SoundWave GUI
SoundWave is a software used by Audiologists to program cochlear implant sound. Its primary function is to adjust the quality of sound based on the users day-to-day surroundings. As patients learn how to understand sound better the Audiologist adjusts the sound programs.
Development of SoundWave spanned a two-year timeline gathering research throughout the US and Europe.
Multiple experimental interfaces were developed working hand in hand with Audiologists and Sound Engineers early on in the process in the form of flash cards and basic PowerPoint click-throughs. These concepts were tested in realistic environments which enabled us to better understand the problems and intricacies of programming sound. These early experiments enabled us to quickly test theories against expert opinions. The findings from these tests were ultimately used to develop a complete interactive prototype.
The design language was inspired by the visualisation of sound for the users of cochlear implants. The original program was dismal and non-intuitive because of the vast amount of information needing to be visualized. We simplified the user interface by breaking up main features into distinct zones or screens using easily called out color codes and images.
SoundWave was co-developed with the Industrial Design team and Product Development team at Advanced Bionics.
