Bhutkar is an Indian usability researcher and academician. He is the Coordinator, Centre of Excellence in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and also, Assistant Head (Research), Department of Computer Engineering at VIT, Pune, India. His research work mainly focuses on HCI, assistive technologies and medical applications / usability. He has PhD in HCI from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, and has more than 20 years’ of experience in academic and research activities. Bhutkar is an active member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (SIGCHI). Recently his research team developed a utility Android app - Eye+, for visually impaired users. This app has more than 6000 downloads and was also nominated for a National Award in 2018. He has received several international invitations / travel grants from SIGCHI, EIT and IFIP in conferences and other events in Europe, Asia and Africa. 

Project: Prototype Design of Mobile app for Mothers of Preterm Infants

Through AIMF, Bhutkar will be collaborating with Dr. Melissa Densmore, an ethnographer with experience in Human Computer Interactions at University of Cape town, South Africa. Bhutkar and his research team is currently developing a mobile app for mothers of preterm infants at Centre of Excellence in Human Computer Interaction, VIT Pune, India. An initial version of paper prototype of this application in local Indian context has been developed. A preterm birth of infants is a significant public health issue in developing countries in Asia as well as Africa. Mothers of preterm infants and their families face several problems which is leading to a high-level of mental stress. These problems include absence of messaging and/or calling services in emergency, poor channels of communication with physicians, no platform for experience sharing, lack of understanding about infant growth tracking and shattered confidence of mothers. This prototype design of mobile app for mothers of preterm infants include several facilities for ‘Save Our Souls’ (SOS), user guide, growth tracking, experience sharing and mother’s health monitoring, improving their work engagement and communication with assigned physicians. This app aims to reduce mental stress of these mothers of preterm infants. The plan is to also extend this app in local African context through a collaboration with University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa.