UX Design | UX Research
Sign System consists of SignWise and SignTime— a dynamic duo that aims to bridge the connection and communication between deaf/hard-of-hearing (DHH) individuals and their surrounding ecosystem.
What method(s) of communication have you used with DHH individuals?
What challenges do you encounter when communicating with DHH individuals?
Who/what has the most impact on your ASL acquisition journey?
Were there any challenges you faced while learning ASL?
What resources/support do you wish were available during your ASL acquisition journey?
👩⚕️
Toni
Director at the Washington School for the Deaf
👩🏫
Christina
Specialist for UW Disability Resources
👨🔬
Richard
Professor Emeritus at the UW Allen School
1
Weekly classes make it challenging to retain knowledge due to the lack of practice opportunities.
2
Traditional learning resources were inaccessible in rural areas and many had financial barriers.
3
ASL learners found it difficult to find a sense of belonging and lacked community.
FINAL DESIGN
Due to our large team and tight timeline, we divided into two mini-groups to focus on each platform, later switching to iterate on each other’s work. This approach ensured both designs stayed aligned while maximizing productivity.
By employing a unified design system across both applications, we created a cohesive user experience. We also followed Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines to prioritize accessibility, ensuring the interface was inclusive for a diverse range of users.
Reflection
What I learned during this process.
Engage users throughout the process.
A key takeaway was the importance of ongoing user engagement, especially since our team wasn't familiar with the target audience. While the initial research gave us a good starting point, asking follow-up questions helped us gain a deeper understanding. I learned that even simple, open-ended questions can spark valuable conversations and uncover insights we hadn’t considered.
Don't be afraid to push back— with reasoning.
Gradually, I learned to confidently challenge decisions with well-supported rationale, leading to meaningful discussions that shaped better design outcomes. An instance is when I advocated for SignTime to be designed for web rather than mobile after considering the limitations of smaller screens for ASL users.
Consistent design requires consistent communication.
This project highlighted the critical role of communication in maintaining design consistency across a large team. When we broke into smaller sub-groups, it required more intentional efforts to align everyone’s understanding of the design language. By having regular check-ins and keeping shared resources, we maintained consistent design despite its complexity.
Nothing is one-size-fits-all!
Our solution precisely demonstrates that a singular solution isn't always the best. Because creating a one-size-fits-all product can lead to a cluttered user experience, we focused on building two complementary services, each addressing specific needs. This allowed us to stay focused on core user goals without overwhelming them, while still offering a comprehensive solution within our project scope.
SHOUTOUT TO TEAM PANCAKE!! <3
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