Fluent: the Pocket ASL tutor.
Background
Two parents of a deaf child aimed to develop an Android app to address the shortage of ASL tutor apps on the platform, compared to the abundance available on iOS.
My objective was to create an app that served both the deaf community and hearing users effectively.
Objective
There are few apps claiming to teach ASL and they are not well designed for the purpose. We wanted to improve on existing weaknesses and build an intuitive way to connect tutors, especially those who are deaf or hard of hearing, to people interested in learning ASL to foster communication and community.
Solution
Fluent gives users the ability to practice ASL lessons with one another via video chat. Users can also access a database of ASL lessons and a constantly updated library of lessons. Fluent’s tutoring platform with a purpose-built social media feed encourages engagement outside of normal structured lessons and builds community between the deaf and hearing.
Percentage of deaf children who are born to hearing parents.
Number of people who use ASL as their main way to communicate.
Number of international sign languages around the world.
Research
Part of my design process included conducting market research and surveys of people who are the intended users for the app. Below are some of their response and how I used their feedback to improve the design:
“Games! Gamification! This helps anytime I’m trying to do something important and meaningful that requires memorization and in practice can be boring.”
I added in badges and levels using gamification to motivate users to keep practicing, while keeping the UI to be fun and engaging for users of all ages.
“It is hard to learn ASL from videos because they are only 2-dimensional and ASL is a 3-dimensional language.”
This was a very important insight that led me to design the app with an emphasis on live video chat, as well as encouraging users to record videos from more than one angle.
Features
The app's key features include interactive tools to learn ASL basics through games and exercises, a portal for real-time communication with deaf individuals or ASL learners, and customizable user profiles to facilitate informed and personalized practice connections.
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Home
Easily navigate to different corners of the app to find libraries of topics to practice.
Filter
Enjoy searching for ASL learners and educators. Hone your skills while making new friends.
Profile
Check the profiles of potential tutors to see if they’re a match for you in location, language level, and other preferences.
Solution
Wireframing involved multiple iterations, progressing from user flow conceptualization to the development of key features.
Using Sketch, I developed three design iterations, refining the concept into a finalized wireframe ready for developers to transform into an Android-compatible app.
