LIGO
UX/UI Product Design
MY ROLE
Research, UX/UI, Prototyping, 3D modeling
TOOLS
Figma, Cinema 4D, Principle, Photoshop, Adobe XD
TEAM
Anna Asgaraly, Chelsea Shum, Lulu Li, Christina Poon (me)
TIMELINE
November - December 2020
Problem
Communication is the basic foundation of building interpersonal relationships and navigating everyday life. In our current day, there aren’t many accessible solutions that can bridge the communication gap between individuals with deaf impairment. Amid Covid-19 and the mask mandate, this poses more difficulties deaf individuals to communicate
“There are 466 million people in the world with disabling hearing loss. This is over 5% of the world’s population.”
- World Health Organization
Goal
Make communication easy and accessible between deaf and able-bodied groups.
Target Audience
Deaf individuals who can understand both English and ASL
Deaf individuals who only understand ASL
Solution
A wearable smart interpreter for the deaf
Ligo is a wearable smart device and app that eliminates communication barriers for the deaf community. Using motion detection technology and artificial intelligence, Ligo acts as your personal interpreter for every situation.
• Translating sign language to speech and text
• Interpret speech and audio in real-time
• Pairing with a mobile application for more viewing options and a calling feature
Promotional video about the product
Research
Primary Research
To gain a better understanding of our targetted audience, We contacted deaf institutions across North America asking the deaf community what challenges they face.
93% of responders have experienced challenges in communicating with hearing individuals. We received responses that corrected assumptions we had regarding the deaf community and informed us how we ought to address their needs.
Please note, the responses we received were from individuals who can read and write in English. ASL-only speakers are excluded in our study due to our limited budget to hire a translator throughout
the process.
From the research, we were able to gain insight into the daily challenges that the deaf community faces, and were able to pinpoint 5 key pain points. Here is a summary of our findings:
Secondary Research
With the pain points identified, we then conducted a benchmark analysis to develop an insight into the market and explore areas of opportunities.
User Personas and PACT
To summarize our findings, we created a PACT analysis and two user personas of target audiences to help assess how our app and device can help with their needs.
Additional Questions
After conducting research, I formed some additional questions to help with the product ideation process. Some questions include:
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How does the product work in a group setting where multiple people are talking?
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How will the interface work for all the accessibility levels?
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How will this product work when a conversation is not already engaged?
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How to make the 2-part system more efficient/do we need it?
Smart Device Development
After more in-depth research, we began the visual and ideation process, while keeping my targeted audience in mind. We started with listing and prioritizing the main features on the device.
Product Iterations
To ensure that the product was accessible for the deaf audience, we made sure to ideated within certain constraints. The product had to be comfortable for everyday wear with a large display screen for the AI interpreter to be viewed at a comfortable size. The product also had to be tactile, easily navigated and worn.
After multiple iterations of sketches, as well as receiving feedback from our professors, we collectively finalized our product to a simpler smart-watch design that ultimately targets all of the problems that we wanted to resolve.
Final Sketch and Render
Introducing our final product
Ligo. A wearable smart interpreter consisting of two motion-detecting bands, a comfortable viewing screen, six-speaker outputs, and a built-in AI. Ligo is intended for everyday wear, hence it's sleek, inconspicuous, and comfortable design.
Mobile Application
After solidifying the physical product, we started by prioritizing the core features of the apps and creating context scenarios.
Wireframes
Branding
With our product designed to target the deaf community, accessibility was our main focus. We wanted to create a straight-forward flow that would make the users feel at ease. We used primarily used black and white and one accent colour to help identify our brand. We chose a calming blue that also provides the value of security and reliability. We used a standard san serif typeface and followed the accessibility guidelines and use a font size that would be comfortable for our users.
Moodboard for app
User flows
LIGO
MOBILE APPLICATION
Designed to provide a seamless onboarding experience, more flexible viewing options and extended features
Connect your device to your Phone
seamlessly switch from viewing ASL on your device to your phone.
Direct your conversation anywhere
You can use Bluetooth to send your audio to anyone's phone or Bluetooth device.
Hassle-free calling
You can forget about third-party relay services, Ligo's calling feature interprets your phone calls instantaneously inside the app.
Every feature tailored just for you
The extensive accessibility features allow you to tailor the app to fit your needs.
Promotional Website
Conclusion
Whilst navigating this 3 month-long project, we ensured our priority was to serve the deaf community the best we could. However, that process came with a lot of learning and unlearning of our own assumptions. Initially, we were blindsided by our own narrow understanding of the deaf community. After reaching out to users in our target demographic, we were able to gain a clearer understanding of our objectives and thus, empathize better with their needs
Overall, this project allowed us to further expand our understanding of accessibility within tech. Moving forward, we strive to continuously learn and apply our knowledge to future projects, as well as other aspects of our lives.
For the Future
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Conduct user testing with our target audience to further refine Ligo
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Include ASL-only speakers in our survey and user-testing
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Develop the 3D model interpreter to Include facial expressions, which is essential to ASL
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Work with deaf consultant and developers in the design process, to further develop the technical feasibility