SignLink - ASL Dictionary

SignLink is an application complete with multiple animations for signs, grammar structures, and other basics for non-native ASL speakers. The goal with this project is to increase ASL literacy, as well as foster a more inclusive environment for the Deaf/HoH community.

View Process Deck

Duration

8 Weeks

Tools

Figma
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Premiere Pro

Problem Statement

Over the course of the pandemic, there have been a large shortage of interpreters at universities. Deaf/HoH students often feel they cannot adequately communicate with their professors due to a lack of general education for ASL. Rochester Institute of Technology, a school that prides itself on being the only National Technical Institute for the Deaf, is greatly lacking in amenities.

Research

ASL-LEX is the most comprehensive ASL online dictionary, featuring 2,000+ signs with videos. Signs are grouped into colored clusters, representing their grammatical significance (noun, verb, etc.). It is quite an in-depth application, even ranking and focusing on the most popular signs used.

User Personas

These 2 personas were made with a hearing audience in mind, as they would typically be the least educated in ASL (unless they were actual interpreters). The goal is to educate the casual, hearing audience in an efficient way.

User Flow

ASL grammar is broken up into 4 general, grammatical groups: Time, Nouns, Adjectives, and Verbs. Thus, I wanted to mainly focus on those 4 options.

Sketches

I divided the 4 main groups into separate bubbles, which contained smaller subgroups. I also experimented with a translation feature where the user can combine signs from the bubbles to form a sentence.

Wireframes

I wanted to include search filters to allow the user a quicker experience for learning specific signs. I also wanted to add a sign accuracy feature, which uses AR technology to trace a user's hands when signing.

Visual Comps

Ultimately, my comps became very different from my earlier renditions. Since this was supposed to be a simple, casual learning experience, I cut the sentence-making feature and assigned the 4 grammatical groups specific colors. Instead of making 4 large bubbles, I split the groups up into simpler, digestible topics such as Food, education, etc.

Prototype

When users touch the bubbles, the subgroups appear and other bubbles blur into the background. There is also now a percentage calculator for signing accuracy.