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DoubleCheck
Forms & Language: A Design Solution
DoubleCheck is a mobile app designed to assist non-native English speakers fill in forms.
Project outcome: Identified a real world problem and delivered a validated solution through end-to-end design via the Double Diamond process.
Client: Academy Xi – Personal Project
Role: UX/UI Designer (Solo)
Duration: April – May 2022 (6 weeks)
The Problem
For those of us with immigrant parents, much of our life is spent helping our parents fill in English forms. Whether you were trying to translate ‘income tax’ into Cantonese as a confused 10-year old or acting as a live-in scribe for your parents, the process was always tedious, frustrating and yet, very necessary. The problem was complex, personal and difficult to solve – which meant it was the perfect challenge for an end-to-end UX project.
1. Defining the problem
The first phase of the project involved a robust research approach, employing a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods. Findings were then synthesised, allowing for clear personas and user journeys to arise. This provided a strong foundation from which a viable solution could be designed.
Primary & Secondary Research
Affinity Mapping
Personas
User Journeys
Research & Findings
Goal
To better understand the problem space of translation, forms and intergenerational relations.
Methods
- Online surveys (74 responses received)
- 1:1 Interviews (8 participants interviewed)
- Desktop research
- Competitor Review
Scroll to explore key findings
Affinity Maps, Personas & User Journeys
Survey and interview data was then synthesised into an affinity map in order to draw out key themes and pain points. This was used to construct a primary and secondary persona as well as their corresponding user journeys.
Scroll to explore artefacts
2. Pivot Point
After thoroughly researching the initial problem space, it was clear that a shift in focus was required. The problem needed to be reframed and by doing so, more succinct ‘How Might We’ statements could be defined.
Revised Problem Statement
How Might We's
Revised Problem Statement
Throughout the initial stages, I had focused heavily on the perspectives of the second-generation children providing form translation assistance. However, data showed that if the parents were empowered and provided the means to translate parts of the form themselves, this would have a cascading effect into helping the kids and alleviating their pain points. As such, my initial problem statement had to be revised.
Old Problem Statement
A native English speaker who feels frustrated about completing forms for non-native English speakers wants the process to be easier and faster but faces significant language barriers.
New Problem Statement
A non-native English speaker who feels overwhelmed about completing forms in English needs to be able to do so but faces significant language barriers and concerns over accuracy.
How Might We's
Next, I formulated three “How Might We’s” to help solve for my personas’ biggest pain points, as defined within the research phase. These were:
How might we help Mingze overcome translation barriers, so that it doesn't take so long to fill out a form?
How might we enable Mingze to complete more of the form herself, so that it also saves Chloe time and effort?
How might we provide Mingze with a sense of trust that her answers are accurate?
3. Designing the Solution
Now that the problem had been properly defined, I was able to move into the solution phase with confidence that I was addressing the pain points that would have largest impact for both personas. This last phase involved ideating multiple solutions, user testing these, drafting up user flows and wireframes and finally, rolling out a high-fidelity prototype.
Ideation Workshops
User Flows
Lo-fi & Mid-fi Wireframes
Usability Testing
High Fidelity Prototype
Ideation & Concept Development
I facilitated two group ideation workshops to brainstorm potential solutions. Ideas were then sorted into an MVP matrix.
Features with the most merit were developed further via user flows and lo-fi wireframe sketches. These were presented to my primary personas to gather early concept feedback.
Scroll to explore artefacts
The Solution
Having stress tested the concept on my personas, I then moved into the Deliver phase of the project, designing and refining my solution to the forms and language problem space: the DoubleCheck app.
The DoubleCheck app has two core functions, depending on whether Mingze (primary persona) or Chloe (secondary persona) is using it.
Translation Flow for Mingze
For Mingze, DoubleCheck is primarily a translation tool. She is able to use the app’s camera function to translate form questions into her chosen language (Mandarin). She is also able to respond in Mandarin and save her response into the app’s library.
(Note: this feature utilises a Google Translate API).
Checking Flow for Chloe
Once Mingze has saved her answer, Chloe (her daughter), receives a notification within the same app. Chloe goes into the app, is asked to quickly verify her mother’s response and is able to do so with a simple one-click action.
Saved Answers Flow for Mingze
Back in her app, Mingze can now see that her response has been checked by Chloe. If the response has been marked correct, she now has the confidence to go and complete that part of the form herself.
Have we addressed Mingze's Pain Points?
How might we help Mingze overcome translation barriers?
How might we enable Mingze to complete more of the form herself and thus save Chloe time?
How might we provide Mingze with a sense of trust that her answers are accurate?
Solution: DoubleCheck’s Translation function allows Mingze to easily translate and respond to questions in her native language using a simple camera-based function.
Solution: There is now less reliance on Chloe as the translation “middle man” as Mingze can now translate the form herself. As she has essentially done 70% of the work herself, we are also helping save Chloe quite a bit of time.
Solution: Mingze now has peace of mind has her answer has been double-checked by a native English speaker, mitigating the pain point of having a ‘lack of trust in translation tools’.
Usability Testing
Throughout development, clickable prototypes were thoroughly tested with my personas to identify potential improvements in the experience.
- Tested with 8 x “Mingzes” & 4 x “Chloes”
- In-person prototype testing as well as remote Zoom calls
- Personas presented with 3x tasks specific to their journey
- Observations recorded in Miro and synthesised
- Prototypes updated and re-tested in an iterative process
High Fidelity Prototype
The final stage of the project was the roll-out of a high-fidelity prototype. Mood boards and colour palettes were tested with my personas and a visual strategy mapped out. The final product can be seen here.
Project Conclusion
DoubleCheck was presented and submitted as a personal project for Academy Xi course work. It received overwhelmingly positive feedback from Academy Xi’s Lead UX Design Instructor and was regarded as one of the top projects of the 2022 UX-FT-09 intake.
"This is one of those excellent pieces of work that any design lead would be thrilled to watch you present...[there was] an incredible amount of research to get to your personas and it really showed all throughout the project...you went above and beyond to get there and the solution was so simple and so smart - truly magnificent."
Hayden Peters, Lead UX/UI Instructor (Academy Xi)
