I feel that this week’s reading provides interesting insight into the disability design space, specifically in how referencing other spaces can both support and limit the development of design.
The comparison made between the design approach to glasses and hearing aids led me to consider this point. Over time, the destigmatisation and eventual popularisation of wearing glasses allowed designers to make bolder stylistic choices when producing new glasses. Comparatively, as hearing aids are slowly becoming destigmatised, the reading points out that some designers started to adopt elements from eyewear in an attempt to push the development of ‘HearWear’. While effectiveness of a design is ultimately dependent on the user to decide, I feel that this approach presents even more constraints in a context which is already presented with limitations surrounding social stigma and technical capabilities (how well the hearing aid works, how seamlessly it can be integrated into a design (discrete or otherwise)).
In response to the quote by Charles Eames stating that “design depends largely on constraints”, I do believe that too many constraints can hinder rather than progress design. In this case, I feel that the aforementioned limitations offer enough constraints for designers to experiment and develop different approaches that offer a comfortable solution for users. By adding a stipulation of following the conventions of eyewear, I feel that the designer in this case has prioritised their own creative vision over the usability and practicality of their design.