Product Design | Designing for a Real Need
As part of a product design project focused on inclusive design, I collaborated with Naama, a client who is hard of hearing, to identify a real challenge in her daily routine. Through research, empathy, and co-design, I developed a product that provides both a functional and aesthetic solution, tailored specifically to her needs and daily experiences.
Naama Kaplan Sharon.
Age: 27-year-old.
Background: she is currently a third-year fashion design student at Shenkar.
free time: she enjoys reading books, spending time with her husband and their dog, meeting friends, traveling, painting, and staying active. Alongside her studies, she works as a coordinator for a youth movement, where she guides communal volunteer groups, oversees national service placements, and is responsible for all the professional aspects of establishing and running service programs.
PERSONA
The Disability Naama Faces
I have a hearing impairment—specifically a neural hearing loss in both ears. It was diagnosed when I was 19, during a pre-military preparatory program. My mother is a speech therapist and my father is an ENT doctor, and thanks to them, I was able to recognize and understand my condition.
The main challenge is difficulty in distinguishing high-frequency sounds. For example, I struggle with understanding sentences that include high-pitched letters such as "sh," "ts," and "s." This makes it hard for me to piece together full sentences and fully grasp the conversation.
I wear a hearing aid, which helps amplify those high frequencies so I can better understand and follow speech.
A Day in Naama's Life
Process of Finding a Solution
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