Project Overview
SignTime is an app designed to connect deaf/hard-of-hearing (DHH) individuals with tailored ASL learning and community. Our three-person design team explored the existing community, relationships, and technologies around DHH individuals, engaged with professionals in the field, and ultimately found an opportunity for design to better advocate for accessibility and inclusivity in this space.
Duration
7 months
Role
UX Design
User Research
Team
3 Designers
Organization
DFA UW
Problem
Traditional ASL learning is often inaccessible to deaf / hard of hearing individuals & their family members.
In person immersion is a key contributor to learning American Sign Language (ASL). However, these opportunities are often inaccessible due to financial, time, and geographical constraints. Conventional ASL classes are modeled for hearing people who want to learn, limiting deaf and hard of hearing individuals from a more personalized learning experience.
The Solution
Provide the benefits of immersion & signing with others in a more accessible and personalized way.
SignTime allows signers of various skill levels to choose signing partners, improve their sign language skills, and build a community.
Initial Research: Surveying
We surveyed 25 individuals (Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Hearing) to understand obstacles to sign language acquisiton and communication.
We asked participants to describe their sign language journey- difficulties, resources they wish they had, and their preferred learning styles. Our goal was to understand gaps in the current ASL learning landscape, and what factors made learning ASL most frustrating.
Key Findings
Interviewing
Engaging with Experts
Along with surveying, we also interviewed a few experts in DHH culture and technological research to understand how we could include deaf and hard of hearing users in our design process. One interview with done with the assistance of a telecommunications relay service.
Cristina Lew
Programs Operations Specialist for UW DRS (Disability Resources for Students). She connected us with the UW ASL Club, where we spent some time learning ASL.
Toni Stromberg
Coordinator at the Washington School for the Deaf (WaCAD). She shared with us her personal experience with being deaf and regional and cultural differences across and within sign languages.
Richard Ladner
Professor Emeritus in the Allen School. He shared with us current innovative technologies for DHH individuals and emphasized the importance of engaging with DHH individuals throughout the design process.
Main Insight
Practice opportunities aren't just limited. They also fall short in tailoring to a learner's personal interests and preferred learning environment.
HMW
How might we improve ASL acquisition and communication for deaf/HoH individuals and their surrounding ecosystems?
Our surveys and interviews revealed that while there are many obstacles to ASL acquisition, deaf and hard of hearing individuals face unique challenges such as lack of a built in community / support and classes tailored to hearing individuals.
Ideating
Two different solutions
Our team analyzed survey responses to address the lack of accessibility and personalization in ASL learning. We identified two design opportunities:
1. A gamified solution to learn ASL (including workplace signing & other useful topics suggested by DHH respondents)
2. A communication platform that allows individuals to choose signing partners based on interests, communication preferences and skill level.
While both solutions could coexist, the former focuses on individualized learning, and the latter promotes real-life practice and socialization. I worked on the second solution, SignTime, as part of a sub-team.
Designing
User Flow - simple, engaging, and personalized
Building on our research and the decision to focus on a communication platform, we began sketching ideas to bring the solution to life. Our goal was to make finding a signing partner as straightforward and engaging as possible while addressing the lack of personalization in traditional ASL education. Key features included allowing users to filter by ASL experience, communication preferences, and shared interests.
Iterations
As we continued to prototype, our team made a few improvements to enhance the usability of SignTime.
The Final Prototype
Below are a few of the final views from SignTime, showing the navigation flows for individuals to browse profiles & start calls.
Reflections
What I'd do differently…
Interview individuals with lower ASL proficiency & engagement with the DHH community: Expanding the interview group to include users of lower ASL proficiency would have given us more insights on why current ASL solutions have failed to capture deaf and hard of hearing individuals' needs.
Set concrete metrics early: While we approached this project from a usability and accessibility standpoint rather than a business / commercial one, getting metrics through user ratings could help us determine whether a solution like SignTime is actually desirable.
Learnings
Engaging with DHH individuals to understand their needs for a communication platform only reinforced to me how important it is to actively involve users in the design process and challenged some of my initial assumptions. This project was also my first time using a telecommunications system to communicate with deaf individuals, which taught me the importance of respecting users' communication preferences for building trust and creating a safe environment for feedback. Finally, I grew more comfortable with using key features of Figma such as Auto-Layout, Components / Variants, and Libraries. While SignTime doesn't address all the challenges associated with ASL learning, I believe our efforts towards making signing opportunities more accessible is a good start.