Hearphile

Collection
Design Strategy (MBA) | Design Division

Course
Spring 2010Venture StudioBill Wurz, Asher WaldfogelDSMBA-608-01
Venture project
Student(s)
Kate Ranson-Walsh, Tim Bishop
Description
Hearphile is not just another website hawking hearing aid batteries. It seeks to build a hearing appreciation movement. Hearphile is an online gathering place for hearing loss professionals and consumers. A space where individuals can find answers to protect the hearing they have, correct the hearing they’re losing, and connect with others in the hearing loss community.

Hearphile is not just another website hawking hearing aid batteries. It seeks to build a hearing appreciation
movement. Hearphile is an online gathering place for hearing loss professionals and consumers. A space
where individuals can find answers to protect the hearing they have, correct the hearing they’re losing, and
connect with others in the hearing loss community.

It is estimated that 22 million people could benefit from wearing hearing aids, yet only 20% of them do. In her prior research Kate found that resistance to purchasing hearing aids comes from cultural stigma, high price point and according to Consumer Reports, “a fragmented and confusing marketplace.” And yet the potential audience for hearing aids is booming: tech-savvy baby boomers are getting older, iPods are damaging younger people’s hearing and the number one disability returning veterans report is hearing loss.

The industry continues to market primarily through the outdated method of placing brochures in doctor’s offices, sometimes offering these same brochures as a PDF online. Hearing aids are expensive, yet unlike digital cameras and home theater systems there are no objective online resources for consumers to educate themselves. Using current best practices, we developed Hearphile as a website for consumers to understand their hearing loss, find asolution and meet other users for support.

Mobile App- An audiogram in the palm of your hand makes it simple to understand your hearing
threshold, reference your audiogram history and track adjustments to your hearing aids

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