VisualLink

Abstract

Elderly who suffer from hearing impairment usually have difficulties talking on a phone due to the absence of face-to-face signals. This difficulty gradually weakens the connection between the elderly and their beloved family living remotely. To assist these hearing-impaired elderly, we propose VisualLink, a visual aids system for them to better receive and comprehend a call. Specifically, VisualLink notifies elderly of a call using notifications on large screen (TV) and wearable device with haptic feedback. The elderly then pick up the call via a VisualLink phone with a traditional-look, which automatically uses speech recognition to transcribe the call and show the caption on the screen, with interactive visual content such as images authored by the caller. In the evaluation of the prototype, participants gave VisualLink positive feedback for its ease of use and usefulness for making them better connected to their family's life.