Product design question

Design a fire alarm system for the deaf.

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What this question tests

Accessibility-focused safety product design, requiring alternate sensory channels to replace the missing auditory alert.

How to approach it

  1. Identify the requirement: replace the auditory alarm with equally reliable visual and tactile alerts, especially while the user is asleep, the highest-risk scenario.
  2. Design the waking alert: a bed-shaker under the mattress or pillow paired with strobing lights, since a sleeping user can't rely on a visual-only cue.
  3. Design the awake-state alert: strong strobe lighting throughout the home, plus a smartwatch vibration alert for mobility around the house.
  4. Add a connected layer: push notifications to a phone or smartwatch, and optionally auto-alert a designated emergency contact, since the user can't hear shouted warnings during evacuation.
  5. Define success as alert-response time benchmarked against hearing users, and false-alarm rate as a guardrail against alert fatigue.

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