Hey everyone! We recently began user testing with a functional prototype to get feedback on the Lipsync device.

Our first tester was Don, a high level quadriplegic who can no longer move his arms, hands or legs. Don is a certified general accountant who also serves on the board of a number of non profits. His busy lifestyle would greatly benefit from being able to access a smart phone or tablet, but like he's told us "They haven’t really been accessible to me at all. There’s sticks and styluses, but it’s not really effective". He also noted that other people have to use these devices for him, limiting his independence. That's where the Lipsync comes in.

Above: Don in action, navigating the tablet using the LipSync.
Below: Don scrolling through his music library.

One of the key suggestions Don made was to increase the sensitivity of the device, allowing it to be moved with less pressure. He noted that with the Jouse (a previous mouth controller device for desktop), he was able to run it with his tongue, and not move his head.

This also serves us to see the differences in how the LipSync must operate for different devices. Much of our work has been done looking at smartphones, where a smaller screen means less sensitivity is needed — you don’t want the cursor to go too fast and be unusable. But the bigger screen of the tablet meant that the sensitivity was just not high enough.

It was really good feedback to get a look at what a potential user thinks and really helps us see what we still need to do and what work still needs to be done.

It was also just exciting for us to see it in action as well as Don, who said:
“It’s exciting to see this technology coming along,” he said. “This would go a long way in making these things useful for me, so I could use them like anyone else.”