To meet this challenge, Quo collaborated with the Swiss Association for the Deaf and Hearing-Impaired (Sonos). The goal was to develop mask designs of the category IIR and FFP2 that feature a mouth window. The spreading pandemic required Quo to establish a fast and sequential product development process to make the masks available to the public as quickly as possible.
The first designs were prototyped and tested at a very early stage in Quo’s workshop. These prototypes were then evaluated together with people who are deaf or hard of hearing to obtain user feedback for further development.
Numerous iterations within a very short period resulted in a prototype suitable for large-scale production. To achieve this milestone, Quo was supported by people who are deaf or hard of hearing throughout the prototyping process.
The integration of a window to reveal the mouth and facial expressions allows for lip-reading and significantly improved speech comprehension. The mask also has a special coating on the inside for fogging suppression and ensures a perfect fit.
The masks were industrialised and marketed under the Flawa brand.
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