Amplifon — Hearing Aid Onboarding & Adoption
Redesigning hearing aid adoption beyond the app
Company
Amplifon
Language
Italian
Date
2019
Project Overview
Hearing Aid Onboarding Experience
Led the design of a digital companion experience to support first-time hearing aid users during onboarding and long-term adaptation.
What initially started as an app project evolved into a broader redesign of the hearing aid adoption experience, focused on confidence, behaviour change, and continued use in everyday life.
The Challenge
Hearing loss affects millions of people, yet many delay getting hearing aids and many who do eventually stop using them.
The challenge was not simply usability or device management.
Research showed the real difficulty was the emotional and behavioural transition of adapting to a new way of hearing.
Users often experienced:
discomfort and overwhelm during the first weeks
uncertainty around how to use and adjust the device
frustration when expectations did not match reality
stigma associated with hearing loss and ageing
Early in the project, it became clear that building a control app alone would not solve the problem.
The onboarding experience itself needed redesigning.
Approach
I conducted qualitative research with hearing aid users and audiologists across Italy to understand the real-world onboarding journey and the moments where confidence and adoption broke down.
Mapping the experience revealed that the first weeks of use were especially critical. Many users lacked reassurance, guidance, and realistic expectations around adaptation.
The project was reframed from designing a functional companion app into designing a behavioural support experience that could:
guide users gradually through adaptation
reduce friction and anxiety during onboarding
build confidence and independence over time
encourage continued use in real-life situations
We prototyped and tested solutions iteratively with users, refining both the onboarding flow and the overall support experience through continuous feedback.
Design
The experience was designed to feel supportive, gradual, and confidence-building rather than clinical or technical.
Key principles included:
delivering guidance progressively at the right moment
simplifying complex adjustments into manageable actions
reinforcing progress and habit formation over time
using reassuring language and interactions to reduce stigma and anxiety
supporting users beyond setup into real everyday scenarios
Rather than acting purely as a control interface, the app became a companion designed to help users adapt emotionally and behaviourally to hearing aids.
Impact
Award-winning digital experience (BIMA, The Drum, OMMA, Digital Impact Awards, EPICA)
6,500+ downloads in the first four months
Improved onboarding and continued hearing aid adoption
Contributed to a 10% increase in Amplifon’s share price on launch day
The project reinforced how product and service design can improve not only usability, but confidence, independence, and long-term behaviour change in emotionally sensitive healthcare experiences.
