But with the invention of the microprocessor in the 1970s, the race toward creating the smallest hearing aid began, and with that came the idea that still plagues the industry today; hearing aids SHOULD be hidden. Since the 70s, hearing aid design has remained the same, just with the never-ending mission to make them smaller and smaller. Seemingly with the idea that when they finally become invisible, then everyone will want them. But when they reached invisibility, customers didn’t immediately turn up. Still up to 80% of people who could wear hearing aids don’t wear them. It’s not invisibility that will make them desirable. Like everything else that we wear (look at the $1.8tn fashion industry); they need to be visible in order to be desirable.