develop smart technologies, such as IoT device, mobile app, and wearable for babies and parents. With computer vision and AI, Nanit provides sleep training tips, analytics, and real-time readings of baby’s breathing. Such innovations led Nanit to earn 2019 recognitions by TIME (50 Best Inventions) and Fast Company (Most Innovative Companies).
