CLIENT

Headspace

ROLE

Product Designer, Motion Designer

Product Designer, UX & UI Designer

PROJECT TYPE

Case Study

PRACTICING MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS, NOW ACCESSIBLE TO DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING PEOPLE WITH HEADSPACE.

Boost transparency of mandatory trip planning procedures for forthcoming National Park visitors

PRACTICING MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS, NOW ACCESSIBLE TO DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING PEOPLE WITH HEADSPACE.

Implimenting follow-along transcripts to Headspace guided meditations, including adjustment for reading speed and color contrast, for a now DHH accessible meditation experience.

Implimenting follow-along transcripts to guided meditations for an accessible, confidence building Headspace experience.

THE PROBLEM

Headspace, the popular mindfulness and meditation app, is not accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people. Relying almost entirely on audio to deliver guided meditation, Headspace deprives itself market opportunity of over 16 million deaf and hard of hearing people that report interest in regularly practicing meditation and mindfulness.

HOW MIGHT WE?

How might we make Headspace's guided meditations accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people, while boosting overall product value for current Headspace subscribers?

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Conducting an analysis of both direct and indirect competitors to Headspace, we discovered that the current marketplace for deaf and hard of hearing accessible guided meditation is incredibly limited - as most digital products in the market rely almost totally on auditory instruction.

We did however find opportunity in follow-along visual meditations: including animations found in Apple's Breathe app, Calm's Breathe Circle, and certain Youtube channels dedicated to transcribing meditations for deaf and hard of hearing people.

Conducting an analysis of both direct and indirect competitors to Headspace, we discovered that the current marketplace for deaf and hard of hearing accessible guided meditation is incredibly limited - as most digital products in the market rely almost totally on auditory instruction.

We did however find opportunity in follow-along visual meditations: including animations found in Apple's Breathe app, Calm's Breathe Circle, and certain Youtube channels dedicated to transcribing meditations for deaf and hard of hearing people.

STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS

"What does your meditation routine look like?"

To better understand perceptions toward meditation and mindfulness, as well as methods people currently take to reach meditation and mindfulness goals, we interviewed three stakeholder parties necessary to consider in designing for deaf and hard of hearing accessibility:

1. Current Headspace users
2. Deaf and hard of hearing meditators
3. Meditation teachers

Beyond understanding meditation preferences and goals, we also tasked stakeholders in completing a visual meditation from our competitive analysis for freedback.

KEY LEARNINGS

Deaf meditators have all had a single confidence building experience to jumpstart regular meditation.

Visuals can become overstimulating if color, motion, and contrast require too much simultaneous focus from the user.

Meditation routines are done usually in the same, comfortable location where the person will not be distracted from their practice.

MENTAL MODELING

Upon mapping stakeholder interview quotes into common categorizes, we cross-examined meditation interviewee mental models with already existent Headspace features, identifying areas for open opportunity in transcribing guided meditations, driving non-distracting visual meditation, and confidence building for beginning meditation.

SOLUTION

Headspace will be made accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people while extending value to current Headspace users by including transcripts for all guided meditations, a custom settings editor to adjust for distraction, and prioritized learning feautres to boost confidence in new Headspace members.

GUIDED TRANSCRIPTS

Impliment branded transcripts to all Headspace media that delivers users the same meditation value as using Headspace audio.

Impliment non-disruptive transcripts that can be followed along with during any Headspace guided mediation and video.

CUSTOM SETTINGS EDITOR

Impliment a settings editor to the Headspace player for users to trigger transcripts, modify speed, and edit background color for best transcript readability

Impliment a settings editor to the Headspace player for users to customize background color, transcript and audio speed, and notification toggling.

MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS

LEARNING & OBSTACLES

Impliment 'Do Not Disturb' functionality in each meditation to assist users in focusing on their meditation

SKETCHES

In my sketching process, I considered a variety of user interactions necessary in using transcripts for Headspace mobile and web views. This was important in considering user effort to access and read transcripts, as well as solving the problem of keeping simultaneous visual stimulus low. I also explored customization for speed, pitch, and font size: more feature necessities discovered in reading transcripts.

In my sketching process, I considered a variety of user interactions necessary in using transcripts for Headspace mobile and web views. This was important in considering user effort to access and read transcripts, as well as solving the problem of keeping simultaneous visual stimulus low.

I also explored customization for speed, pitch, and font size: more feature necessities discovered in reading transcripts.

PLAYER PROTOTYPE

After initial sketches, I explored intuitive interactions with the customizeable player that included options to adjust narrator pitch, transcript speed, and background color useable for reading transcript text. I designed the player below in Framer.

HIGH FIDELITY DESIGNS

Testing the above player prototype with stakeholders of each affected party, I discovered it was crucial for users to receive immediate feedback when adjusting their preferred settings. For this reason, any transcript, color, or speed adjustments would respond to the user interaction in real time.

Additionally, 'speed' functionality was made available for transcript modification only - with report of slowed and sped up audio being both distracting and terrifying.

The speed editor was also taken out of the main settings editor for this reason - now useable from the bottom when transcripts are triggered.

1. GUIDED MEDITATION TRANSCRIPTS

With consideration to visual overstimulation in meditators both DHH and full hearing, I created transcripts for guided meditations. Each line of text is short and centered for minimum effort readability, as well as on brand with Headspace styling so not to take away from the overall Headspace experience.

Transcripts, useable in any guided meditation, can be toggled from the custom settings editor. Additionally, users can customize color and transcript speed for maximum readability, and toggle Do Not Disturb so to silence text messages and notifications during their meditation.

With consideration to learning about visual overstimulation in meditators, I created transcripts for guided meditations that follow along with the narrator voice.

Each line of text is short and centered for minimum effort readability, and on brand with Headspace styling so not to take away from the overall Headspace experience.

2. INSTRUCTIONAL TRANSCRIPTS

3. INSTRUCTIONAL TRANSCRIPTS

To form regular practice in new Headspace users by ensuring confidence, I implimented transcribed instructions for Headspace's visual meditations that users are able to follow along with, and begin doing on their own when they feel ready.

3. ANIMATION TRANSCRIPTS

4. ANIMATION TRANSCRIPTS

Headspace animations are busy with color and motion graphics already. So not to increase distraction and eye-stress, I created on-brand transcripts over white overlay at the bottom for glanceability throughout the animation.

WHY THIS WORKS

Implimenting on-brand, guided meditation transcripts and the custom settings editor to Headspace greets previously problemed areas to deaf and hard of hearing peoples' relationship with meditation and mindfulness. With easy to follow along text useable in each guided session, DHH people will be able to participate in and receive instruction toward regular meditation practice.

The custom settings editor lets the affected party learn and interact with Headspace at a level most comfortable to personal preference. Additionally, these features extend the Headspace experience to current Headspace users to allow for use without headphones, as well as clarity in instruction for non-English-first speakers.

Implimenting on-brand, guided meditation transcripts and the custom settings editor to Headspace greets previously problemed areas to deaf and hard of hearing peoples' relationship with meditation and mindfulness.

With easy to follow along text useable in each guided session, DHH people will be able to participate in and receive instruction toward regular meditation practice.

The custom settings editor lets the affected party learn and interact with Headspace at a level most comfortable to personal preference. Additionally, these features extend the Headspace experience to current Headspace users to allow for use without headphones, as well as clarity in instruction for non-English-first speakers.

WANT TO GET IN TOUCH?

JoshAdlerDesign@Gmail.com

(818) 983-7452

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