Lulu: Empowering communication for individuals with speech impairment
OS: Windows app
Date: 2017 - 2021
My Contributions as co-founder and CEO
Led UX/UI design, product development, and overall strategic direction.
Managed content creation, user testing, and iterative design processes.
Coordinated cross-functional collaboration between design, development teams, healthcare professionals, and strategic partners.
Background
Lulu is a hands-free communication platform designed specifically for individuals with full or partial paralysis, enabling them to communicate effectively and independently through accessible technology.
Problem
Limited & inefficient communication
Both end-user and their family/friends/caregivers feel frustrated and leave them socially isolated.
Lack of independence
Heavily rely on family and caregivers to perform even basic tasks
No suitable, out-dated & expensive
Only 1 in 10 people with disabilities currently has access to the assistive technologies they need.
Approach
Lulu is designed for individuals who are unable to speak or have limited upper body mobility, making it difficult to communicate and stay connected with their communities and loved ones.
Built with the end-user at the center, Lulu has been carefully iterated and validated with real users to meet their unique needs. Its interface is thoughtfully designed for comfort and ease of use, and it is fully compatible with a range of assistive switches, including eye-tracking, head mouse, and joystick devices.
who is it for
Gustavo is an 18 years old Chilean boy with Cerebral Palsy. Because of his condition, he was never able to talk and move since birth. The only way he could communicate with his family was through blinking.
Like Gustavo, millions of people suffer from motor disabilities or disorders that affect their ability to connect with the world.
The difficulties in communication they suffer often lead to frustration, loss of independence, and social isolation.
How Gustavo Uses Lulu
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1. Learn: Gustavo begins by learning how to use Lulu with his eye-tracking device, exploring how it allows him to interact and express himself.
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2. Try – Using the eye tracker (or any compatible AAC device, like a joystick), he’s able to say his name for the very first time.
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3. Connect – With growing confidence, Gustavo builds his first full sentence—finally able to communicate with his family.
User Research & EmpathyWe conducted in-depth interviews and workshops with users, caregivers, and medical staff to uncover real needs—then translated those insights into detailed personas to guide focused UX design.
Ideation & WireframingWe designed accessible interaction models for users with limited mobility and developed wireframes and prototypes that were refined through iterative usability testing.
Prototyping, Testing & Iteration
We ran usability tests with rehabilitation hospitals, using real-time feedback to refine accessibility and interaction flows—ensuring the final design was intuitive and easy to use.
Development & Product LaunchWe collaborated closely with developers to deliver accessible, high-fidelity UI/UX—and successfully launched the product at CES 2020, earning attention from both tech and healthcare sectors.
Watch a short video to see how Lulu works
How to use Lulu?
Lulu understands you.
Lulu assists you based on what you see and hear. For example, if a bottle of water is detected, Lulu might suggest phrases like:
“I am thirsty.” or “Can I have some water?”
This helps you communicate faster—without having to type each word manually.
Lulu is your smart assistant.
Traditional speech-to-text or text-to-speech tools can be slow—sometimes taking over 10 minutes to compose a simple sentence.
Lulu speeds up communication with intelligent sentence prediction that adapts to your style, and a personalized library that makes expressing yourself faster and more efficient.
Smart Compose powered by ML that helps you to communicate efficiently
Intelligent sentence prediction learn from your communication style
Personalized library provides you a shortcut to the most commonly used sentences
ImpactSecured approximately $400,000 in investment and established key partnerships with healthcare providers and government institutions.
Significantly improved the quality of life for users by enhancing communication capabilities and independence through accessible, innovative UX design.
Key Learnings