Speak’n’Hear: Assistive App for Accessible Healthcare
HealthTech

Speak’n’Hear is Beetroot’s R&D mobile app that helps people with hearing and speech differences communicate. With speech recognition, speech synthesis, and audio transcription, it reduces communication barriers, especially in healthcare.

  • TECHNOLOGIES

    • Flutter
    • ASP.NET
    • OpenAI Whisper
    • ESPnet, txtai
    • UI/UX Design

  • TEAM COMPOSITION

    • 10 people in total
    • UI/UX Designers
    • Mobile and Back-end Developers

Background

Speak’n’Hear is an in-house R&D project started in 2023 in Sweden and still ongoing.

The idea was inspired by working with a team member with hearing and speech challenges, and the team sees it as a personal mission to create positive change.

Project Recap

  • People with hearing and speech differences face barriers in healthcare, as not all professionals know sign language.

  • Beetroot is building an accessible telehealth app with speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and emergency features.

  • An app that promotes equal access to healthcare and helps users feel safer and more independent.

Challenge

Individuals with hearing and speech differences often struggle to communicate during medical consultations and to access health information, since not all healthcare professionals know sign language. Building a solution for them is both a technical and a design challenge.

The project faced several challenges:

  • Integrating speech recognition and text-to-speech without compromising performance
  • Accurate real-time transcription across languages and dialects
  • A UI that suits users with different abilities and preferences

Facing a similar challenge? We're ready to help!

Solution: Accessible Telehealth App Powered by AI

Speak’n’Hear combines advanced speech technologies with an accessible design so that hard-of-hearing and non-speaking people can request and receive medical help easily.

  • Speech-to-Text

    Speech recognition turns spoken language into text, making conversations accessible for users with hearing differences.

  • Text-to-Speech

    Non-speaking users can communicate verbally by typing text that the app speaks aloud.

  • Accessibility Standards

    The design follows global accessibility standards for a barrier-free experience.

  • Personalized Settings

    Users set their specific needs and can save conversation histories for future reference.

  • Fast and Secure

    Speech features respond in under two seconds, with encrypted data and secure server communication.

  • Healthcare Features

    Emergency contact by SMS or email, GPS tracking, appointment scheduling, and vibrating alerts.

This project is all about creating a bridge between technology and people. We’re focused on making things simple, clear, and easy to use for everyone. Our aim is to design in a way that breaks down barriers and resonates with people from all walks of life.

Mykyta Hrach,
UX/UI Lead at Beetroot

Results

Speak’n’Hear combines AI tools with a deep understanding of the real-world challenges faced by people with hearing and speech differences.

  • Greater sense of safety

    The app helps users feel safer and more secure in everyday and medical situations.

  • Equal access to healthcare

    Users can seek medical help through standard methods, just like everyone else.

  • Stronger community ties

    The app connects healthcare facilities with the broader community.

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