Lecture Listener

Team

Cassidy Thomas: Fashion Merchandising major and Entrepreneurial Management minor Anna Call: Fashion Merchandising major with Entrepreneurial Management minor Josh Neumann: Computer Science major and Marketing minor

Problem

Deaf or hard-of-hearing students have a harder time learning during lectures compared to the rest of us. With the challenge of not being able to easily communicate with professors or fellow students, taking in the information presented can be really difficult. That is why we made Lecture Listener.

Solution

Lecture Listener is software built to translate audio files into text easily. We are a tool that lets students save textual lectures and add notes for better learning. With translators and other programs coming at a higher cost, our product helps students study more effectively without the drastic expense. After creating Lecture Listener, we realized we were able to reach a broader target market than expected.

Market Size

Our market size grew from only targeting students with hearing impairments to all students and teachers. There are currently 61.5 million students in the U.S with 95% having access to the internet (58.4 million) and there are roughly 3.2 million teachers in the U.S. The total number of people we may sell our application to is 61.6 million people. We wish to aim for 50% of that number to pay for our app based on our results with a button test conducted where 73% of users said they would pay to use the app.

Competition

One of the biggest competitors that we face is ASL Translators. These aids can be useful within the classroom, but their cost is very high. University programs like Canvas are another competitor that we face. Although these programs are helpful with keeping files and documents in a singular space, they can be confusing to navigate and utilize. Lecture Listener is an affordable software that is easy to use and access.

Business Model

Our business is a subscription-based revenue model. There are two payment methods that are offered, either $20 annually or $2 monthly.

Marketing and Sales Plan

For our marketing and sales plan, we will be targeting college students through social media posts, google advertisements, and word of mouth. Through our ads we want to create awareness and offer another means of help that is easier and friendlier to use.

Progress to Date

We are validating user input to flush out applications as well as trying to validate user approval under the new subscription business model. Tests are currently undergoing.

Future Milestones

Within quarter 3 of 2022, we want to have Ball State students and teachers subscribe to our software. In Quarter 1 of 2023, we hope to have Lecture Listener integrated with Canvas. Quarter 2 of 2023, Lecture Listener should be a well-known tool by Indiana colleges. Lastly, in Quarter 1 of 2025, our software should be used in colleges across the United States.