Project Timeline
The Five Planes
App Overview
This application has been proposed to make learning of the Indian Sign Language easy, accessible and long lasting. As per the 2011 Census, the total population of deaf persons in India is around 50 lakh and to be able to communicate the Indian Sign Language is used. Although the ISLRTC- Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre provides professional training to teachers to be able to cater to the need of the specially abled, the existing apps for individuals who wish to learn without joining an official course aren’t that well developed. Additionally, most applications are resource rich but scarce in their approach to learning.
With this in mind, the purpose of this application is to make Indian Sign Language learning easily available and effective for individuals who wish to learn the language to communicate with the deaf and dumb community.
Product Objectives
To design an engaging and holistic Sign Language Learning application for aspiring Indian learners that is profitable and can be scaled up with the introduction of interactive features and multiple other languages.
User Study Insights
Apps for Indian Sign Language weren’t designed according to the users needs. Unlike other languages that could be easily learnt from several other applications, there was a dearth of efficient Indian Sign language applications.
Users want to learn the sign language but they are unable to get a good resource that is trustworthy. They do not wish to enroll for a diploma course for basic learning of the app.
In terms of current language learning apps, users appreciated and used apps like Duolingo, Memrise, etc. but had a hard time continuing to use any language learning application.
User Needs
To design an application that allows individuals to learn the sign language in an easy and accessible way by making the current resource pool easy to digest and learn from progressively.
Stakeholder Insights
Interviews were conducted with sign language interpreters to understand the domain better. It was obseved that sign language learning would be most effective when it was contextual. They also pointed out that sign learning had to be based off someone from the deaf and dumb community. Which meant that the application content database had to be approved by someone from the community.
If it's an application, I expect it to have simple user interface, and also well designed structure for learning. I would expect it to have contextualised approach of learning instead of having individual words being signed in the video because there were many apps which show individual signs of words.
To design an engaging and holistic Sign Language Learning application for aspiring Indian learners that is profitable and can be scaled up with the introduction of interactive features and multiple other languages.
What is it that users want?
I want to learn the language like I can learn any other language online.
I can find enough resources for the American Sign Language but there aren't many good options for the Indian Sign Language.
It's easier to learn French or Spanish or German online than it is to learn the Indian Sign Language.
I really want to contribute to the Indian Deaf and Dumb Community but I don't have enough time to enroll for a professional diploma course for the ISL
click to see the expanded image
Brand Identity
Logo
The logo represents a hand at the intersection of two conversation bubbles to indicate the hand as a medium of communication. In order to ensure that the logo can be used across a number of platforms, a secondary logo was made to ensure the use of the logo isn’t too heavy.
Easli
Short for Easily
Acronym - Easily Accessible Sign Language for Indians
Easli : Primary Features
01
A customised learning path with checkpoints and milestones
Objective - Based of the purpose of learning and available time the app will customise the learning to achieve efficient results.
03
Leaderboards with titles and badges to indicate top scores and achievements
Objective - To increase the motivation of users to learn the language effectively in order to achieve good scores
02
Courses in the form of quizzes/levels and interactive stories
Objective - To ensure that learning is engaging and motivating as well as contextual and not theoretical.
04
Connect with fellow learners and challenge each other to learn together
Objective - To promote interaction between learning enthusiasts and provide social motivation to improve learning
Feature Prioritization for Each Version
MVP
v.2
v.3
v.4
Initial Set up, Courses, Stories, Profile Editing, Dictionary
Badges, Achievements, Leaderboard, Level Overview
Connect with Users, Challenge Users you’ve connected with
Chat with connected users and learn together
Information Architecture
Error Prevention
Low Fidelity Wireframes
The User Interface
Onboarding Screens
Home Page - Courses
View your learning pathway. What’s next? What has been done? And how far are you from certain milestones. View what’s coming next and expand the pathway to learn more.
A Day plan, planned for your purpose and time. Click on any course and get started.
Course Overview
Don’t feel overwhelmed by questions first without any learning. Easli builds on the loopholes from other language learning apps by giving the user an overview before testing their understanding.
Test your understanding
After the overview you can then test your learning through the quiz evaluation. See your progress and scores as you answer the questions!
Interactive Stories
Learning with context is true learning of value. Navigate through our several storylines, and read and learn as you go, Answer a few questions to stay up-to-date with your learning!
The Dictionary - a repository
Want to learn a new sign on the go? Use the dictionary feature with advanced filters to help you find your way around. Save new items if you want to get back to them later.
Profile / Progress
View your progress so far through infographics and keep a check at your learning. Feel motivated to make a difference.
Final Note
Considering the lack of adequate apps for Indian Sign Language Learning, Easli was proposed. The app is designed to help language learning aspirants as well as individuals who wish to learn the Sign Language learn the language easily in a more structured and systematic app. For the MVP, the app has the basic functionalities, leaderboards and connecting with other users would be introduced with a substantial number of users joining the app to make sense of the features better.
With the introduction of Easli, we hope the number of ISL aspirants get a fair chance at learning the language and contributing to the deaf and dumb community.
P.S. The app was not built to replace the current diploma courses to certify ISL but as a supplement for lower level learners who just want to learn the app on the side.