ENTRY: THE FIRST, TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION TOOL FOR THE DEAFBLIND. BRIEF: 95% OF ALL LEARNING HAPPENS FROM SEEING AND HEARING.
AS THE DEAFBLIND CAN DO NEITHER, THEY LIVE LIFE IN A VOID. WHILE THERE IS BRAILLE, IT’S NOT TWO-WAY LIKE TALKING OR CHATTING.
SOLUTION: AFTER INTERACTING WITH THE DEAFBLIND AND THEIR CAREGIVERS, WE KNEW WE HAD OUR TASK CUT OUT—DESIGN A USER EXPERIENCE THAT REPLICATES ‘TOUCH & FEEL’ - THE ONLY FORM OF TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION USED BY THEM. IT HAD TO BE EASILY AVAILABLE, AND AFFORDABLE. THE ANSWER WAS THE SMARTPHONE. USING VIBRATIONS, WE FOUND A WAY TO CONVERT ENGLISH ALPHABETS INTO INPUT AND OUTPUT, ALL TACTILE. WITH THE GOOD VIBES APP, WE DUG DEEP AND EXPLORED A WHOLE NEW DIMENSION OF APP DESIGN:
ONE THAT WORKS FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T SEE NOR HEAR. THE RESULT IS ‘INVISIBLE UI’ – PROBABLY THE FIRST OF ITS KIND. AND IT WORKS LIKE MAGIC.