ASL Go
Overview
In this project case study, I will be sharing my experience designing and developing a mobile app for users to learn American Sign Language. Fostered by MIT's Blueprint hackathon, the goal was to help anyone learn and understand ASL by using AI and other features, thus enabling people to communicate with the deaf community and cultivate more inclusivity.
Throughout the design process, I focused on creating an intuitive yet simple user interface that would enhance the overall user experience and encourage the user to continue learning.
My contribution
Design with Figma
Create logo with Adobe Illustrator
Firebase signup/login screens with XCode & Swift
Connecting team's code with Git
The team
4 × co-creators
Year
2021
Process
Breaking down the project
The design process for the ASL app involved several key stages. Firstly, I designed the page users see when they first download the app, before signing/logging in. Next was those sign up/login pages, and utilizing databases to store data and coding logic to ensure secure passwords and correct authentication. The main focus was the home page, where all the features resided. It was important to place the features in an accessible and aesthetically pleasing manner on the screen.
Building on strong foundations
While working on the project, I deepened my understanding of utilizing Figma, Firebase, and creating simple XCode screens. This was one of my first deep dives into UI/UX design, and conducted research to understand what color palettes, icons, and illustrations would pair well with the purpose and audience of the app. However, the final app design differed from my final Figma design. Thus, I realized the importance of considering every edge case and potential screen a user may encounter early on in the design stage so it will not stand as an obstacle in the development stage.
Collaborating with the team
Throughout the process, I worked closely with my hackathon team to ensure that we were productively contributing to the project through our designated features, and to incorporate their visions for their feature in my design.
Outcome
The final outcome of ASL Go was a user-friendly and functional downloadable iOS app that fared well in the hackathon.
Users were able to successfully login and signup for the app, and have access to ASL flashcards to learn the alphabet. The Machine Learning feature was functional for a range of words in which the user would hold up their hand and the app would tell them what word they were signing.
In the future, the team would like to improve upon the statistics and profile page, to track the user's progress and connect it to their account.