Hearing Aid Design Process

BACKGROUND Over a period of 3 years, Leah Heiss collaborated with hearing aid company Blamey Saunders hears to prototype the concept of a modular hearing aid. Inspired by the natural forms of crystals in the Melbourne Museum mineralogy collection, Heiss worked on a design that looks like a piece of jewellery, shifting hearing aids from disability to desirability. The resulting design process is a unique integration of concepts across design, technology and health, captured in a series of 130 iterative models, photographs, sketches and a micro-documentary - all of which were acquired by Museums Victoria for the heritage collection. CONTRIBUTION The design process was a critical component of the broader project. Heiss utilised a purposely iterative process that allowed the end product to evolve through human engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration. Heiss was embedded in the design process, spending time with 25 hearing aid users to understand their dependence on technology to live and work. 130 iterative models were produced as the collaboration between design, engineering, signal processing, manufacturing and audiology matured over time. The design process demonstrates Heiss' unique mode of practice - based on collaboration, iteration and engagement, alongside her contribution to the collaborative design practice model at the nexus of nanotechnology, health and manufacturing. SIGNIFICANCE In 2016 the Commonwealth Government's Accelerating Commercialisation Grant enabled the successful design and commercialisation of Facett, the world's first self-fit modular hearing aid and a breakthrough in hearing technology. Facett and its developmental process were exhibited at the Melbourne Museum in 2018 with audience numbers estimated at 100,000. The project received extensive media reviews and won numerous awards including the 2018 Good Design Award and CSIRO Design Innovation Award.