Reimagining Hearing Care

Abstract

The executive summary provides a brief overview of the findings and the solution based on the problem statement. The initial brief from the client side was an interest in the hearing aid market and how Cambridge Audio can enter this industry. The project follows the double diamond approach, starting with an extensive research surrounding the initial brief. The context research revealed certain opportunities in the market and ways for Cambridge Audio to take advantage of these opportunities.The time taken by an average consumer to start using hearing aid from the first moment of hearing loss is more than 4 years and there are a number of reasons behind this delay. The access to hearing aids is traditionally difficult in major markets - barriers being time, money and stigma. Consumer research revealed some major themes of friction in their interaction with the hearing care industry:1. Hearing aids were not up to the mark in noisy environments2. Consumers were not empowered with shared decision making and learning to control the aid.3. Hearing care is designed for the elderly population with outdated design & medical approach.The research also revealed the true cost of hearing aids vs the inflated retail price charged by audiologists. These findings coupled with other trends redefined the problem statement to “Develop an easily accessible hearing care solution for the modern, technology oriented and price conscious netizens experiencing mild to moderately high hearing loss, which guarantees high consumer satisfaction at an affordable price and gives consumers the joy of enjoying their life to the full again.”The design is a reimagined hearing care service with an online presence at an affordable price point where accompanying hearing aids are designed to be ‘consumer electronics’ of the 21st century with modern features. This is one of the first ever internet based hearing care provider in the UK. In the US, the differentiating factor from other ‘online’ hearing aid companies is the focus on ‘personalized care’ instead of generic hearing aid along with cost advantage. It brings the quality of hearing aids in the consumer electronics segment and brings the feature set of true wireless earphones to the hearing care realm.The brand is also designed with a focus on three main qualities: High Consumer Satisfaction, Low access barrier (time, information, cost) and positioning CA Assist closer to consumer electronics as a brand and product. A quick and early validation with consumers verify strong interest in this service and has helped iron out the rough edges of the service. The report also includes examples of mar- keting material and an early website / landing page manifestation.