How would you design an alarm clock for a deaf person?

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How would you design an alarm clock for a deaf person?

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Harsha Bornfree · Answer 1 · 2022-10-16T18:05:22+0000

First let’s get our definitions right.

Deaf person: We will assume all users who have near-zero hearing ability

Alarm clock: Any device that alerts a user at a specified time set by the user.

User-personas in this case could include deaf people of all ages, genders and geographies.

Use-cases and challenges:

Alarm clock use-cases for deaf people are no different for deaf people than other people.

Wake up from sleep (most common)
- User cannot hear sounds like other users
Raise a reminder at a specific time (while awake)
- User cannot hear sounds
- Also user may not be close to the clock at the required time to be alerted

Solutions:

When asleep
- Our design has to rely on touch sense only (both sight and sound are unavailable)
  - Clock can have wireless vibrating band or ring that the user can put one before they sleep. This band can vibrate at different intensities at the right time.
  - Clock can have a system that sprinkles water. Very effective but not practical because of wetness, distance considerations.
  - A vibrating pad under the pillow (as other user mentioned).
When awake
- Our design can employ sight to get attention.
  - Clock can have colored LEDs that pulse and can be seen clearly if user is in the same room.
  - Or use can just put on the band or ring when alarm is set.

Flow:

Typical user flow would include:

Setting an alarm
- Achieved like regular alarms as user can see fine
Getting alerted
- The vibrating band could be a good choice given fitness bands are commonplace
Turning off alarm/snooze
- Same as regular alarms
Set vibration intensity
- A simple dial should work

So I’d actually start the design with a standard alarm and add the vibrating band. The pulsing LEDs are useful but not necessary.

Lea Drumm (lnd26) · Answer 2 · 2022-10-03T00:29:43+0000

Let's ask some clarifying questions then jump into the user journey and requirements for an alarm clock.

Clarifying question:

Is this for a phone app or physical clock? Physical.

Deaf can mean legally deaf versus fully cannot hear - I'll assume this is for those who can fully not hear.

Users:

Already determined the alarm clock is for the deaf. This alarm clock can be used for any age group.

User Journey:

Typical user journey for an abled person would be to set the time phycially on the clock and have a button to then turn it off when it goes off and reset as necessary. Voice activated alarms such as Amazon Alexa also exist, however, this would not work for the deaf community as many have trouble with speech pronunciation and wouldn't be able to confirm that it registered.

Pain Points:

- Cannot hear the alarm going off in order to wake them.

MVP Requirements:

- capability to set the time

- capability for an alarm of some sort to go off

- capability to turn the alarm on/off/snooze

Solutions:

- The alarm clock may still work via setting the time as a traditional alarm clock would via hour/minute settings

- The alarm clock may operate on/off/snooze like a traditional alarm clock would via buttons.

- To wake someone who cannot hear - this would require gentle movement. My suggestion for this would be a mattress pad that is attached to the alarm clock via a wire. The pad would live under the sheets for the deaf person and vibrate at a level necessary to wake them. This vibration can have different pulse settings and intensity as some people are heavier sleepers than others. A back up option could also be siren-like lights. Mimicking sunlight is another way people are woken up in the absence of noise.

Risks: movement throughout the night off of the vibrating pad - must cover the full bed

This type of system would require user testing to ensure it's sufficient to wake people.

I would also note that this can be used for those who are not disabled as well who prefer a gentler way of waking up to a loud noise.