This study aims to propose a user-centered maternity wear design that simultaneously addresses the physical changes and psychological well-being of pregnant women by applying inclusive design principles and the design thinking process throughout the e...
This study aims to propose a user-centered maternity wear design that simultaneously addresses the physical changes and psychological well-being of pregnant women by applying inclusive design principles and the design thinking process throughout the entire development of maternity wear for the Chinese market.
The study was conducted based on the five stages of the design thinking process—empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. First, in the empathize stage, a preliminary survey and depth interviews were conducted with Chinese maternity wear users to comprehensively identify key issues related to maternity wear. Second, in the define stage, an empathy map was constructed to categorize the identified issues into four dimensions—physical discomfort, psychological instability, lack of functionality, and insufficient aesthetics. Based on this analysis, a problem statement was formulated to guide the design objectives. Third, in the ideation stage, creative ideas were generated through brainstorming, and ideas with high feasibility and effectiveness were selected using a prioritization map. Fourth, in the prototyping stage, designs were developed based on the selected ideas, and their functional and aesthetic qualities were preliminarily verified through CLO 3D–based virtual fitting simulations, which informed the production of physical prototypes. Fifth, in the testing stage, the prototypes were evaluated through wear tests, surveys, and interviews with Chinese women in late pregnancy, leading to the identification of design revisions.
As a result of this process, thirteen core issues in existing maternity wear available in the Chinese market were identified across the dimensions of size, color and pattern, material, style, and design details. In addition, pregnant women were found to demand adaptability to body shape changes, wearing comfort, skin-friendly materials, seasonal suitability, breastfeeding convenience, and aesthetic designs appropriate for diverse social contexts. Based on these identified issues and user requirements, design concepts were developed and materialized into four types of maternity wear: a coat, a dress, a jacket-pants set, and a jacket-skirt set. Each design was verified in terms of functionality and aesthetics through virtual fitting simulations, followed by the production of physical prototypes, which were further refined by incorporating improvements derived from evaluation results. Consequently, optimal designs were developed that effectively address the major limitations of existing maternity wear in China while satisfying user needs.
This study is significant in that it presents a comprehensive design framework and verification model that integrates functionality, aesthetics, usability, and sustainability inmaternity wear through the application of inclusive design principles and the design thinking process. Moving beyond fragmented improvements of individual design elements, the study provides an empirical example of structurally analyzing overall user experience and introducing an evidence-based approach to design decision-making, thereby expanding the academic depth of user-centered design methodologies. The four developed designs contribute to improving pregnant women’s quality of life by enhancing everyday convenience, alleviating discomfort caused by body changes, and supporting satisfaction with appearance and self-esteem. Moreover, by systematically incorporating collected data and verification results into the design process, this study functions as apractical model for establishing evidence-based, user-centered decision-making practices in the field of fashion design. Furthermore, the findings empirically demonstrate the effectiveness of the design thinking process as a problem-solving methodology for addressing complex structural, functional, and aesthetic requirements in specialized apparel, and suggest its potential expansion to other fields such as children’s wear, adaptive clothing, and medical wear, thereby contributing to the academic and industrial foundations for building an inclusive fashion ecosystem.