Modern technology, accessible for everybody
An ingenious braille-operated keyboard for improving multimedia accessibility for the visually impaired.
Hable was founded by two students from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU Eindhoven). With the vision and ambition to make the world more accessible for the visually impaired, and communication being a major obstacle in this, they developed their first product in collaboration with PEZY: the Hable One.
Almost all smart devices nowadays are equipped with a touchscreen, this limited access to digital environments restricts opportunities for people with visual impairments.
This digital divide creates barriers that limit participation in society. In everyday life, it is difficult for them to communicate, especially in public transport or on the street, where using a dictation function is not always appropriate. How do you make a smartphone accessible to the visually impaired?
In addition to being user-friendly and easy to understand, it has to be a product that includes all the functions of a smartphone to be used through touch for visually impaired. Buttons must feel good with tactile feedback. Moreover, the keys should not make too much noise due to the enhanced hearing of the blind.
Process
Hable sought a partner in the development process to bring a prototype to market as quickly as possible. A development that encompassed design, mechanical and circular plastic engineering, and electronic integration, could be accelerated through the partnership with PEZY, which took on project management, UI, UX design, and the regulation of the entire supply chain, including packaging. This allowed the launch to be started quickly.
The founders of Hable were still students at the time, so they could use a party with the experience and power to develop and realize Hable’s idea into a product that is ready to enter the market.
PEZY was actively involved in the entire process from product design to full product certification and industrialization and was therefore able to develop unique packaging that is user-friendly for people with visual impairments.
Outcome
To keep visually impaired people socially engaged, we developed the Hable One. A visionary, ingenious product that offers the visually impaired all the possibilities that people without disabilities have. All functionalities of a smartphone, packed into eight buttons that allow the visually impaired to scroll through apps, search the internet, and communicate with each other. All the possibilities that a keyboard and a smartphone have to offer, in a compact size.
The Hable One has been nominated as one of the Hundred Best Designed Products of the Netherlands, which are not only innovative but also relevant.
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