Thrive Hearing Aid App

Designing for Every Listener - Adding a feature for kids

Add a new feature(UX Design)

Tools Used: Figma, Adobe Creative Suite

Time: 4 Weeks

Overview

About this project

Thrive app is a hearing control app that helps people with sensor-enabled Bluetooth hearing aids control their hearing by changing settings easily, adjusting volumes, creating customized memories, and streaming music or phone calls with a button. This project aims to simplify and add an intuitive feature for kids who use a Bluetooth hearing aid device and control it through an app.

Understanding the Challenge

Why a redesign?

The app gives a quick view of health information and acts as a gateway to adjust settings, change volume, create custom presets, and more. However, reviews are pointing out issues with the app as it's not very user-friendly for kids. I want to create something original that is easy to understand and use for both long-time users and individuals facing difficulties.

Opportunity

After seeing the frustrations, the parents of small kids have with getting what they need from the hearing aid app, this project aims to design a seamless user experience across the app specially for kids. I would like to consider things like readability, contrast, visual clarity, accessibility features like larger text sizes and high contrast.

The objective is to find out how to simplify and add an intuitive feature for kids or elderly people, who use a Bluetooth hearing aid device and control it through an app. After seeing user's frustrations and reviews, I decided to work on this problem and find a solution that provides a smooth UI flow including the existing features – noise filter, creating a new memory feature and AI-based environment adjustment features with an additional special feature that helps kids to understand the app and easily control it. Some viewpoints I need to focus on for this feature are:

Project Goal and Objective

Limited Customization option and interest

Kids always look for interesting features like colors, themes, sounds, animation, customization, quick tips and tricks as well as gamification to complete a task or continue a task, as for them wearing a hearing aid is frustrating and sometimes awkward.

Parental Control and notification status

Parents of kids wearing hearing aid device need an option to supervise and restrict access to remote support or adjustment settings specially for very small kids. Accessing status information such as wearing time and battery state of charge notification is also an essential need for parents.

Remote Support

Users need an option for virtually calling or connecting an Audiologist for real time hearing adjustments as it becomes difficult to visit them frequently in-person and on the other hand a remote mic can help the elder kids to access teachers, coaches, audiologists and parents when they are in need.

Research

My Role & Design Approach

As the UX/UI designer, I led research, ideation, wireframing, and prototyping, while aligning with accessibility standards.

🔍 Research:

  • Conducted interviews with parents of children using hearing aids to better understand the device and app users.

  • Reviewed app store complaints and app testing videos

🏛️ Strategy:

  • Applied design thinking: Empathize > Define > Ideate > Prototype > Test > Iterate

  • Collaborated with accessibility advisors and usability testers

💼 Tools:

Figma · FigJam · Adobe XD · Contrast Checker · WCAG Guidelines

Competitive Analysis

It's important to consider the challenges that older adults, children, and individuals with cognitive impairments face when navigating. We should focus on providing virtual calls or audiologist consultations to accommodate their needs. Currently, there is a lack of specific options for kids and elderly users, so better instructions and remote consultations are necessary. Additionally, there are no parental controls or third-party links available for assistance.

Short Summary:

User Interviews

I conducted the interviews with 5 participants:

Short Summary:
The interview revealed diverse experiences with hearing aid devices: some participants used them for several years or for children with hearing loss, while others worked in the hearing aid industry or were still exploring options. Key challenges included a lack of remote support to adjust device settings with an audiologist, insufficient guidance within the apps (myPhonak and Starkey Hear Share), and difficulties for visually impaired users. Users highlighted the positive impact of hearing aids on stability, safety, and communication, especially for kids in school. Opportunities identified include offering remote counseling features, third-party monitoring (for kids and elders), improved app guidance, voice-over support, better notifications, and separate modes designed for kids and elders to enhance usability and engagement.

 
Define

Putting all the above pain points, challenges and goals together the key features to be worked upon are :

  • Personalization: A profile personalization page with options for creating or adding avatars, developing themes from achieving levels, and selecting colors.

  • Control and notification status: There should be an option for kids, parents, and Audiologists to adjust the volume and change the program of their hearing aids. Create preferred settings for specific listening situations. Access the status notification to check the on/off status and battery charge status.

  • Parental Control: Parents of kids wearing hearing aid devices need the option to supervise and restrict access to remote support or need access to adjustment settings, especially for kids. ( by third device connection)

  • Gamification: Gamification of the wearing time, wellness report, and cleaning hearing aid to develop healthy hearing aid habits by achieving virtual pets and scoring to create custom avatars. (Animations and icons)

  • Remote Support: Users need an option for virtually calling or connecting with an Audiologist for real-time hearing adjustments as it becomes difficult to visit them frequently in person on the other hand a remote mic can help the elderly kids access teachers, coaches, audiologists, and parents when they are in need.

  • Hearing aid device and charging case color selection(Styling): Kids often love to color match and style products.

Click to view : User Flow and Task Flows

User Personas

Kim loves gamification, and he needs a solution that can motivate him to perform various tasks related to hearing aid maintenance.

Natalie is a trend follower and would love customization of her hearing aid device and the app.

Wireframing

A step-by-step development process for the new feature on the existing app, starting with initial hand sketches, proceeding to lo-fi wireframing, and concluding with branding and final high-fidelity wireframing for user testing.

Design

Low Fidelity Wireframing- Initial hand sketches

Mid-Fidelity Wireframing

The mid-fi wireframes depicts the added features for the kid’s mode:

Homepage with a “Kids Mode” slider
option

One can choose an avatar from the avatar list
unlocked with scoring after activities

Acitivity page has two more additional
options to achieve score by finishing
wellness tasks

Status bar having the option to link with
parent device to guide and monitor the
hearing aids of their kid

Remote Support(Connecting Audiologist
for real time adjustments).

Parental control page, linked with the third device

Changing the icon color once it is on for better usability

Customization page

The engagement page has two ore additional
options to achieve a score by completing
wellness tasks

Linking with a third device

Parental Control option: connecting
with the Kids device to lock/
unlock feartures that are only supervised
by parents of the kids. Call Audiologist etc

New hearing aid settings
in real-time with hearing care
professional

Icons and UI Kit

I developed icons similar to the existing icons of the app mainting the same color and style and added them to the navigation bar.

Few important feedback from the user testing:

-There are alignment adjustments needed in some places.
-Labelling the icons required.
-How to get back to the normal mode from kids mode later?
-Place the kid’s mode icon at the top of all page and use it as a switch to get back.
-Navigation bar should be middle aligned.

The high-fidelity prototype underwent another round of user testing to gather feedback on the polished simulation of the final product. This testing focused on how the visual design, look, and feel of the app, as well as its functionality, contributed to a more realistic user experience.

Prototype Testing & Iterations

Before Iteration and After Iterations

After testing and Iteration

Changed the navigation bar and removed the customization icon to replaced it on the menu page.

Replaced the” kids mode” icon to the top.

Middle aligned navigation bar.

Added “enter kids mode” toggle switch on the Menu page.

Corrected call page navigation bar.

Added customization option in the Menu page.

Tried to maintain the same branding color , retained the colors instead of adding new ones in equalizer page

Final Prototype

Final Mockups

My Challenges and Learnings:

This project has given me valuable real-world experience by allowing me to work on an existing app and add a new feature to it. I made sure to adhere to the existing branding, structure, and patterns while incorporating the new feature to cater to a different user group. This experience has challenged me to think critically and come up with ideas within a predefined framework.

  • One of the main challenges I faced was figuring out the right direction and focusing on adding a new feature to the existing service. Initially, I was getting distracted by considering various improvements and changing the app's user interface. However, with my mentor's guidance, I was able to understand the main goal of the project. I focused on figuring out how to add a new feature to the existing app and how it would benefit the user group.

  • This project has helped me realize the importance of working within the limitations of an existing app. While there may be opportunities to enhance the app, it's crucial to stay focused and complete the task assigned to us. We should also consider the problems and needs of the users and, most importantly, adhere to the timeframe for completing the task.

Reflection & What’s Next

This project showed me the true impact of accessible design. Simplicity isn’t just aesthetic-it’s powerful. Next, I’d like to expand this concept into:

  • A full onboarding walkthrough for first-time users

  • Voice command compatibility

  • Personalized wellness dashboards for family monitoring

Final Thought

"Design is successful when users stop noticing the app and simply live better with it.