Product Design - Tinnitus
Work with a small team of design students to develop a wearable electronic device to mitigate the affects of tinnitus.
CHALLENGE:
Work as a team to develop a consumer product that meets a real human need: mitigating the daily effects of tinnitus.
ACTION:
Through a series of user interviews and prototypes, we discovered the greatest benefit to our users was through a wearable 'white noise' maker.
OUTCOME:
The final prototype and consumer pitch were well received, and feedback from our users was positive throughout the duration of the project.
The Research Process
Our design challenge began not with an explicit need, but rather a cry for help. Current estimates show that nearly 15% of all Americans experience tinnitus at some point in their lives. For some, the characteristic 'ringing' in the ears goes away after a while, but for most, the ringing is permanent. There is no cure for tinnitus, so those afflicted have to find methods of coping on their own. This is where we stepped in.
Through consumer interviews with people affected by tinnitus, our team determined that sonic therapy and background 'white' noise were two of the most common ways of coping. Both practices require exposing the person to constant sound for extended periods of time. Users said that constantly listening to sound was difficult, particularly in environments like work, public transit, and shopping, where awareness of one's sonic surroundings is important.
Prototyping and Testing
In order to allow the user to have situational awareness, we strived to create a prototype speaker that did not cover the ears. Furthermore, we had to use sound waves that entered the ear, as opposed to bone conduction technology, because of the way tinnitus affects the nerve endings in the inner ear. The need for external speakers had a huge impact on the form that our prototypes took.
We built nearly a dozen prototypes that we tested with users. In order to transition seamlessly into a user's life, we focused on implementing speakers into various household items. We tried pillows, necklaces, and hats before landing on glasses as the best direction.
Once landing on a form, we had to further test different design compromises to provide the best experience for the user. Some of the metrics we evaluated included volume and frequency range for the speakers, size, weight, battery life, and user comfort.
The Finished Product
In the end, what we developed was this - a way to allow users to listen to white noise for extended periods of time without limiting their situational awareness. The glasses shown at left (modeled by yours truly) would have a battery, charging hardware, and a magnetic charging dock for a small bluetooth earbud in each leg. When docked, the earbuds could not only charge, but also play white noise at a low volume that could be heard by the user but not by others. The user would then have the ability to remove the earbuds and listen to white noise through the earbuds directly if they chose to do so.
The final prototype functioned as as described above, with the exception of actually charging the earbuds which fell outside the scope of the project. Feedback from our users was positive, though some had concerns about the weight of the batteries becoming uncomfortable after several hours of use. Other final deliverables for the project included, a presentation, a consumer pitch video, and a mock business plan and market analysis.
Project Photo Gallery
Cut away of leg to show battery and components.
