Social Innovation: Healthcare, Technology
Oeedo is our brainchild made from empathy to foster Inclusivity and Bridge Communication Gaps for Hearing, HoH, and Deaf Communities.
Duration: 6 Weeks
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Outcome
Oeedo is serving as an enabler for the hearing, hard of hearing, and deaf community to learn sign language and find compatibility around them with a mobile application to enable inclusivity and effective communication among them.
Introduction
Oeedo
Oeedo is a digital application made from empathy to foster inclusivity and bridge communication gaps for Hearing, HoH, and Deaf Communities.
Challenge
Enabling hearing and non-hearing communities to co-exist and thrive in the same environment.
Team
Product Designer
Design Researcher and Design Strategist (Me)
Graphic Designer
Communication Designer
Marketing
My Role
Design Researcher:
Conducted empathetic interviews with members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community to gather insights and understand their needs.
Design Strategy:
Contributed to each step of intentions behind the design development process of building a mobile application, leveraging the insights gained from user research to inform strategic decisions and propose innovative ideas while advocating for users.
Timeline
6 Weeks
Problem
In both the Hearing and Deaf communities, individuals undergo unique growth experiences shaped by their environments. Just as socioeconomic influences educational opportunities for the Hearing community, Deaf individuals may acquire speaking and listening skills through specialized training if they have the privilege. However, as adults, when both communities converge in shared environments, a common challenge emerges—communication barriers persist because we lack a shared language, hindering our ability to thrive together.
The Objectives
Target Audience
Parents with HoH or deaf kids
Hearing, HoH, deaf people
Future: Schools, Organizations, Hospitals, Communities.
Value Proposition
Learn about deaf/HoH culture.
One-stop platform for accessibility and usability
Community and sense of belongingness experience
Valuable and reviewed resources.
Support Hoh/deaf-owned businesses and resources.
Business Model
Market in all schools, colleges, universities, and offices.
Market at doctors and medical institutions where HoH and deaf people go.
Process
Method: Human Centered Design Thinking using a 4D Model
DISCOVER
Took 12 interviews of Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals across the globe with different socio-economic backgrounds.
DEFINE
10+ Insights
Identified MVP to achieve jobs to be done.
DEVELOP
Multiple ideations
Prioritized ideas
Designed 4 unique features
DELIVER
4 User testings
Feedback loop
Inclusive Digital App
“Everyone sees deafness as a disability but they don’t realize that they listen more because they hear less”
Primary Research
Deaf User: Wearing Hearing aids and Cochlear implants
Program Manager at Michigan State University Libraries and advocate of accessibility on public platforms.
Insights
Going through a bureaucratic route of going through schools and getting approvals was difficult in this 6 weeks process, so found deaf and HOH organically on social media across the United States.
Anxious, stressed, and lack of awareness in the society for Deaf and HOH community and impact of Covid in their lives.
Lack of empathy
Process
Leveraged Zoom to conduct one on one interviews with deaf/Deaf/HOH people across the globe.
12 interviews of people from different continents and socio-economic backgrounds.
Challenges
Isolation and Loneliness
Lack of awareness of deaf culture
Environmental concerns among deaf community
“It was so difficult during Covid as we deaf people are dependent on lip reading but we could not do that during Covid times.”
Persona
Empathy Mapping
User Journey Map
Ideation
Strategy
Design a service for our users that enables them to speak the Sign language fluently.
One-stop platform for both hearing and non-hearing communities, advocating about Deaf/deaf/Hard of hearing culture.
Identified Opportunity: Inclusive Digital Application
READ
Latest updates and news purely based on hoh and deaf communities.
Collection of articles, blogs and third-party written material.
NEAR YOU
LEARN
Top courses in ASL, BSL, FSL and ISL
More courses in uncommon Sign languages
Goal setter for daily aims
Reminder for already set goals
Resource to find doctors.
Resource to review and recommend audiologists.
Leads to inclusive schools.
HoH/deaf-friendly community places.
SHOP
Hyperlinks to verified sources to buy OVER-THE-CHOPOUNTER hearing aids.
Hyperlinks to verified and trusted alerting devices.
In-app Oeedo merchandise purchase.
Support deaf/HOH businesses.
Prototype
Welcome
Practicing SL
Select the course
The application serves 4 major functions: Learn, Near You, Read, and Shop. Each function creates an economy to learn, engage and support one another.
Top 2 Unique features:
A one-stop platform for anybody who wishes to learn sign language and to make sign language as common as all spoken languages.
We believe education comes from various sources like classroom teaching, peer interactions, family interactions, social media, news, and the internet. Oeedo will aid the user with all information and required study material on the application, eliminating the user’s effort going through multiple resources and losing interest.
Setting Goals
Practice successful
User’s Dashboard
Learning Sign Language
Completed course
2. All sign language learning, coaching, and exams are on one platform.
Oeedo is a first-of-a-kind platform that attempts to break language barriers in sign language. This feature creates market differentiation for Oeedo in the competitive market.
Unique Selling Point
The users of Oeedo get selective, filtered, verified information in one place.
Oeedo can become your very own Google to get specific issues solved.
This app provides different purposes to different communities and is tailor-made according to your expectations.
Impact
Oeedo empowered hearing, deaf, and HOH communities by enabling them with a one-stop platform to learn any sign language and have all the resources, advocating for inclusivity and representation.
User Testing
Learnings
Leverage research methodologies to connect findings with actionable design recommendations.
Adapt quickly to users' communication styles and build trust.
Craft compelling narratives to articulate users' needs and challenges to stakeholders.
Establish a systematic approach in the research phase to enhance efficiency.
Emphasize empathetic communication as the cornerstone of user interactions.
Ability to ask open-ended questions, leading to deeper insights enhances the quality of qualitative data.
Strategically design research studies that align with specific goals and objectives.
Plan projects to allow sufficient time for iterative improvement post-user testing.
Adhere to ethical guidelines, ensuring responsible research conduct and user privacy protection.
