HearMe Recording App
A gesture-based recording app
for the visually impaired
Designer Diona Lin
Professor Hsien-Hui Tang
Researcher /PM Zen Chang
Software Engineer Yi-Hsuan Tsai
Technique Smartphone / iOS 7.0 or up
/Problem
In the worldwide population of 7 billion, there are 285 million visually impaired people. ( WHO 2014 ) A critical behavior in their daily life is sound recording, a way to keep their memory. They record what they'd like to keep. The key value of the behavior is immediacy, while normal devices or even mobile applications have limitations for them to reach the importance of immediacy.
In recent years many systems on mobile phones have been equipped with refined screen readers. While when a screen reader is on, a user must take action one more time than in visual selection. Combined their reliability of sound & mobility of their recording behavior, we've come up with a gesture-based solution on mobile device, to improve their recording experience. We've flattened the utilization, reducing these barriers, such as removing unnecessary text input, directly sharing function, and lessening the layers of actions.
We were dedicated to create the hearing and touch-based interaction, making the gestures correspond with the functionality. For instance, by the two-finger double tap on the screen, users could immediately start recording,
/Design
By using double fingers double taps to capture the sound immediately, just like when people press the shutter to take pictures, the user could instantly initiate recording timely. Also the system provides decent voice feedbacks to emphasize the key actions.
Recordings of classes and meetings could last for hours. Tag timestamps by transversely right swiping on the touch screen when recording is on. Relatively when listening to the sound, using the same gesture could guide the user to the timestamps tagged before.
A User is able to share the record with a brief voice message attached forward a shared one as a greeting or a subject of the sharing. The concern help the user avoid typing troubles.
When traveling, a user could also locate where the user is in order to search nearby sounds, such as historical stories, tour spot introductions and recommended choices shared by the others. Consequently the user will know more about the certain place through the auditory resources.
/Process
We went through a user-experience innovative design process and finally presented the HearMe project. At the beginning, user experience research (UXR) of understanding the current behavior of the visually impaired disclosed the need for a better audio experience.
Then based on our UXR findings, we collaborated with a computer science engineer to build iterative prototypes. Through three sessions with 15 visually impaired people in total, we observed their behavior interacting with HearMe prototypes and gained the first-hand feedbacks from them to improve our design. With the iterative development, we've presented an application on smartphone with efficient recording utilization and an audio exchange platform, offers a quicker access for sound capture and simplifies the interaction to the visually impaired. Lastly, we are now conducting a UX test to examine our prototype. So far based on the observations and interviews with them, the UXT has successfully shown HearMe has brought a greater operational independence to the visually impaired, which is also reducing the mistakes and the burdens of the usability compared to the past. The holistic UX design process, starting from two times of user researches and design proposals to the iterative development, and finally conducted two user experience testings in order to validate again and again and improve our design. Such holistic approach helped us to better understand our users and the design itself.
Lastly, we are now conducting a UX test to examine our prototype. So far based on the observations and interviews with them, the UXT has successfully shown HearMe has brought a greater operational independence to the visually impaired, which is also reducing the mistakes and the burdens of the usability compared to the past. The holistic UX design process, starting from two times of user researches and design proposals to the iterative development, and finally conducted two user experience testings in order to validate again and again and improve our design. Such holistic approach helped us to better understand our users and the design itself.
/Impact
The visually impaired expressed their appreciation because we've come out a product that they wanted and needed. HearMe has brought a greater operational independence to the visually impaired, also reducing the mistakes and the burdens of the usability compared to the past.
This is the introduction video of HearMe for attending IxDA Award, supervised by drhhtang. You will find the different aspects of HearMe described by its designer Diona Lin. The visually impaired don’t let their disability define them. They go out for different activities and have the desire to learn from the environment, audio senses are their main channels of doing so. However, most of the information around them are based on visual form, such as infographics, icons, and banners. There is rarely any better ways for the visually impaired to acquire information around them. HearMe addresses this need by enabling people with visual impairments to connect to their environment and to the others by freely capturing and sharing the auditory information. HearMe, an application on smartphone with efficient recording utilization and an audio exchange platform, offers a quicker access for sound capture and simplifies the interaction for the visually impaired. Through HearMe, user is able to catch and review sounds in a snap by using simple gestures: double-finger-double-tap allows them to initiate recording immediately, and right-swipe lets them tag the important moments when recording. In addition, HearMe helps users to organize all audio captures with ease, and further share the resource publicly to benefit the others. Furthermore, HearMe locates the user and provides nearby sound resources, such as historical stories, tour introductions, or recommendations. With all these exchanged information, users are able to get a better understanding of the new locations. From the ease to capture sounds to further share the hearing experiences, HearMe empowers the visually impaired to interact with others and the world.
HearME Web site : http://hearmetw.wix.com/home
