Aesthetics Matter in Assistive Technologies
Jules Sherman
Jules Sherman Design

Abstract: Most of us have choices when it comes to choosing our clothes and accessories. Assistive technologies should offer aesthetic choice as well because this directly affects what I call the “delight factor” and therefore, usability and compliance. There are creative ways to make using a product more enjoyable for someone through design, personalization, and/or unobtrusive technology. I will show some assistive technology products I have worked on that incorporate aesthetics as a core value in the design. I will also cite additional examples of products that successfully alter user perceptions and usability through design.

Biosketch: Jules Sherman is a designer and entrepreneur who is passionate about designing human-centered products that improve quality of life. She draws inspiration from both personal experience and observing the world around her. Jules is a graduate of the Stanford Graduate Design Program. As a product designer, she is particularly interested in improving the aesthetics and usability of assistive technology. Jules is currently working on a lactation support device for moms with premature infants, and contracting her design services with variety of bay area companies.

Starting an Assistive Technology Company
Robert Liebert
6dot - Director of Product Development

Abstract: What would the world be like without visual labels? What if every product came in a plain white box, bottle or bag? What if there were no signs pointing you in the right direction, no numbers on any doors, no digits on your microwave's touchpad, no name tags at any social event, and no dosage or safety information on your medications? It's difficult to imagine the impact these would have on our everyday lives, and these are only a few examples. Yet for many of the 285 million people worldwide with vision impairment (39 million of whom are totally blind), this is an all day, every day, reality. This is simply unacceptable in the 21st century! We developed the 6dot Braille labeler to help blind and low-vision people to become more independent, and to make their everyday lives easier and safer. This is the first product designed from the ground up to allow you to print custom adhesive Braille labels anywhere you go, so that you can immediately apply tactile information to anything around you, with no other equipment required. The 6dot Braille labeler supports virtually every language in the world out of the box, requires very little hand strength to operate, and even cuts and scores the labels for you for easy removal and application. In 2011 and 2012, we ramped up from a working prototype to a beta launch of about 100 units, which sold out very quickly. We did a lot of things right, but we also learned many lessons along the way. We have recently been developing a new and improved version of our Braille labeler, which we plan to launch at a much larger scale in the first half of 2014. I will tell you all about how we went from a prototype to where we are today, explain how our startup evolved and was ultimately acquired, and hopefully show you the latest version of our Braille labeler product alongside some earlier iterations and related technologies.

Biosketch: Robert Liebert is an engineer, project manager, and entrepreneur currently focused on innovative assistive technologies. He co-founded an assistive hardware startup, 6dot Innovations, within Stanford's StartX accelerator program. For the past 2 years Robert has been managing product design, development and operations for the 6dot Braille labeler project, which aims to radically improve the daily lives of millions of blind and low-vision people around the world. In 2012, 6dot Innovations was acquired by ProxTalker, another assistive technology company with a particular focus on communication and autism. The newly combined team has been continuing to develop the project since, with an anticipated full production launch in 2014. Robert's academic background is primarily from Duke University, where he earned a Master of Engineering Management degree (2006) and a BSE in Mechanical Engineering (2005).

• Thursday, March 6th - Wheelchair Fabrication in Developing Countries
• Tuesday, March 11th - Student Team Project Final Presentations
• Thursday, March 13th - Project Demonstrations, Course Evaluation, and Celebration