9 months
Sep 2022 - May 2023
VoCreate offers a voice-user interface specifically for art creation, revolutionizing how we approach artistic expression. VoCreate empowers individuals with motor impairments by providing a novel way to bring their ideas and creativity to life through drawing.
Injuries like Spinal Cord Injury impact the person's spine which can result in life-long paralysis of arm, hands, and legs. This impacts a person's ability to use common objects, including pen/stylus, mouse, or keyboard.
User Goal: Empower artists to draw with more control
While splints (image above) allow users to hold a pencil or a stylus, it does not allow them to control it accurately as users are mostly able to control their shoulders. Also, it takes longer to get used to.
User Goal: An easier to learning and use method
VoCreate is designed meticulously with the input of artists with hand impairments, to ensure that it meets their needs and allows them to express themselves freely.
Users can control the app using their voice, such as vowel sounds to move the brush and paint. By making the "EE" sound the user can move the paint brush to the left and by making the "AW" sound to the right. It's fun, but also useful when drawing longer strokes while maintaining artistic control.
The redesigned tool menu allows users to access drawing tools from anywhere on the screen, making it more accessible than a fixed toolbar. This reduces the need to constantly reach for frequently used tools, saving users energy and breath.
Using directions to move the paintbrush was the obvious method. However, this method was limiting in movement, non-continuous, and required user to speak in words.
Using vowel sounds to move the cursor was slightly difficult to learn, but after 20 minutes of practice users were able to use it more fluently. It was more accurate, organic, and required less effort to use.
As different vowel sounds mix well together, users were able to draw organic shapes, unachievable by any other method in voice interactions.
Beyond vowel-sounds, users could interact with the operating system using other sounds to perform common functions.
The first user interface was based on standard design patterns in the arts software industry with a modern look and feel. However, the interaction was not highly compatible with voice interaction.
I redesigned each component to take be more compatible with Voice UX. I worked on improving navigation accessibility, feedback loops, and simplifying the UI resulting in a more usable and desirable experience.
Co-designing is a valuable method to eliminate biases and assumptions by designing with users, not for them.
Designing a Voice-UX system, I established new standards in an emerging field, mastering sounds, speech, volume, and tone.
By focusing on user-centered research, unconventional solutions can emerge, revolutionizing established standards.
VoCreate is a testament to the power of user-centered design and technology's ability to empower marginalized communities. By understanding the unique needs and challenges faced by artists and designers with hand impairments, we were able to create a tool that not only empowers them to draw unassisted but also brings joy back into their creative lives. This case study illustrates the impact of accessible design and the potential of voice-first interactions in transforming the lives of individuals facing significant challenges.
