The coursework project focused on designing a user-centric environmental sound detection app tailored for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.
For Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH) individuals, auditory information is crucial for survival alongside visual input. Yet, their limited or absent access to auditory cues poses challenges in interpreting their surroundings.
Interactive Prototype of the Sound app. Give it a try!
Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals rely more on their visual senses to compensate for hearing impairment. It was crucial to understand the problems of our target audience in order to design a solution that perfectly fits their needs. Therefore, conducting thorough research with relevant users was essential to extrapolate the required information.
Four volunteer participants were recruited through social media.
We asked open-ended questions:
1. What type of sounds do they want to be aware of?
2. What information would they like to know about a particular sound?
3. What features would they like to see in a sound detection application?
The design process was a thoughtful and thorough journey, involving multiple reviews, critiques, and user testing
The app's primary function is sound detection, with the main screen presenting a central circle for user interaction. Tapping this circle allows the system to capture and analyze environmental sound, offering relevant information.
Account creation is essential for establishing social presence and storing critical information for emergency situations. It allows users to save preferences, notification settings, and a list of recognized sounds.
This feature enables quick sharing of information during emergencies, including sound name, location, severity, user's name, and location. Users have control over enabling or disabling this feature for each sound.
The list represents all the sound in the database. Users can add new sound data or delete unwanted data. Users can also customize existing data according to their needs. The red dash on the right side of the sound represents that the 'Text 911' feature is enabled.
In the future, audio cues and haptic feedback could be integrated to assist blind and blind-deaf users. Integrating the application with smartwatches would enhance user experience, enabling them to use the app without constantly checking their mobile phones.
In designing this project's user experience, my focus was centered on meeting the distinct needs of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals. Through user interviews and a keen understanding of their preferences, I crafted an application that is both visually intuitive and personalized. Icons, color-coded indicators, and customizable features were strategically incorporated to enhance usability.