March 2018 | Tinnitus is a buzzing, whistling or hissing noise that affects patients without a localizable source. It can occur permanently or intermittently in one or both ears and can affect anyone. Tinnitus can be triggered by both physical and psychological illnesses or by the effects of noise. In some patients, the symptoms can be so severe that the psychological suffering can also have physical consequences in the long term.

There are two forms of tinnitus: acute tinnitus (up to 3 months) and chronic tinnitus (from 3 months), which can last a lifetime. In principle, it can occur at any age, but is most common between the ages of 40 and 50.

In Germany, around 3 million adults suffer from chronic tinnitus and there are around 270,000 new cases every year.

non-invasive treatment method that can be carried out by the patient at home and does not require hospitalization.

It's up to the man - from self-therapy to a product for everyone.

‍Themotivation to improve tinnitus therapy lies in the person of the founder of cleanhearing. Suffering from tinnitus himself, he discovered a treatment method that he tailored to his personal needs, which has now left him symptom-free.

Sono works by stimulating the inner ear with pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs - Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Stimulation).

Mixing these fields with personal music increases the acceptance of the treatment and makes it easier for the patient to deal with it. This process is called sound enrichment and the mixed music is referred to as notched music. Certain frequency ranges of the music around the tinnitus frequency are filtered out and have been proven to reduce the user's ringing in the ears. Users can now convert their favorite music into notched music on a variety of online platforms.

The system consists of two components, the control box and headphones or a smartphone with headphones. The user can adjust the system to their personal tinnitus frequency independently. The treatment consists of two half-hour sessions per day, over a period of up to six months. Several hundred test subjects have now been successfully treated with this method.

Through the alternative use of a control box or smartphone, the system makes a mobile application as a wearable just as possible as a POC application at any location.

What was WILDDESIGN's part?

‍Ourtask was to combine the various components of the system into a complete system. To create a user-friendly device and headphones with good wearing comfort that can be operated intuitively and error-free thanks to the good usability of the software and hardware interfaces (GUI on the device, APP, website).

WILDDESIGN was involved in the project at an early stage and started by clarifying the brand image of cleanhearing. The corporate identity for cleanhearing was derived from this. Subsequently, the family design for the products and also for the interface of the website and Notched Music APP was created. A design was created that offers patients simple, intuitive operation and conveys the anti-stigmatizing effect of the devices. The main focus was on simplified usability and a product language characterized by simplicity. As a result, the device is perceived as an everyday consumer product and offers patients a high level of user comfort.

The simple and error-free use of Sono essentially depends on a coherent design of the system's interfaces and so the design of the website and the APPs for smartphone and tablet, as well as the GUI of the controller, was also in our hands.

The design of the soft case for the controller and headphones and the corresponding outer packaging rounded off the overall process.

Simply beautiful. Consumer familiarity for a medical product.

In close cooperation with a team of international specialists in electronics and audio technology, a convincing and user-friendly overall concept was developed. Intuitive, easy to use, anti-stigmatizing and very cost-effective thanks to the use of standard components.

The visual lightness of high-quality devices from the consumer electronics sector is effortlessly transported into the medical devices segment.

What was the WILDDESIGN part?

• Brand development
• Analysis phase
• Design concept
• Design development
• Design prototype
• Production support