Design an alarm clock for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
How to approach it
Start by asking about the full range of hearing loss and living situations, since someone who lives alone and someone who shares a bed need different wake signals.
How a strong answer opens
“I'd like to start with who exactly we're waking up. Profound deafness and partial hearing loss differ, and so does whether the person shares a bed, because a signal that wakes them shouldn't wake a partner.”
Outline of a strong answer
Try answering out loud for a few minutes before you open this.
- Clarify the user range: profound deafness, partial loss, shared bedroom or not
- Identify the core need: wake reliably without disturbing others or depending on sound
- List pain points: missed alarms, harsh bed shakers, no backup, no snooze feedback
- Explore signals: vibration, light ramp, smart-home links, wearable buzz
- Pick a layered design with a backup signal if the first fails
- Measure reliability (missed-alarm rate) and comfort via user testing
Where this question usually goes wrong
Jumping straight to a vibrating gadget without asking about the range of hearing loss, sleeping arrangements, or what happens if the one wake signal fails.
Learn the method
Pick a user and find real pain points in Module 1, Product sense and design.
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