GummyHear: An Innovative Universal Bluetooth-Compatible Headphone for Cochlear Implants

In the world, there is an immense variety of people with different abilities. However, everyday household products are designed for a general audience, without taking these differences into account. Among these situations, we find the lack or scarcity of compatibility between audio playback devices and hearing implants. This paper presents the first results of a research project aimed at the design and implementation of a Bluetooth headset device to enhance the user experience in hearing implant users by providing greater compatibility and connectivity with electronic devices. Through this paper, a design methodology and validation results are presented. The applied design methodology involves a first study of the user needs, a proof of concept, and two low-fidelity prototypes. Results for the validation of the proof of concept, and implementation and validation of two low-fidelity prototypes are also presented. The proof of the concept prototype was validated by surveys and interviews applied to 31 hearing implant participants. The two low-fidelity prototypes were validated by one hearing implant user.