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Sounds and noises are omnipresent, they accompany us everywhere we go. That’s why our hearing sense is a crucial sense for our orientation. Often the sounds around us overlap and disturb our listening comprehension. After participating at a Hearathon, organised by EU-project careables in collaboration with the Fraunhofer IDMT, and interviewing people with and without a hearing impairment, as well as experts, I could understand better the experiences, concerns and possibilities in the hearing world. This led to the development of Luui as my graduation project.
The Luui App offers a variety of functions, like amplifying selected sounds and suppressing all surrounding sounds. By saving own settings, Luui ensures customisation and makes listening more enjoyable and understanding others less stressful. The app can be used with the LUUI-device (a microphone accessory) or the built-in microphone of a smartphone.
After conducting interviews with people with and without a hearing impairment and also hearing aid users, I gained many insights in the desired functions for a product that could improve the hearing experience. After clustering these functions I put them into wireframes, in order to test them with users and evaluate my assumptions.
Through testing the wireframes with users, I learned that the structure and information architecture of the app was yet too complicated. The functions of “better listening” and “filter” were not so easy to distinguish and were therefore combined. Furthermore, I gained the insight that the “saved modes” should be quickly accessible.
After defining the information architecture and flowchart of the application, I developed the user interface design from the wireframes. The minimalistic and clean interface puts an emphasis on the functionality, as it should be an often used product and thus not overwhelming.
In the hear-menu one can find the two main options „Selective Hearing“ for amplifying selected sounds and „Noise Cancelling“ to suppress all surrounding sounds. The different settings in the „Selective Hearing“-Menu can be combined to provide users with the best possible adaption in every situation. By saving own settings, Luui ensures customisation and makes listening more enjoyable and understanding others less stressful.
Furthermore, it also serves as transfer of knowledge, raising awareness for listening experiences. The app can be used with the LUUI-device (a microphone accessory) or the built-in microphone of a smartphone.
The impact of a solution like this could be far-reaching and transformative. By addressing the challenges faced by individuals with hearing difficulties and even those without diagnosed hearing loss, Luui has the potential to significantly improve quality of life for a wide range of users. Its customisable features and user-friendly interface could make it an attractive option for people who might otherwise be reluctant to use traditional hearing aids. Furthermore, by normalising the use of hearing enhancement technology for everyone, Luui could help reduce the stigma associated with hearing aids and encourage more people to address their hearing needs proactively.
The project received positive feedback, inspiring the Fraunhofer Research Institute and leading to an invitation to speak at a hackathon in Berlin.
2018/19 | Bachelor Thesis | individual work