HearMe

by Kabir, Vishal, Prannaya, Zayan and Jed

T4G 2022 Project

Problem Definition

Problem Statement: How might we improve the experience of phone calls for people with hearing loss?

The Problem

Most businesses still operate via phone calls for immediate resolutions. For example, one would call a restaurant for a reservation, banks may call with urgent security alerts, customer service might call when the repair is completed, and so on. However, a hard-of-hearing person may not be able to understand the phone conversations accurately due to their loss of hearing. How can we use technology to reduce misunderstandings in a phone conversation? The ideal solution would be affordable and accessible to all types of sensorineural hearing loss.

The Community

Hearing loss is defined as being partially or completely unable to hear sounds in one or both ears. While there are numerous causes that lead to hearing loss, they can happen from birth (congenital) or from external causes (acquired). Every hearing loss is unique, and commonly categorized into one of these four categories: mild hearing loss, moderate hearing loss, severe hearing loss or profound hearing loss. (ref)

In Singapore, research has showed that about 0.1% (or 1 of every 1,000) babies born in Singapore have severe or profound hearing loss, and about 0.5% (or 5 of every 1,000) have lesser degrees of hearing loss. As the second fastest ageing nation in Asia after Japan, age-related hearing loss is becoming very common in our population. About 50% of those 80 years and above is expected to have significant hearing loss. In total, it is estimated that 360,000, or 1 in 11 Singaporeans have hearing loss. (ref)

Learning Objectives

• Understand how hearing loss affects people and their everyday lives directly from the community
• Learn software engineering principles and how to apply them in your design
• Learn about the science of hearing and sounds
• Learn to solve a real-world problem with design thinking and STEM
• Learn how to dissect the problem statement and communicate your solution to an audience
• Develop an empathetic understanding of people with disabilities

Additional Reading

1. Introduction to Deafness and Hearing Loss
2. Hearing Loss – What it is
3. A beginner’s guide to acoustics, noise & hearing loss
4. Phone calls are causing frustration and stress