Lesson — letter AWritten symbol, meaning and ISL demonstration in one view.
Practice — hands onlyCamera framing guidance with the face out of frame.
Practice — no cameraCamera-free matching activity with the same objective.
Parent — Riya's setupAccessibility, practice and rhythm controls for guardians.
Project snapshot
Problem
Young Deaf and non-speaking children can encounter barriers when learning environments rely heavily on spoken instruction, text or limited opportunities for individual practice.
Opportunity
Create a visual-first learning experience that supports structured ISL learning and meaningful practice without making camera use mandatory.
Users
Children aged approximately 6–8, and their parents or guardians.
Outcome
A structured learning system connecting Learn → Watch → Practice → Feedback → Progress.
In short
01
What I did
Designed an Indian Sign Language learning app for deaf children end-to-end, from Double Diamond research to lessons, practice and guardian controls.
02
What changed
Practice stopped depending on the camera — a hands-only, visual-first path sits beside camera practice, with accessibility built into the flow.
03
What I'd test next
Comprehension with children in the target age range, co-designed and reviewed with Deaf educators and native ISL signers.
This is an independent case study I designed to practice end-to-end product thinking — from research through to a working prototype.
I used the Double Diamond to separate problem discovery from solution development, allowing the research to shape the product direction before committing to a solution. In practice the stages overlapped — accessibility findings in Develop sent parts of the flow back into Define.
01
Discover
Research the problem and context.
02
Define
Synthesize evidence into a focused opportunity.
03
Develop
Explore and prototype possible solutions.
04
Deliver
Refine, validate and prepare the final experience.
01 / Discover
Understanding the problem before designing the solution.
Rather than beginning with an LMS or an AI translator, I first explored the learning environment around young Deaf and non-speaking children: how foundational language is introduced, where practice breaks down, what role teachers and guardians play, and where existing digital resources leave gaps.
Research areas
01Accessibility and learning context
02Early language learning
03ISL learning resources
04Existing digital learning experiences
05Guardian involvement
06Practice and feedback
07Camera and privacy considerations
08Cognitive load in children's interfaces
Research approach
Secondary research-led concept exploration. No interviews or usability sessions were conducted; every conclusion below is drawn from published material, existing products and structured evaluation.
Secondary research
Competitive / landscape analysis
Accessibility review
Existing product analysis
Learning experience analysis
Heuristic evaluation
Design synthesis
What I wanted to understand
01
How are young Deaf and non-speaking children introduced to language and foundational learning?
02
Where does existing ISL learning become difficult for children?
03
Is watching a sign enough to demonstrate learning?
04
How can children practise without depending entirely on teacher correction?
05
How can camera-based practice be made optional rather than mandatory?
06
What role should parents play?
07
How can an interface reduce cognitive load for early learners?
08
How can accessibility be embedded into the product architecture rather than added later?
Landscape
The learning ecosystem is fragmented.
Learning resources exist across teachers, schools, video platforms, educational content and digital tools. However, these experiences are often fragmented across content delivery, practice and feedback.
Approach
Strength
Limitation
Opportunity
Teacher-led learning
Live correction and human context.
Attention is shared across a whole class.
Extend practice beyond the classroom session.
Video-based learning
Consistent, repeatable demonstration.
Delivery without verification of performance.
Attach an activity to every demonstration.
Open video platforms
Wide availability of ISL content.
No curriculum order or progression.
Structure content into levels and lessons.
Traditional LMS
Progress tracking and structure.
Text-first patterns built for older learners.
Rebuild the same structure visually.
Camera-based practice
Feedback on the child's own signing.
Privacy, comfort and device constraints.
Offer an equivalent camera-free route.
Signa
Structured lessons paired with optional practice modes.
Concept stage; recognition accuracy unvalidated.
Treat accessibility as product architecture.
Synthesis
What the research revealed
Insight 01
Watching is not the same as learning.
A child may be able to recognise a sign without being able to reproduce it.
Implication The product needs a practice layer, not only a content layer.
Insight 02
The learning experience needs to connect language systems.
Children are not only learning a gesture. They are building relationships between written symbol → meaning → ISL sign → physical action.
Implication Lessons should make these relationships explicit.
Insight 03
Camera-based assessment introduces a choice, not a requirement.
Camera practice can create privacy, comfort and access considerations.
Implication Camera-based practice should coexist with a meaningful camera-free alternative.
Insight 04
The child and guardian need different levels of complexity.
Children need simple, visual, low-cognitive-load interactions. Guardians need deeper controls around accessibility, privacy, practice and learning rhythm.
Implication Create two complementary experiences rather than forcing both users into the same interface.
Context
The scale of the opportunity
I reviewed government datasets, institutional reports and established research to quantify the scale of the problem, understand education access, and identify the existing ISL and digital infrastructure surrounding young Deaf learners in India.
Synthesis
From evidence to patterns
I clustered recurring observations across learning, practice, accessibility, guardian involvement and engagement to identify patterns that could influence the product direction.
Affinity map — clustered observations across five themes
01
Visual learning
Demonstration carries more instructional weight than text.
02
Practice & feedback
Repetition needs a response to be useful.
03
Accessibility
Input methods cannot be assumed.
04
Guardian involvement
Support without ISL fluency.
05
Engagement & motivation
Progress needs to be visible.
Users
Two users, two levels of complexity
Child
Approximately 6–8
Needs
Visual-first instruction
Simple interactions
Repetition
Immediate feedback
Low cognitive load
Encouragement
Accessible practice
Pain points
Limited reliance on written explanation
Difficulty knowing whether a physical sign is correct
Potential frustration from repeated failure
Dependence on teacher availability
Guardian
Parent or carer
Needs
Confidence in learning
Privacy controls
Accessibility controls
Practice options
Screen-time management
Clear progress
Pain points
May not know ISL themselves
Needs to understand what the child is learning
Needs control over camera use
Needs simple configuration
Journey
Where the learning session breaks down
Mapping the child's session end to end made the gap visible: everything before Practice is well served by existing tools, and everything after it is not.
Journey map — goal, action, challenge, opportunity and feeling per stage
Root cause
Finding the root of the problem
Children can recognise an ISL sign without having enough opportunity to practise and verify their own signing.
Cause & effect — five contributing branches and their downstream effects
Learning
Video-first learning
Limited structured practice
Fragmented resources
Practice
Teacher attention is limited
Repeated practice is difficult
Feedback is inconsistent
Accessibility
Camera may not be appropriate for every child
Text-heavy interfaces increase cognitive load
Audio cannot be the primary learning mechanism
Guardian
May not know ISL
Needs confidence and control
Needs privacy settings
Engagement
Repetition can become monotonous
Children need visible progress
Feedback needs to feel encouraging
5 Whys
Following the problem down
5 Whys — from symptom to root cause
Why 01
Why can children struggle to learn ISL?
Because learning can depend heavily on demonstration without enough individual practice.
Why 02
Why is individual practice limited?
Because teachers cannot continuously observe every child's signing.
Why 03
Why can't the child practise independently?
Because many resources primarily deliver content rather than interactive practice.
Why 04
Why does this matter?
Because recognising a sign and performing a sign are different learning outcomes.
Why 05
What is the underlying opportunity?
The product needs to bridge see → understand → perform → receive feedback.
The opportunity wasn't simply to create more ISL content. It was to create a meaningful practice layer around that content.
02 / Define
Turning research into a focused product opportunity.
Problem statement
Young Deaf and non-speaking children need a visual-first way to build foundational ISL skills that goes beyond watching demonstrations, while guardians need control over accessibility, privacy and learning rhythm.
How might we…
How might we create a visual-first ISL learning experience that allows young children to learn, practise and reinforce signs independently, while giving guardians meaningful control over accessibility, privacy and learning rhythm?
For whom
Young Deaf and non-speaking children and their guardians.
Action
Learn, practise and reinforce ISL through structured visual lessons and interactive activities.
Value
Build foundational communication skills through accessible, low-pressure practice while giving guardians control over the learning environment.
Principles
Five rules the product had to hold to
01
Visual first
Show before explaining.
02
Practice, not just watch
Every lesson should provide an opportunity to perform.
03
Camera optional
Accessibility should not depend on one input method.
04
Child simple, guardian informed
Keep child interactions simple while giving guardians meaningful controls.
05
Progress should motivate
Make learning feel like a journey rather than a test.
Product strategy
One learning loop, repeated at every level.
Each lesson is a complete cycle rather than a page of content. The loop is what makes practice a structural part of the product rather than an optional extra.
LearnWatchPracticeFeedbackProgress
Core learning loop — see, understand, watch, perform, feedback, progress
Information architecture
A hierarchy a six-year-old can hold in their head.
The child-facing tree stays four levels deep at most; everything configurable lives behind the parent section.
Information architecture — child and guardian trees
User flow
The primary path through a lesson
Primary user flow — guardian setup, child lesson cycle, progression
HomeClass 1Course 1Level 1Lesson ALearnISL demonstrationPracticeCamera or no cameraFeedbackCorrectXPNext lesson
Camera practice flow
The branch below is where accessibility becomes structural: the camera route and the camera-free route both complete the same lesson objective.
PracticeCamera permissionHands only / Full signing / No cameraHand positioningSign detectionFeedback
CorrectContinue
IncorrectTry again
Repeated difficultyWatch again
No cameraMatching activity
03 / Develop
Exploring how the product could make learning feel simple, visual and engaging.
Direction 01
Video-first learning
Strength
Simple content delivery.
Limitation
Doesn't verify practice.
Direction 02
AI-first sign translation
Strength
Interactive.
Limitation
Introduces technical complexity and privacy concerns.
Direction 03Chosen
Visual learning + optional practice
Strength
Balances structured learning, practice, accessibility and privacy.
Limitation
Requires two parallel practice routes to stay in sync.
I chose to focus the product on structured learning and meaningful practice rather than making translation the centre of the experience.
From structure to interface
Welcome / guardian entry
Home — learning journey
Lesson — letter A
Parent dashboard
Design decision Early wireframes intentionally reduced each screen to one primary action to minimise cognitive load for younger learners.
Design system
A system built around demonstration, not text.
Component decisions followed the constraints: large targets, non-colour feedback states, and cards that lead with visual content.
Color
Primary
Secondary
Success
Warning
Error
Neutral
Typography
Display
Heading
Body
Caption
Components
Buttons
Learning nodes
Progress
Video cards
Practice cards
Feedback states
Navigation
Settings rows
Accessibility
Contrast
Text scaling
Touch targets
Reduced motion
Non-color feedback
Captions
Signa
Product design system
18 sections — foundations through accessibility. Live components, not a screenshot.
01
Foundations
Every token exists to serve one of three constraints: visual-first learning, large touch targets, and feedback that never depends on colour alone.
Brand
color.primary
#4B49E5
Accent
color.secondary
#FF8A3D
Surface
color.surface
#FFFFFF
Text
color.text
#171632
Base unit
4 px
Min touch target
48 × 48
Body contrast
≥ 4.5:1
02
Colour
Primary
primary/600
#4B49E5
Primary soft
primary/100
#E8E7FF
Secondary
secondary/500
#FF8A3D
Success
semantic/success
#1EA96C
Warning
semantic/warning
#E9A507
Error
semantic/error
#E1483F
Info
semantic/info
#2E86F0
Neutral
neutral/200
#E2E1EE
Background
bg/base
#F7F7FB
Surface alt
surface/alt
#F0F0F7
Text
text/primary
#171632
Text muted
text/muted
#5C5B7A
Colour never carries meaning alone — every state pairs a hue with an icon and a word.
03
Typography
Display
Learn to sign
Nunito · 700 · 40/44
H1
Today's lesson
Nunito · 700 · 32/38
H2
Course 1 — Alphabet
Nunito · 700 · 26/32
H3
Practice modes
Nunito · 600 · 20/28
H4
Camera-free practice
Nunito · 600 · 16/24
Body large
Watch the sign, then try it yourself.
Inter · 400 · 17/28
Body
Copy the hand shape shown in the video.
Inter · 400 · 15/24
Body small
You can practise without the camera.
Inter · 400 · 13/20
Label
GUARDIAN ACCESS
Inter · 600 · 11.5/16
Caption
Video plays at 0.5× by default
Inter · 400 · 11/16
Button
Go to practice
Inter · 600 · 14/20
Numeric / XP
+40 XP
Nunito · 800 · 26/30
04
Spacing
XS4px
SM8px
MD16px
LG24px
XL40px
XXL64px
05
Grid
Mobile — 4 col
20px page margin · 12px gutter · cards stack full-width.
Tablet / guardian — 8 col
Max content width 720px · 24px card spacing.
06
Border radius
Aa
SM 8
Aa
MD 16
Aa
LG 24
Aa
XL 32
Aa
Pill
07
Elevation
None
Subtle
Card
Elevated
08
Iconography
Home
Class
Badge
Leaderboard
Settings
Progress
Practice
Access.
Camera
Privacy
Screen time
Reward
Rounded stroke icons, 2px weight, 24px grid — friendly without being cartoonish.
09
Buttons
10
Learning components
Completed
Current
Locked
Course 1 · Lesson 3
Letter C
Watch · Copy · Check
Play lesson
Activity card
Match the sign
3 of 5 activities
11
Course / class components
Class→Course→Level→Lesson→Activity
Class card
Alphabet Class
2 courses · 26 lessons
Course card
Course 1 — A to M
Level card
Level 2
Unlocks at 200 XP
Lesson card
Letter B
In progress
12
Progress
Lesson progress
70%
Course progress
18 of 26 lessons
13
XP
+20 XP +40 XP +50 XP +200 XP
XP rewards effort and attempts, never accuracy alone — a wrong attempt still earns progress.
14
Badges
Locked
45%
In progress
Earned
First lesson!
Celebration state
15
Video / sign demonstration
Hand shape: closed fist, thumb at the side. Video occupies ≥60% of the learning card.
16
Camera-free practice
Aa
Which one is the sign for A?
Correct Try again
17
Feedback states
Success
Great job!
Encouragement
Nearly there — one more go.
Try again
Try again!
Incorrect
That's a different sign.
Locked
Finish Letter A first.
Completed
Lesson complete.
Child-facing copy stays to three words where possible; guardian views carry the detail.
18
Accessibility
Text scaling up to 200%
High contrast mode
Reduced motion
Slower demonstrations (0.5×)
Simplified instructions
Larger touch targets (48px+)
Reduced distractions
Non-colour feedback (icon + word)
Captions and supporting visuals
Camera-free alternative for every activity
Accessibility components live in the core library — not in a separate "accessible mode".
Design system — live specimen, scroll to inspect
Accessibility
Accessibility as product architecture
Accessibility was treated as a product-level constraint rather than a visual layer added at the end. Designed with WCAG 2.2 principles in mind; formal conformance has not been tested.
Perceivable
Visual information
Contrast
Captions
Non-color feedback
Operable
Large touch targets
Simple gestures
Clear navigation
Understandable
Consistent interaction
Simple language
Predictable feedback
Robust
Clear semantic structure
Accessible interaction states
Privacy by design
Camera should be an option, not a requirement.
Camera-based practice can provide richer feedback, but it also introduces privacy, comfort and access considerations. Instead of making camera use mandatory, Signa provides an equivalent camera-free learning activity.
01
Hands only
Practice signs while keeping the face outside the frame.
02
Full signing
Optional practice including facial expression.
03
No camera
Visual matching activity.
Three practice modes against the same lesson objective
Cognitive load
Designing for a six-year-old
Because the primary learner is young, reducing cognitive load became a central design constraint.
01
One primary action
Large visual hierarchy, a single decision per screen.
02
Minimal text
Use demonstration instead of explanation where possible.
03
Recognition over recall
Show signs, objects and examples.
04
Consistent interaction
The same interaction patterns repeat across lessons.
05
Gentle feedback
Errors become opportunities to try again rather than moments of failure.
04 / Deliver
Turning the learning model into a cohesive product experience.
Class → Course → Level → Lesson → Letter → ISL demonstration
03
Practice
Camera → sign → feedback → No camera → match the sign → feedback
04
Progress
Lesson completion → XP → Badges → Leaderboard
Key interactions
Three moments the product depends on
Lesson
The lesson intentionally separates recognition from performance: the child first understands the symbol and its meaning, observes the ISL sign, and only then attempts to reproduce or identify it.
Home — continue the course
Learn the letter — Aa
Learn the sign — Aa
Learn the letter — Bb
Learn the sign — Bb
Scroll / drag horizontally
Camera practice
Camera practice is designed as an optional layer rather than the only route to completing a lesson.
Choose a practice mode
Framing — ready to start
Attempt — 'Almost'
Attempt — 'Correct'
Letter mastered — +5 XP
Scroll / drag horizontally
Camera-free practice
The camera-free activity preserves the learning objective while removing the privacy and device constraints associated with camera input.
Find the sign for A
Find the sign for B
Correct — letter mastered
Session summary — activities & XP
Scroll / drag horizontally
Parent experience
A different level of complexity, on purpose.
The parent experience intentionally uses a different level of complexity: children receive simplified interactions, while guardians receive the controls and context required to configure the learning environment.
Riya's setup · How Riya sees · How Riya practices · How Riya rests · Privacy & safety
Evaluation
What the audit revealed
After building the initial experience, I evaluated the flow against usability heuristics, accessibility principles and the needs of the two user groups.
Finding 01
Camera framing was unclear.
Change — Added explicit hand-position guidance.
Finding 02
Parent accessibility settings were too abstract.
Change — Reorganised settings around concrete child needs.
Finding 03
Camera practice could become a privacy barrier.
Change — Introduced Hands Only and No Camera alternatives.
Finding 04
Error feedback could feel punitive.
Change — Introduced encouraging retry states and parent-level guidance.
Finding 05
Learning hierarchy was difficult to understand.
Change — Established Class → Course → Level → Lesson → Activity.
Iteration
What changed
Design iterations driven by usability findings.
Before / after — the four key iterations
01 — Camera guidance
Problem — The original camera screen focused mainly on generic camera settings and did not clearly communicate where the user's hands should be positioned.
Change — Added clear hand-position guidance so students understand where to place their hands before starting.
02 — Course structure
Problem — The original learning flow moved too quickly from the ABCs into the course and did not provide enough structure.
Change — Restructured the learning experience into Course → Chapters → Lessons. Each course contains 2–3 chapters, and each chapter contains 1–3 short lessons. This keeps the learning journey simple and prevents students from feeling overwhelmed.
03 — Accessibility
Problem — The original accessibility-related interactions were more complicated than necessary.
Change — Simplified the accessibility screens and interactions so students can understand what to do with less cognitive effort.
04 — Hands-only interaction
Problem — The hands-only interaction created a usability issue because students were not given enough guidance about the required hand position.
Change — Redesigned the interaction to make the expected physical behavior and hand placement more explicit.
I also iterated on several other screens throughout the product based on usability issues, simplifying interactions and improving clarity wherever the original experience created unnecessary friction.
Final product
What the product is built around
01
See
Understand visually.
02
Sign
Observe ISL.
03
Practice
Perform the sign.
04
Feedback
Understand how to improve.
05
Progress
Continue the learning journey.
Expected product outcomes
Expected outcomes — concept stage; not measured post-launch
01
Make foundational ISL learning more structured and visually engaging.
02
Give children meaningful opportunities to practise rather than only consume content.
03
Provide a camera-free alternative for children who cannot or do not want to use camera practice.
04
Give guardians meaningful control over accessibility, privacy and learning rhythm.
05
Reduce unnecessary cognitive load through visual-first interaction.
Limitations
What this concept does not yet prove
AI sign recognition would require real-world model validation.
ISL content should be reviewed with qualified Deaf / ISL educators and native signers.
The learning curriculum would require educational validation.
Child usability testing would be essential before real-world deployment.
Privacy and data architecture would require technical and legal review.
WCAG alignment would require formal accessibility testing.
This is a prototype, not a production-ready educational system.
If taken into development
Next steps
01Co-design with Deaf educators and ISL users.
02Test learning comprehension with children in the target age range.
03Validate sign recognition accuracy with real-world hand variations.
04Conduct accessibility testing with assistive technology.
05Validate privacy architecture and consent flows.
06Pilot the curriculum with schools and learning organisations.
07Measure learning outcomes rather than relying only on engagement metrics.
Reflection
What this project changed in my thinking
Signa changed how I think about accessibility. I initially approached accessibility as a set of interface requirements, but the project showed me that it can fundamentally change the product architecture itself.
01
Accessibility can change the interaction model.
02
For children, simplicity is a product strategy rather than merely a visual style.
03
Designing for multiple users means giving each user the right level of control rather than giving everyone the same interface.
Good accessibility shouldn't make a product feel different. It should make the product feel easier.
