INNOCAPTION - DESKVIEW
Real-time captioning platform for accessibility
PROJECT OVERVIEW
InnoCaption is a technology company based in California offering real-time captioning of phone calls through live stenographers and automated speech recognition software. This technology makes phone calls easy and accessible for the deaf and hard of hearing community. It empowers users in work settings and ables users to keep connected to life's most important moments.
InnoCaption has a network of over 100 live stenographers who can provide accurate captioning and added quality of the call by providing non-verbal cues in a conversation, such as indicating laughter, or handling an emergency call.
InnoCaption has been making difference in people lives since since 2016 and currently has over 20k registered users. InnoCaption is proud to be the only call captioning technology company to utilize this specialized group of technical experts to serve the deaf and hard of hearing community.
MY CONTRIBUTIONS
Scope
End to end product design
Time
4 weeks for design + development in progress
Role
User Research | Web Design | UX | UI | Prototype | Development
Tools
Figma
DEFINE REQUIREMENTS
SCOPE
Deskview was already in the market as a product, but it lacked design. It was being used solely as an accessibility tool, without being fully integrated into people's lives. The company approached me to request a user-centered design. I helped design a product that feels more intuitive and professional, aiming to attract a larger user base. Additionally, I collaborated closely with stakeholders and the engineering team to develop and prepare the product for the market.
PROBLEM
Phone calls are one of the main form of communication today which can be a challenge for the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Many older deaf and hard of hearing community rely on their families, friends or neighbors to make a simple phone call. We would like to provide accessible tools to empower the deaf and hard of hearing community.
“For many years I had phone anxiety and stopped using phones altogether for several years. I began using InnoCaption and came to like it a lot. I know that they use stenographers and I know somebody’s there with me.”
- InnoCaption User
USER RESEARCH
ANALYZING PRIOR VERSIONS AND ISSUES
Through user interviews, I conducted a comprehensive assessment of the usability of the previous version of DeskView. Users expressed appreciation for its functionality and capabilities. The feedback from users was overwhelmingly positive, with a strong appreciation for its extensive functionality and capabilities. However, it was evident that there were several significant UI issues that needed to be addressed in order to enhance the overall user experience.
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The rigid, technical UI made it "feel like talking to 911.”
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There were too many functionalities being presented all at once that they were being overlooked or falls off the screen without users knowing.
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Unclear buttons or terminology prevent users from learning about InnoCaption's key features
DeskView - version4.0.28
After conducting thorough analysis of the data and insights obtained from 5 in-depth user interviews as well as comprehensive competitive analysis, I have formulated the following set of guidelines that should be adhered to:
DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
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Readily available so that users can access without being distracted while they are reading the transcription.
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Overall communication experience as close to “functionally equivalent” as possible for the deaf and hard of hearing community
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Ease of use and to empower users to feel “the same” without feeling that they are using an accessibility specific tool.
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
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Need to remember that reading requires more focus than hearing to be able to multi-task
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We want to make sure that the other person feels minimal difference when talking to our users using this tool vs. other unassisted phone calls
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Understand features that are essential for the users at each of the 3 stages of the call: pre-call, in- call, and post-call.
PERSONAS
ANALYZE + IDEATE
ANALYZING KEY STAGES OF THE CALL
In order to create an optimal user experience that is easy to navigate and understand, it was crucial to thoroughly comprehend the three distinct stages of a phone call: the pre-call stage, the in-call stage, and the post-call stage. I wanted to ensure that my design choices aligned with users' expectations and enhanced their overall satisfaction with the product.
IDEATAION
I explored different layouts to optimize transitions between the stages of the call. The challenge was to have a smooth user flow without any element of surprise that can be a hinderance to the user during the call. Also, the screen space needed to be maximized for call captions.
PROTOTYPE
I collaborated closely with the developer to ensure that the designs were created in accordance with technical feasibility and restrictions. One of the main technical constraints was that it had to work in parallel with their existing mobile app. Therefore, we had to ensure that we didn't deviate too much from the mobile app experience.
Before
After
DESIGN FEATURES AND IMPROVEMENTS
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Clean and simple UI to minimize distraction
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Prioritized and organized features so only what’s needed at each stage of call is presented to the user
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Two main panels (primary and secondary) to guide users to essential elements, instead of presenting all functionalities on the main screen.
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Basic, yet most essential functionalities of making and ending a call stays in the primary panel.
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Other key functionalities remain static on the right hand side of the screen at all times.
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Secondary functionalities that can be managed pre-call or saved into user profile is organized in the "Settings" in a separate window.
Before
After
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Color scheme to leverage brand image and have a more modern, consumer product feel
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Usage of language and icons that users are familiar with
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Stronger visual translation of sound that may come through the call
USER TEST + ITERATE
DESIGN EVALUATION
Once the interactive prototype was finished, I conducted 15 usability tests to gather user feedback. Additionally, I collaborated with stakeholders to ensure the inclusion of legal and business requirements. Through multiple design iterations, I further improved the designs to address the issues identified at the beginning of the design process.
I focused on keeping the new look and feel to be modern and simple with larger fonts and icons, and contrasting colors, especially for users with lower vision. Key information and action buttons were placed strategically to follow the eye movement so that users do not need to actively search.
In addition, key features were presented as needed to guide the users through the flows, and updated with language and terminology that are more familiar with users so that they don't get overlooked.
FINAL DESIGN
NEXT STEPS
This was designed with intention that if we can design for any general users to be able to use this product without any sound, it would be a successful tool for the deaf and hard of hearing community as well. However, there could be more edge cases with the intended user demographic so we will need to further understand and test for those edge cases so that we can truly make this platform usable for those who this platform was designed for.
This product is currently in development.