Hearing From You: Design Thinking in Audiological Research

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to describe the emerging use of design thinking methodologies in hearing health care research using a participatory action approach with a consumer and community involvement panel, audiologists, and adults with hearing loss. Method: Two connected hearing health care projects that adopted design thinking principles are presented here as case studies. Case 1 investigated the applicability and acceptability of smart voice assistant technology as post–hearing aid fitting support. Case 2 investigated the feasibility of providing support for new adult patients with hearing loss before they attend their hearing assessment appointment. Discussion: The design thinking process provided a flexible structure in which researchers were able to empathize with stakeholders, define their unmet needs, and ideate potential connected hearing health care solutions to develop and evaluate prototypes in clinical and home settings. Conclusion: Utilizing a needs-based, collaborative design thinking approach to conduct development in hearing health care research is a viable and novel option to produce innovative, relevant, and translational hearing health solutions that address stakeholder needs.