Sound Off is a toy designed to help children with cochlear implants, Bahas, or hearing aids learn to localize sound. It was designed with the NYU Ability Project for the students of Strivright Auditory Oral School of New York.
Sound Off
2016
We conducted extensive interviews with Strivright staff and faculty as well as user testing in order to gain insights into the process of teaching someone to hear. Frequent visits to the school allowed us to analyze their current methods, as well as the space and environment in which the children would be learning.
The result is an auditory whack-a-mole game made of a wireless network of buttons. When the system is turned on, a random button will begin playing a sound. When the child locates the correct button and presses the top, it lights up and another button begins with a new sound.
Because the network is wireless, a teacher can turn on as many buttons as they choose and place them anywhere in the room. They are not limited by access to an outlet and there are no cables to trip over.
I was responsible for the design and fabrication of the toy. I started by quickly fabricating a case we could use for testing. The final case has a partially enclosed bottom section that allows access to the battery pack and power switch.
Initial Concepts
After our initial research into auditory therapies and a visit to Strivright, we developed five initial toy concepts. After further discussion with the occupational therapists at the school, we settled on a deconstructed version of the mat concept.
Prototype
Rapid Prototype
We started by testing out our concept with children using cellphones and cardboard boxes to test game mechanics. Next, we moved on to a plastic container to begin prototyping the electronics.
Final Prototype
Lauren Baff, Avika Narula, Camille Weins, Jessica Betancourt