Hypothesis

Can you hear a change? Have you noticed your parents experiencing hearing loss at an earlier age compared to your grandparent’s age? One in ten Americans experience impaired hearing; ten million are baby boomers aged 45-64 alone who have hearing loss (AARP, 2007). This change is approaching more quickly and slowly becoming apparent to our generation (AARP, 2007). The hypothesis found from this new trend is the resistance many baby boomers may have towards wearing a hearing aid. Research shows baby boomers today are experiencing hear loss 20 years earlier than the previous generations (CBC News, 2007). This is due to the “noisy” environments they live in; with exposure to rock concerts, loud stereos, city traffic, and power tools (AARP, 2007).They are the generation, who made and used, electronics like walkmans and iPods With hearing losses being more evident around the ages of 45-64 and over, the baby boomers are refusing to wear the same hearing aids their grandmothers used to wear (AARP, 2007) and there is a stigma of wearing one, because it currently connotes a message of growing old; which is something baby boomers are well known to avoid the word aging. This opens up a great opportunity for new product designs to meet this emerging segment in the hearing aid industry.

The problem that arises from the hypothesis is the acceptance from baby boomers who work in offices. The Hear-It organization reports there are problems in the workplace with respect to openness about one’s hearing loss. In the private sector as many as 70 percent of people with hearing loss keep their problem to themselves (Hear-it, 2009). This is due to people’s misconception of hearing aids, they believe hearing-impaired people are old, mentally ill, or less intelligent; which are not true. This leads to believe baby boomer office workers like managers, CEO, accountants, and executives may be reluctant to wear a hearing aid. This can be found prominent in executives who need to meet with clients, have meetings, and conferences; and may not want to show any signs of weakness. Today the hearing aid industry is shifting to meet baby boomers demands and there are products in the market today, which help to reduce the stigma of wearing something on/in the ear like Bluetooth. The solution to bridge the stigma and baby boomers expectation for good design (CBC News, 2007) is to create a fashionable hearing aid that incorporates Bluetooth technology, fashionability and small.


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Proposed Design **  The product proposed will be small, discreet and comfortable for office workers to feel confident and less humiliated amongst workers and clients. The product will also incorporate current technologies like Bluetooth in order to assist users to connect with their cell phones, and hand devices. The theory is to package the product in a fashionable design. Heather Ferguson, the president of the Toronto based Hearing Foundation of Canada states the next move for hearing aids is fashion. Our product can break the current stigma, eye wear once had. Today eye wear is a fashion statement compared to 20 years ago. "I can't tell you how many people I run into in their late forties who are upset because they have to wear hearing aids," "[Hearing aids] have always been so ugly, and people associate them with aging. But there [also] used to be a stigma around glasses until they became fashion items." - Heather Ferguson, the president of the Toronto-based Hearing Foundation of Canada.  Along with the concept to create a product that sits behind the ear, has fashionable cover skins it will incorporate Bluetooth and wireless technology which will allow the hearing aid device to have an interactive interface with a wrist watch. The wrist watch will allow the user to operate and adjust hearing aid frequency levels, and connect with cell phones and other hand device to manipulate amplification levels. This concept can be the first reason baby boomer executives may want to purchase the product, because it hides the primary use of the ear devices as a hearing aid and just as a technological device. This interactive design theory can adjust the preconception an executive worker may have with a hearing aid and feel comfortable to use one in a conference room, for example, and be able to discreetly adjust frequencies by using the wrist watch instead of adjust the actual hearing aid. Hearing aid users will find this product advancement and interactivity will change the way people wear and use hearing aids and early technology adopters may also buy these products for its interactive application and it can offer them hearing amplification.