Real-Time Audio Reader for Deaf College Students
A UX-focused motion design solution for inclusive and accessible education.
Motion Designer
After Effects
Illustrator
UI Animation
Accessibility Design
Deaf and hard-of-hearing college students face challenges keeping up with auditory information in real-time lectures.
This project explores a solution to provide accessible, real-time transcriptions with contextual class details, helping bridge the communication gap in higher education.
To design and animate a motion prototype for an accessible transcription tool that integrates both real-time text and visual cues, tailored to the needs of college students
Empathy Mapping: Explored user needs through insights from accessibility studies and real-world challenges faced by deaf students.
Competitive Analysis: Looked at existing transcription tools like Otter.ai and Google Live Transcribe to identify gaps.
Conceptualized a streamlined interface prioritizing readability and focus, with text transcription as the primary element and supporting waveform visualization.
Class info (title and professor).
Real-time transcription area.
Interactive elements like
"Start/Stop" and "Pause."
Animated the transcription and audio waveform in After Effects.
Ensured timing and transitions synced with real-time voiceover.
Added accessibility-friendly features like high-contrast text and smooth scrolling to guide focus.
Why Multi-Language?
This would allow the transcription to cater to multilingual classrooms.
To support diverse students who may be more comfortable in a non-English language.
Real-time text synchronized with voiceover.
Class and professor information for context.
Responsive, visually clean design for accessibility.
How this solution addresses the problem:
Improves real-time engagement for deaf students in lectures.
Provides an inclusive environment by bridging accessibility gaps.
Personal Takeaways:
Strengthened my skills in UI animation for accessibility.
Gained insights into designing for underserved user groups.
Improved Accessibility for Deaf Students: By providing synchronized, real-time transcription with intuitive animations, this tool empowers deaf and hard-of-hearing students to engage more effectively in classroom discussions and lectures.
Encourages Professors to Adapt to Accessibility Needs: Tools like this demonstrate the importance of designing classroom experiences that are inclusive and considerate of diverse learners.
Potential Applications Beyond Classrooms:
The technology and design could extend to conferences, webinars, or workplaces, providing accessible communication in various professional and educational settings.
Promotes Inclusivity in Education: The ability to support multiple languages and clear feedback during pauses ensures a broader range of students can benefit, regardless of their linguistic or accessibility needs.
This project was an opportunity to leverage motion design and UX principles for a greater purpose—creating solutions that genuinely help people. It underscored my belief that thoughtful design can improve lives, especially for underserved communities and groups.