- Styletto, the iconic innovation in hearing aids from WS Audiology brand Signia, won the iF Gold Design Award 2019
- Jury’s statement: “The appearance of this hearing aid communicates a strikingly positive and confident identity.”
- World’s first stylish hearwear revolution to fight stigma related to hearing aids
PISCATAWAY, NJ, March 20, 2019 –Just eight months ago, in August 2018, Signia unveiled the cutting-edge Styletto. Styletto’s exceptionally sleek and distinctive look has since established itself as a most fashionable form factor in the hearing aid industry.
Styletto was recently awarded one of the most prestigious design recognitions: the iF Gold Award 2019 for product design. The iF jury, consisting of 67 international and independent design experts, stated that Styletto “is an important and empowering device [with] a strong bold design. The appearance of this hearing aid communicates a strikingly positive and confident identity. The clarity of execution and the outstanding combination of materials for each element is overtly impressive. The flat proportions communicate a strong sense of precision and value.”
The Styletto hearwear revolution was made possible by bringing together the most advanced signal processing electronics, unique rechargeable technology, and an ultra-low power wireless platform. Due to these technological accomplishments, as well as consumer insights, WS Audiology created a never-before-seen form factor: the “SLIM-RIC” (Slim Receiver-In-Canal). In addition to its sleek, distinctive look, the new power solution caters to the modern person’s more active lifestyle.
The new look has proven to be especially convincing to first-time hearing aid users who often think that wearing a hearing aid is tied to old age. In a recent consumer study, 65% of the 500 participants preferred Styletto when presented with four form factor options. Overall, the product recognition was very high and consumers labelled Styletto as a leap forward in design that helps move beyond the stigma.
“Besides being the most technologically advanced hearing aid, Styletto was developed to help consumers adopt hearing solutions with a revolutionary design. We wanted to develop a hearing aid that could actually be a beautiful, desirable design object. Wearing Styletto makes people feel comfortable and positive about their self-image. The fact that we’ve been given this award proves us right," said Maarten Barmentlo, WS Audiology Chief Marketing Officer.
Each year the iF International Forum Design GmbH (Hanover) awards this internationally renowned label for design. A jury of 67 independent experts from around the world selected the winners of the iF Design Award 2019 in January. The best entries, from a total of 6,402 and 54 countries, received the award in mid-March.
Since the release of Styletto, Signia has continued to redefine the hearing aid with the recent launch of Styletto Connect, a revolution in style, streaming, and charging-on-the-go.
Maarten Barmentlo, WS Audiology Chief Marketing Officer (l), and Christina Hakvoort, Head of Premium Segment, receiving the iF Gold Award 2019 for Styletto from Ralph Wiegmann, MD iF International Forum Design GmbH.
About Signia
Signia, a brand within WS Audiology, stands for iconic innovation. Since its launch in 2016, Signia has already brought to the market four world’s firsts. In addition to highly innovative hearing aids, Signia also delivers tools and apps to increase customer interaction and engagement on all levels of hearing aid management. Signia thus allows hearing care professionals and patients to get the most out of their hearing aids. WS Audiology was formed in 2019 through the combination of Singapore-headquartered Sivantos and Denmark-based Widex, which means our roots go back all the way to 1878. The company employs more than 10,000 people worldwide and is active in more than 125 markets. One out of three hearing aids is made by WS Audiology.
More information can be found at www.wsaudiology.com
To find out more about these prestigious awards: https://ifworlddesignguide.com/our-awards/professional-awards/if-design-award-2019
For more information about Styletto, visit https://pro.signiausa.com/
