After six years as a radar technician in the U.S. Navy, Timothy Murphy wasn’t sure where he was headed when he left the service in the 1990s.
“I was a radar tech in the Navy,” Murphy says. “When I got out, I thought I wanted to be an electrical engineer.”
Instead, Murphy transformed his military technical expertise and artistic passion into a career developing accessible gaming technology, including Audio Radar, a device that enhances gaming experiences for deaf and hard-of-hearing players.
After leaving the service and starting college to prepare for that engineering career, Murphy quickly realized his interests lie elsewhere.
Two of his roommates were studying industrial design at
Ferris State University's Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD), and their creative projects sparked his curiosity.
“I’m coming home with hardcore math homework, and they’re coming home with, ‘Hey, we gotta design a skateboard today,’ Murphy recalls. “I’m like, ‘What degree is this? Design stuff? What is this?’”
As an artist in high school, Murphy had always been drawn to creative pursuits, but he hadn’t considered turning his artistic talent into a career. KCAD’s industrial design program opened his eyes to the possibilities.
“It’s product design,” he says. “We design cars, products, and experiences.”
Changing directions
Murphy switched majors and graduated from KCAD with a degree from its
industrial design program. His education launched him into a career at a design consultancy in Holland and later at Whirlpool Corp. in St. Joseph, where he spent 12 years.
At Whirlpool, Murphy gained valuable experience working on cross-functional teams and launching products. He wanted to use that knowledge to launch his own product. In 2012, Murphy took a leap of faith and left Whirlpool to start his own venture. The idea for his first product, HipShotDot, came from his love of gaming.
“At that point, I wasn’t very good at first-person shooters, so I developed this thing. It would help me shoot better, and my buddies could tell when I was using it,” Murphy says.
The device, a red-dot sight attachment for gaming monitors, was a hit among gamers and allowed Murphy to fund his next venture.
Launching a business wasn’t easy, but Murphy’s connections to KCAD and the West Michigan entrepreneurial community provided crucial support. He became one of the first participants in
Start Garden, an entrepreneurial incubator in Grand Rapids, and secured over $100,000 in funding.
“Start Garden enabled me to quit Whirlpool,” Murphy says. “They’ve been really good at helping drive awareness, making network connections, and accessing funding channels within Michigan.”
Murphy also returned to KCAD as an entrepreneur-in-residence and assistant professor, teaching industrial design while developing his business.
“KCAD brought me in, so I actually had an office on the main floor,” he says. “In between hustling for
HipShotDot, I’d go upstairs and teach industrial design thesis or 3D modeling. It was a busy time, but it was worth it.”
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Courtesy Audio RadarTimothy Murphy (left) and Andrew Foley
Helping gamers visualize audio
Murphy eventually sold HipShotDot to a company in Florida, using the proceeds to develop his next innovation:
Audio Radar, which visually represents audio cues in video games.
The idea for Audio Radar originated in 2016 when Murphy and his team built a rough prototype that visualized in-game audio.
“Initially, it was selfish,” Murphy admits. “When I play with the sound low on my system, I still want to know where the footsteps are coming from. So let’s visualize this.”
The prototype was clunky and expensive, but by 2019, advances in technology made the concept viable. Murphy’s team created a sleek, functional version of Audio Radar.
This innovation proved invaluable for gamers who are deaf or hard of hearing because it allows them to “see” sounds like footsteps, gunfire, and environmental noise.
Murphy hosted a user study in Holland to test the prototype. He invited gamers from Facebook groups for the deaf and hard of hearing, as well as fully hearing gamers, to provide feedback.
“We brought in 10 gamers,” Murphy says. “One player, who was fully deaf, realized for the first time how much sound he was making in the game. He could see his own sounds, like jumping over a fence or reloading a weapon, and it was an aha moment for him. He said, ‘Now I know why people hear me when I’m trying to sneak up on them.’”
The overwhelmingly positive feedback from the study reinforced Murphy’s belief in Audio Radar’s potential.
“We saw an advantage for each segment of people we tested with,” he says. “Full-hearing gamers liked it because they could ‘see’ surround sound, even with a stereo headset, while deaf gamers found it life-changing.”
With patents secured and additional angel investors on board, Murphy launched Audio Radar in partnership with
Logitech G, a significant milestone for his company. In December, the Swiss gaming company
announced Audio Radar was the first company selected in Logitech's new Start-Up for Good initiative, a pilot program dedicated to helping companies that are creating positive social impact bring their solutions to market.
“Logitech is our first business customer, and we’re now on their website,” Murphy says. “We’re fine-tuning our operations while moving forward with new product innovations.”
The impact that Audio Radar had on the user study participants was shared by real-life customers. A deaf gamer said in a letter to the company that for over 15 years, they struggled to fully immerse in gaming due to the inability to perceive sound — a realization they only came to after trying Audio Radar.
Initially skeptical, their perspective shifted while playing A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead. Audio Radar enabled them to "see" sound, revolutionizing their gaming experience.
“The experience was unlike anything I’d ever encountered in my gaming life,” the gamer wrote. “Audio Radar allowed me to perceive sound visually, opening up a world of immersion I hadn’t realized was missing. Words fail to capture the depth of this transformation, but suffice it to say: I fell in love with gaming all over again.”
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Courtesy Audio RadarThe Audio Radar team from left Matthew Mader, Hanna DenBoer, Luke Murphy, and Dom Bearwood.
Local supporters
Murphy’s entrepreneurial journey has been deeply influenced by the relationships he’s built along the way. He collaborates with Andrew Foley, whose late father, Dennis Foley, was one of Murphy’s professors at KCAD.
“It’s been a cool, full-circle moment,” Murphy says. “Dennis had a dry sense of humor and was always there for his students. Now, working with his son Andrew, who’s my acting chief technology officer, feels like continuing that legacy.”
Another KCAD connection, Danny Gaydou II, has also played a significant role in Murphy’s success. Gaydou, a fellow industrial design graduate, owns
Nextpoint Design, a Grand Rapids-based UX and interaction design firm.
“Danny has been very helpful in our journey,” Murphy says. “He’s brought expertise in UX design that’s been critical for Audio Radar.”
Murphy’s roots in the West Michigan community remain strong. His connection to Surge, an entrepreneurial hub led by
Lakeshore Advantage, has provided ongoing support.
“Amanda Chocko at Surge is fantastic,” Murphy says. “Every time I talk to her, I have a new connection that moves the needle for us.”
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Courtesy Audio RadarThe idea for Audio Radar originated in 2016 when Timothy Murphy and his team built a rough prototype that visualized in-game audio.
Murphy says perseverance and collaboration have been keys to his success.
“It takes a village,” he says. “Having good friends and colleagues to count on is key.”
These days, he's focused on expanding Audio Radar’s reach and continuing to innovate.
“We have a product roadmap beyond what you see today,” he says. “The goal is to keep improving the gaming experience for everyone, especially those who have been underserved in the past.”
He credits KCAD as a cornerstone of his success.
“The influence Kendall has had on my career is immeasurable,” he says. “It’s where it all began.”
From furniture to shoes, from arts to education even to policy creation, design is everywhere you look. Designed in Michigan, a story series coming out of West Michigan, is devoted to sharing the expansive role design plays in Michigan's past, present and future. It is made possible through the support of Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University.