Protect Our Smile Blog Post #1: A Window into the Clear Mask Design Process
By: Aparna Sumanth
Tags: Biotechnology, Masks, Hard Of Hearing, Deaf, Disability

In an effort to combat the continuing surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, mask wearing has become a part of everyday life. For many people this does not pose an issue, except for some minor discomfort, but for members of the deaf and hard of hearing community wearing a mask makes communication much more difficult. The primary means of communication for members of this community is lip-reading and facial expression, and wearing a mask inhibits both. This is a big problem, as COVID-19 is showing no signs of stopping, and mask wearing appears to be the only way to socially interact safely.

We formed the Protect Our Smile team to combat this problem by developing a more functional, accessible, and affordable clear mask that will allow people of the deaf and hard of hearing community to communicate while wearing a mask. Currently there are clear masks on the market, but these masks have considerable drawbacks. Many of the current affordable masks are poorly made, don’t actually prevent the spread of COVID-19, and are not reusable. On the other hand, the existing clear masks that prevent the spread of COVID-19 and are reusable are expensive. Another category of clear masks are the DIY masks, which seem to be the best option when it comes to clear masks, but currently these masks utilize complex instructions and expensive materials. We are aiming to create a straightforward and inexpensive pattern for producing DIY masks that adhere to CDC guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19.

At the beginning stages of this project, our team conducted extensive market research. Over the course of one week, we thoroughly analyzed the status quo of the clear mask market, identifying various designs that would serve as a baseline for the creation of an improved design. After discussing the essential components of an effective mask, as well as the downfalls of existing masks, our group constructed a Pugh chart to quantitatively evaluate the performance of a candidate clear mask design based on attributes most critical to making an affordable, reproducible, and efficient clear mask. Concurrently, members of the team began prototyping preexisting mask designs selected by the group, and within a one week these prototypes were completed and distributed amongst team members for rigorous testing. Two of the prototypes that we tested were designed by the team’s community partners, the Michigan Clear Mask Program and Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM), while the remaining masks — Sweet Red Poppy and Cricut — were taken from online blogs.

At the end of a week-long trial period, our team came together to review the results. We conducted our analysis quantitatively via the aforementioned Pugh chart, and qualitatively based on our team members’ experiences. In preparation for Design Review #1, our group came together to form a singular, ideal mask design to present to reviewers and obtain feedback regarding potential improvements.

Current Clear Mask Design

Our current design, shown above, is based on the positive aspects of the previously tested prototypes mentioned above. From the Sweet Red Poppy prototype, we decided to work with the top part of the box shape. We felt this part contributes to keeping the window away from the mouth as well as shaping the mask over the nose. From the TOM prototype, we borrowed the pleats for the bottom portion of our mask. These pleats make it comfortable for the chin to fit into the mask and keep the mask from sliding off. Our team felt that the vinyl window size for the Cricut prototype (2.5” by 4”) was too large and the window size for the Michigan Clear Mask prototype (1.5” by 3”) was too small, so we compromised with a size of 2” by 3.5” for our vinyl window. We determined that to make the mask have an adjustable fit we would use around-the-head elastic fasteners and attach a slider bead to the fasteners. These fasteners will go through the casings on the side of the mask and can be moved through as the user sees fit. The casings have the ability to scrunch which allows for the mask to conform to the user’s face shape and size.

During the design review, we presented our community partners with this first iteration of our design. The insight and constructive feedback that we received in return allowed us to identify creativity and distribution as our primary focuses for the next stages of the project. We affectionately refer to our initial design as a “Frankenstein” mask, as it is an amalgamation of the best aspects of the clear masks that are currently on the market. Hence, our community partners urged us to add our own touches to the design in future iterations. Our plans to do so involve adding a removable window that would make the mask easier to clean.

Further discussion with our community partners revealed their knowledge of distribution and experience collaborating with a large base of volunteers. They emphasized the importance of effectively coordinating with other organizations and of keeping costs low. Going forward, we plan to reach out to volunteers through the connections of our community partners, and hope that this will enable us to achieve distribution at a large scale. We also plan to develop a manufacturing plan that will enable us to concretely quantify, and ideally minimize, the cost of producing our masks. In the meantime, our community partners encouraged us to continue our efforts to document our project. They particularly liked our use of a Pugh chart to quantitatively evaluate potential clear mask designs, which is a practice we intend to continue as we move into the testing phase of the project.

For the second design review, we would like to create our own design and test multiple iterations of it. We plan on trying to attach a removable vinyl shield as the clear portion of the mask using Velcro. Also before the second design review, we need to come up with a manufacturing and distribution plan. We need to know who will be making what parts of the mask, and how we will work together to make a complete mask that is ready for public use. Additionally, our entire team needs to be trained in the basics of sewing and how to use a sewing machine so that we can all help sew the masks together. Our work through the second design review will help us complete our goal and manufacture and distribute as many masks as possible to the hard of hearing and deaf community.