Application of User Experience and Design Thinking to the Construction of a Class Assistance System for Hearing- and Speech-Impaired People

According to a study by the Department of Statistics, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan, a total of 15,145 people had a voice function impairment or speech function impairment, and a total of 122,533 people had a hearing impairment by the second quarter (Q2) of 2018. Hearing and speech are the most commonly used sensory functions for communication. Therefore, a person will suffer unimaginable difficulties with the loss of both functions during her/his life. The problems that a handicapped student might encounter during school are often neglected. The way a teacher teaches during a class and how a student interacts with others should be highlighted. The deficiency in assistive devices for hearing- and speech-impaired people is due to several factors. In fact, there is insufficient information and not enough researchers. The translation of language by foreign assistive devices is more rigorous; however, domestic resources for assistive devices for hearing- and speech-impaired people are limited. No relevant information on learning through assistive devices is available. The subject examined in this study was a hearing-impaired student in her junior year, who lost speech capability after an ear stroke. This study examined the problems that she encountered during her learning in a class with average students. After a literature review and the investigation of the case study, user experience and design thinking approaches were implemented for the development of an assistive device. A class learning assistive system, which is based on a simple innovative design and a highly flexible combination of elements, was created. After a series of experimental verifications and improvements, the results indicated that this learning assistive system could effectively enhance the research subject's confidence and autonomy during learning in class.