Voxmate: we help partners get to hard-to-reach clients

Estonian start-up and member of the Connected Health Cluster Voxmate launched a mobile app this autumn aimed at people with partial or total vision loss. Voxmate does not provide users with just another regular screen reader – their app has much more substance.

Katja Danilova, co-founder of Voxmate, said the idea started when her father suddenly lost his eyesight and the family had to learn about screen readers. “We thought they’d be easy to use and that anyone could do it, but it turned out to be incredibly complicated and it can take years to learn how to use them,” said Katja Danilova. This is also the reason why people with partial or total vision loss might never start using smartphones or may only use a few features.

What makes Voxmate unique from other apps designed for the visually impaired is the fact that Voxmate does not work in conjunction with the screen reader built into the phone’s OS; rather, it offers the user a separate solution with a clear and simple audio-based interface. “We took accessibility as our starting point and built content from there. This is more commonly done the other way round – first you create the app and then you think about how to make the content accessible,” said Katja.

Voxmate currently has more than 20 audio-based apps tailored to the needs of the visually impaired or the blind. People who are still unfamiliar with smart devices can start with simpler options by listening to the news, scanning printed text, listening to the radio or a podcast, making calls to friends or messaging them on Telegram. Those more familiar with screen readers can play games and visit sites such as YouTube. All functions can be accessed with four swipes – up-down, right-left.

There were several reasons for joining the Connected Health Cluster. “We believe that this partnership with the Cluster can be beneficial for our future development as well as for current Cluster members who are looking for a modern solution to get to otherwise hard-to-reach clients,” said Katja. She mentioned Henshaws Knowledge Village as one of Voxmate’s apps. Henshaws Knowledge Village is a series of posts and videos about a UK charity organisation helping people in rehabilitation. “Voxmate has been designed in such a way that new apps can be quickly added to the platform, such as apps with similar objectives by national healthcare providers or national charities.”

As a company, Voxmate has experience in designing and implementing accessible IT solutions and is willing to share their experience with other Cluster members. In addition, Voxmate is interested in understanding the processes of other members of the Cluster and their international partners in rehabilitation following vision loss.