Tackling Hearing Aid Stigma: Research & Design
Overview
This academic project involved 1:1 interviews with top audiology SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) in their field, focus groups with those with hearing loss and a survey of +200 participants.
It identified the key reason for lack of hearing aid use as "stigma". Stigma was a prevalent issue in glasses uptake in the 70s, it used fashion, design and a pull away from the medical field as a catalyst for a transition into a, now, desirable accessory. Hearing aids have not explored the same direction due to being seen as a medical item, the requirement to be fitted by an medical audiologist and their clinical material and shape design.
This project was one of the earlybirds to begin exploring making hearing aids fashion-orientated.
Role:
Sole Researcher
Sole Designer
Tools & Methodologies:
- Typeform
- InDesign
- Focus Groups
- 1v1 interviews
- Systematic review of existing literature
Problemscape
- Ownership: Identify reasons for low ownership of hearing aids.
- Use: Identify reasons hearing aid owners may infrequently use their device.
- Market: Review of existing devices (including componentry, and price breakdown).
- Cost breakdown: Review of costs and where they occur.
- SMEs: Interviews with audiologists and audiology researchers/academics.
- Survey: Those with hearing impairment (with and without hearing aids).
Solution
A self-fitting audio improvement device.
Let's break that down:
Self-fitting = No need for audiologists to inflate the cost of hearing aids by 3 (60% of HA prices)
Audio improvement = Unlike a hearing aid which focus on making up what was lost, audio improvement looks to take sound and level it up to maximise a user's relationship with sound. This changes the market, taking away from it being a medical aid for 1/5 the population, instead being the basis for an incredible tool for the majority of the population.
UX Research
- Systematic review of current hearing aid uptake and adherence.
- Market research of current hearing aids and hearable devices.
- Interviews with audiology SMEs (Subject Matter Experts).
- Focus groups with those with hearing impairment.
- Survey of hearing impairment and hearing aid experiences(+200 sample)
Design
The design is composed of two parts:
1. The physical design of the product.
Visual Direction research:
In the 200+ person survey I asked about current hearing aid aesthetics and what their preferences were for aesthetic styling, and captured insights qualitatively. These were then word mapped. The clearest direction was jewellery, others that came out were heavily leaning on wearers identity. Unobtrusive was another recurrent theme.
Decided direction:
Timeless Jewellery
For the concepts I decided to explore jewellery, this sent me down a huge research route mapping out mens and women's jewellery across cultures to find key overlaps that worked for the majority.
The key materials I wanted to lead with were Gold, Silver, Stainless steel/Titanium and Leather. The ancient classics are materials that have been used in jewellery across generations and global cultures. Hop to the bottom 👇 to see some other variations of the concepts.
2. The interface for self-fitting.
Note: This concept was explored in 2017, now machine learning is not only much better understood, it's used by the general public.
The UI was purely suggesting actions, rather than a suggested interface to interact with the app. However, the audience was considered here:
- Simple language
- Big, easy to click buttons
- Intuitive flow
The report
The Research report is available in a few locations. Here you can scroll through online without having to signup to anything.
Blend - Hearing Aid Problems & Solutions →
Feedback on the research report
“I think you’ve nailed it, I mean, for someone coming in and reading up on this and the conversation we’re having. You are absolutely on the money"
Dr Melanie Ferguson - Consultant Clinical Scientist & Research Lead in Mild-to-Moderate Hearing Loss, at NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre.
“I think you’ve encapsulated a lot of the issues, because there is a LOT of issues. Looking to have something to reduce stigma is a massive plus”
Audiology Researcher (Anonymous)
“People are talking about this and there will be work going on around this”
SFHA
Footnote:
I've always been against the idea that academic research is for those with the right literary acumen. I believe research should be accessible to those of any background, this paper was my first attempt to breaking down this wall. The release of this paper built up a lot of traction for me, and connected me to many likeminded research and ended up landing me a job or two!
