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The InnoCaption app is revolutionizing the way people with hearing loss communicate and interact with the world around them. As a real-time mobile call captioning service funded by the FCC, it provides a lifeline to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, bridging the communication gap and promoting a more inclusive society. This white paper delves into the user experience, examines the impact on users' lives, and showcases the profound effect of InnoCaption on users’ ability to communicate on the phone with ease. It also provides recommendations for hearing health providers.
Barbara E. Weinstein, Ph.D. Graduate Center, CUNY; NYU Langone Medical Center; Dan Salvucci, M.E.D., Ed.M., Fontbonne University, Department of Communication Disorders and Deaf Education
Phone calls are a notoriously difficult listening environment for people who have hearing loss. This led us to explore situations, attitudes and levels of effort and fatigue associated when making calls with and without our innovative real-time captioning app.
We worked with a team of leading audiology research professionals to develop an online survey of new users to see where and how smartphone calls were being made, how these calls impacted their quality of life, and if, three months later, InnoCaption helped improve their listening experience. Rigorous quantitative and qualitative research methods were used to ensure the authenticity and reliability of the data collected.
Key Findings Include:
-Only 59% of respondents reported using their smartphone “frequently” before using InnoCaption. This number jumped to 70% three months later after using InnoCaption
-Before using InnoCaption, 62% of respondents said they experienced considerable listening fatigue when making calls with their smartphone. This number dropped to only 14% after they started using InnoCaption.
-Prior to using InnoCaption, 66% of respondents said that they had to put in considerable effort when making calls on their smartphones. Following the use of InnoCaption, only 19% of respondents reported that making calls on their smartphones required a high level of listening effort
-The majority of respondents expressed frustration, anxiety, and feeling discouraged when using their smartphones without InnoCaption
-After three months, very few respondents (between 10% and 14%) said they were frustrated, stressed, or discouraged after they started using InnoCaption. Instead, they overwhelmingly reported feeling confident, happy, and content when using InnoCaption.
