Technological solutions like smartphone apps present an incredible opportunity for audiologists to encourage clients to become more involved in their hearing journeys. Yet so often there are barriers to technological adoption. Understanding how to overcome these barriers is of deep interest to Akshaya Ravichandran, an AudA Accredited Audiologist and PhD candidate at The University of Western Australia.
Akshaya has dedicated her research to supporting meaningful engagement with hearing technologies. At the Audiology Australia WA Conference on Friday 28 November 2025, she’ll be sharing the outcomes of her research, which include practical strategies affecting the uptake and sustained use of these technological solutions.
Akshaya Ravichandran, above, will be presenting at this year’s Audiology Australia WA Conference in November
“Whether it’s a child using a classroom microphone or an adult personalising their hearing aids through an app, understanding the behavioural and contextual factors behind sustained use can help us design better clinical conversations and support meaningful engagement with hearing technology,” Akshaya says. This idea also underpins her exploration of how digital tools, particularly smartphone apps, can enhance audiological care and client outcomes.
The power and promise of smartphone apps in audiological care
Smartphone apps offer significant potential for people with hearing loss, supporting tinnitus management, hearing aid use and broader hearing-health self-management. However, engagement with these tools is not always straightforward, as Akshaya explains.
“Our review found that engagement is often limited by usability challenges for example, when apps are difficult to navigate, or if they’re deemed irrelevant and don’t fit easily into users’ everyday life. These barriers can make it harder for people to stay engaged over time.”
Clinicians play a vital role in helping clients overcome these challenges. Even brief guidance can make a meaningful impact.
“Clinician support makes a big difference. When clinicians take a moment to introduce an app, explain its purpose and provide brief guidance, clients are more likely to engage with it. Even small amounts of encouragement can go a long way!”
Akashaya states that when clients engage successfully with smartphone apps, the benefits are evident. Research shows that app use is associated with improved self-management of hearing health and greater involvement in hearing care. Clinicians have observed that clients who actively use these digital tools are often more motivated, take a proactive role in their hearing health and are better able to follow through with recommendations in their day-to-day lives.
By understanding both the barriers and the facilitators of engagement, clinicians can tailor recommendations to individual needs, improving uptake and sustained use of digital hearing tools.
From research to practice: WA Conference preview
Akshaya’s work on smartphone apps connects closely with her current research on RMT and CAPD.
“Both projects explore how people engage with hearing technology. My systematic review focused on adults using Digital Health Interventions, while my current work looks at how children, parents and teachers engage with Remote Microphone Technology in classrooms. The shared goal is understanding what drives or hinders meaningful and sustained technology use in the context of hearing health care.”
At the WA Conference, she will present on remote microphone technology for children with Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), emphasising the broader lessons about engagement that apply across technologies and populations.
“Presenting this work at the WA Conference is a great opportunity to showcase how engagement principles apply across different hearing populations and technologies,” says Akshaya.
“I hope attendees take away the importance of looking beyond access to technology and think more about how people interact with hearing technology in their everyday lives.”
Through her research, clinical practice and upcoming WA Conference session, Akshaya is helping clinicians support clients to overcome barriers, making hearing technologies more effective and relevant in everyday life.