Deafies
ui/ux design
aug '22 - apr '23
Deafies empower individuals with hearing loss to strengthen their deaf identity. through features like journalling and mentorship, it provides a platform for self-expression and meaningful connections within the deaf community. Deafies is a trusted companion for individuals as they navigate deafhood.
discover
common misconception
very often we associate hearing loss with its physical challenges such as the inability to hear and communicate.
to find out more, read my dissertation -
an exploration of deafness in a hearing world
deaf identity
research and readings led to the discovery of deaf identity, an intangible aspect of hearing loss that profoundly affects one's life satisfaction and emotional well-being. despite its significance, support is absent to the deaf community.
deaf identity consists of four types: Deaf, bicultural, hearing, and marginal. emotional well-being varies across these identities, with deaf and bicultural leaning towards a healthier spectrum, hearing and marginal less so.
factors influencing one's deaf identity
there are 4 key factors that heavily influence one's deaf identity
define
scope
how might we support individuals with hearing loss in the development of a healthy deaf identity?
design direction
deaf identity is a lifelong journey. after speaking to individuals with hearing loss about their own experiences, documentation of their journey surfaced to be a common theme among those with a healthy identity.
develop
ideation & prototype
ideation was done around journaling as a key feature to support the documentation of a user's deaf journey.
with a lo-fidelity prototype, usability testing was conducted to understand how users would use the journal feature and their thoughts about it.
usability test insights & refinements
insights uncovered during usability testing:
+ some did not understand the relationship between sharing and documenting their stories for their identity development
+ users are new to the idea of sharing, and many took a long time to type something
+ stories were not always related to their deaf experiences and thus, not beneficial to their identity development or the community
+ users were hesitant in sharing their stories publicly
^
onboarding feature:
introduced for
educational purposes
^
self-identification quiz:
help users identify their current identity
^
word prompts:
to better guide users in crafting their stories
^
anonymous feature:
sharing of stories without fear of exposure
usability test overview
with the new refinements made, a second round of usability testing was conducted. below are some positive indicative results that pushed Deafies in the right direction.
5min29s
before
3min12s
after
time taken to write and publish a journal entry
70.3
before
82.5
after
system usability scale (sus score)
prototype development
upon finalizing the features, the information architecture was curated. this helped in organizing the design process of the
high-fidelity prototype.
deliver
Deafies summary
Deafies supports individuals with hearing loss in the development of a healthy deaf identities through 4 key pillars as illustrated.
onboarding & quiz
educate and increase self-awareness. this step helps to form a strong foundation of understanding and goal setting when using Deafies.
journaling
allows individuals to process & express their emotions. this helps them cope with communication difficulties they face daily, as well as an avenue for them to practice their sign language which is a core aspect of a healthy identity.
mentorship
designed to enhance the support ecosystem within the community. the collaboration hopes to expand sadeaf's client base with a long term goal of improving the deaf landscape in singapore.
private chats & interest groups
opportunities for individuals to connect on a deeper level, as well as foster community building.
branding
deaf with a small letter D and a capital D has 2 different meanings in the community.
this knowledge heavily inspired the design of the logo. taking reference of an ear and the capital D, with the apostrophe symbolizing conversations, the logo encapsulates the goal of Deafies which is to help individuals strengthen their deaf identity, together with the deaf community.
