Digital Inclusion

Call app for Users who can’t Speak

Our app bridges communication gaps for users who cannot speak, promoting digital inclusion and enhancing accessibility for everyone.

CASE STUDY

Not everyone can communicate using voice

Imagine a world where everyone spoke a different language, even your family. You’d miss out on casual conversations, struggle to order food, or feel lost when trying to make a simple call. Your family would laugh and joke, and you’d be left wondering what was so funny.

It would be pretty isolating, wouldn’t it?

Deaf and hard of hearing people experience this every day.

Far too many deaf children grow up watching their parents revolve around them like planets in orbit- visible, but distant. Fast food workers refuse to give deaf people service at the drive-through window. Calling the bank, an airline, or the electric company usually results in being hung up on. Imagine how frustrating that must be.

Now imagine what it feels like when communication works. When someone finishes a sentence for you. When you’re at the world’s most boring party and you’d rather be at home watching Netflix, and you lock eyes with your date across the room and the next thing you know, they’re off the sofa and saying, “Thank you so much for having us, but I think it’s time for us to head out.”

Emergency calls

Emergency (911) Services are rarely “One Call Away” for Deaf users
Never able to use native Phone app for communications
DHH users rely on TTY devices and Video relay services to communicate
12/2016 FCC mandated wireless RTT rule with backward compatibility to TTY for all Mobile devices support RTT by Dec 2017

Project Goal

Deaf and Hard of Hearing users should be able to function equally as a hearing person

Launch first device with Real-time text (RTT) in 6 months to meet FCC mandate of 12/2017.

Make Phone Communication Accessible

Design a native call app solution in line with ATIS 0700029 requirement

Ensure backward compatibility with TTY

Process

an abstract photo of a curved building with a blue sky in the background

DISCOVER

WHO ARE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING (DHH) users?

1 in 20 American (approx. 36 million people categorized with some hearing disability)

5% of the world’s population (466 million people)

Identity : ‘Deaf’ vs ‘deaf’

Deaf

Strong deaf identity
Consider themselves culturally deaf
Attends schools and programs for the deaf
Member of the deaf community

deaf

May not attend school for the deaf
Describe hearing loss only in medical terms
Identifies with Hearing people
Does not associate with the deaf community

Assets: TTY and Mobile Devices

Smartphones and tablets are go to devices for the target group over basic/feature phone
The use of TTY is declining rapidly largely due to declining use of land-line services itself

Types of mobile devices used

Last 5 year use of TTY device for communication

Teletypewriter (TTY)) device

Actions: Applications Used

Enjoy text messaging, emailing, web-browsing, and sharing photos and online videos
Very few Hard-of-hearing users make voice calls, almost none see any utility in Phone app for them

Top-5 reason of smartphone use

Applications usage

Samantha

Samantha is deaf. She works as an administrator at a primary school for deaf children. She considers wireless access essential to her lifestyle. She lives in the city, has a wide circle of friends, and stays active in local community affairs and events.

Sam relies on her smartphone for communication at work – video calls, text messaging, email. She owns a Samsung Galaxy S5 mobile-phone because of its large screen and relative affordability among high-end smartphones. In her leisure time, Sam enjoys watching YouTube and other videos using Closed Captioning feature on her tablet.

Kurt

Kurt is hard of hearing. He uses bilateral hearing aids and corrective lenses for age-related loss of visual acuity and hearing. He is retired after a long career in the federal government.

Kurt finally bought his first smartphone many years after they came to dominate the marketplace. He likes many features on smartphones. But he primarily uses just voice and text-based communications. Kurt loves music and has a large collection, but prefers to listen on his powerful home system.

Deaf and hard of hearing people experience this every day.

Emergency calls

Emergency (911) Services are rarely “One Call Away” for Deaf users
Never able to use native Phone app for communications
DHH users rely on TTY devices and Video relay services to communicate
12/2016 FCC mandated wireless RTT rule with backward compatibility to TTY for all Mobile devices support RTT by Dec 2017