Overview

Contribution

Motivation

People who stutter often face additional challenges when participating in online meetings. There is a gap in the current solution.

Goal

Employ user-centered design principles to create a post-video conference solution aimed at fostering resilience and empowerment for individuals who stutter.

Summary

Duration: 10 weeks, 3 Phases: Research, Design, Testing, Deliverables: Hi-Fi Figma Prototype, Front-End Mockup, Design Process Documentation

User Research

As a team, we reviewed 18 academic papers on video conferencing, stuttering, mindfulness, and self-reflection. We then created a concept map with the key takeaways we acquired from the literature review.

Problem

  • Covert Strategies: Many individuals resort to covert strategies, avoiding acknowledgment of their stuttering and solely focusing on fluency.

  • Lack of Non-verbal Communication: The absence of non-verbal cues in video conferencing often leads to negative (mis)perceptions of listener reactions.

  • Affective Reactions: PWS commonly experience feelings of fear, embarrassment, shame, frustration, or anxiety.

  • Behavioral Reactions: Speech disfluencies, physical tension, gaze avoidance, or covert behaviors are observed.

  • Cognitive Reactions: Anticipations related to stuttering, such as rumination, self-blame, and anticipation of future speech difficulties, are prevalent.

  • Uncertainty with Turn-taking: Participants experience uncertainty with turn-taking and audience reactions, contributing to a loss of control.

Goals

  • Recognize Misconceptions: We aim to help PWS understand that misperceptions of feedback or thoughts are not truths.

  • Embrace Stuttering: Encouraging acceptance and embracing of stuttering, managing emotions through self-reflection, mindfulness, self-compassion, and social connections.

  • Foster Inclusive Communication: Creating an inclusive communication environment with less emphasis on efficient fluency.

Competitor Analysis

9 existing popular Zoom apps were identified and analyzed for their strengths, weaknesses, target audience, and design. Some of the insights were:

  • Many major companies have invested in Zoom apps that serve as extensions of their central platform.

  • Two main focuses: productivity and personal well-being.

  • Many Zoom apps involve integration with a user’s personal account in a web application to enhance the features available to a user while or after videoconferencing.

User Interviews and Surveys

We contacted stuttering associations, and added posts in Facebook groups, stuttering social forums, and stuttering subreddits. 11 interviews were conducted and 7 were from stuttering organisations. We also collected 14 survey responses from Spanish stuttering organisations. Using these responses, and interviews we created themes and subthemes, i.e, an affinity diagram.

A comprehensive version of our affinity diagram

Codesign Sessions

3 co-design sessions were conducted with 2 participants and 4 researchers in each session. Each session lasted about 2 hours, and we used the Miro platform for collaborative design. In each session, each researcher would have a specific role: 1 facilitator, 1 designer, 1 note-taker, and 1 Miro organizer. We began each session with an overview of the session, by introducing ourselves and letting the participants get to know each other.

Presentation of Insights

We then presented some of the major insights we had received from the interviews and the survey responses and asked the participants to vote on the insight that resonated with them. A common theme amongst all the participants from all the sessions was that they felt they were always being cut off during a conversation or had insufficient time to speak in a video conference setting.

Brainstorm I Want Cards

Design Session

We then moved on to brainstorm “I Want” cards. The participants were asked to create some “I want” cards where they mention what kind of a solution they would like to have. After they have created their own set of cards, the participants vote on 3 cards each, and the top voted card is selected for the next phase of the session: the design session.

We then moved on to brainstorm “I Want” cards. The participants were asked to create some “I want” cards where they mention what kind of a solution they would like to have. After they have created their own set of cards, the participants vote on 3 cards each, and the top voted card is selected for the next phase of the session: the design session.