Being observant and imaginative may be essential for any student studying visual communication, but Comma Leung has more: the enthusiasm to help others. “The other day I saw a guy with visual impairment, a complete stranger, you know. Out of curiosity, I followed him for a while and witnessed the hindrances he met here and there. Then an idea popped up: why wouldn’t I try to design something to help people in need?”
In 2015 Comma founded Mosi Mosi Design Lab. After spending quite an effort in research, she came up with her graduation project the “In:visible Wallet”. It is a wallet with embossed gauge marks specifically lined up that match the height of different banknotes. Users with visual barriers can check the height of banknotes against those marks to identify their values, saving the need to carry an extra measuring tool. Comma went for crowdfunding to finance the project. However, only half of the target amount was reached when the fundraising period was to end in three days. Luckily, the project caught the media’s attention and the target amount of HK$300,000 was finally reached on time, with extensive publicity as the bonus. Its financial pressure was further relieved by additional funding coming from the SIE Fund through the Good Seed programme of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University as well as a prize from the Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge.
Having funding support does not necessarily mean all is well. Because of a quality problem in production, the embossed marks inside the wallets were not placed as precisely as expected. It took Comma a month to check all 1500 wallets produced to rectify the flaw. Despite all the hiccups, Comma remains cheerful. As she says, being able to use design to help people makes her feel fulfilled. While she sees holding on to one’s faith as the key to success, she adds, “I wish to fight for others’ rights, inspire others to change, and work with others to build an inclusive society together.”
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The SIE Fund has provided funding for the "Mosi Mosi - In:visible Wallet" project. More details can be found here.
Profession
social innovation and designScope of Services
social and design researchBeneficiaries
persons with disabilities
generalRead more
(To be updated)