Kin
About
A wearable motion sensing device that helps teach sign language for families of deaf children.
Design a solution for those with hearing loss that bolsters their sense of identity, community, or well-being.
Brief
Consumer Electronics | Design for Disability
School Project | 14 Weeks
What if there was an easier way to learn American Sign Language?
Kin
A wearable, motion sensing device that helps teach sign language in a way the whole family can enjoy.
What is the deal with ASL?
More than 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents, yet most hearing parents will never learn American Sign Language (ASL).
Why should we care?
Deaf children who cannot communicate well with their parents grow up to have more developmental problems, report more symptoms of depression, and do not develop necessary social and work skills.
Codesigning with
the parents
During my research, I sought out parents of deaf children to ask them about their difficulties communicating with their kids. I shared my ideas with them throughout the design process, making sure to incorporate their feedback along the way.
Michelle Christie Ed.D
Founder of Organization No Limits for Deaf Children
“Sign language is not based on accessibility — it’s just the parent’s willingness.”
“Children can feel left out at home when they can’t follow a conversation. Parents need to be conscious and repeat.”
Reina Crider
Hearing parent with 9yo Deaf daughter
“It’s hard to find the time to learn ASL, especially as a single mother.”
“I don’t think there are enough free resources that are available without access to the Internet.”
Katie Daley
Hearing parent with 2yo Deaf son
“I try my best to sign, but the rest of the family isn’t as enthusiastic about learning it.”
“It’s very easy for me to forget to sign to my child, especially since he also has a cochlear implant.”
How can we bridge the communication barrier between deaf children and their hearing parents?
From toys to devices the whole family can enjoy
I started playing around with different ideas for children’s toys to help teach ASL when I reached a breakthrough: we should be teaching parents, not just the kids.
What if we could gamify sign language?
I started thinking about user feedback and how cameras might help users remember and check their hand movements for learning ASL.
XBOX Kinect Camera has been used and proven before to capture complex finger movement like in sign language
Why not utilize similar technology to track user hand movement on a screen to help them learn in a fun, interactive way?
Family friendly forms
Experimented with different placements of the device ranging from a wearable headset to a physical attachment on the television.
Providing user feedback
Parents needed a way to practice and get feedback while practicing ASL because they would often mess up or forget, leading to increased frustration and less willingness to learn
Hands-off learning for a hands-on experience
How it Works
360° Rotating Camera
Camera tracks user hand movements and projects movements onto the screen
Built in Microphone
Voice recognition software allows users to simultaneously practice English as well as ASL
Bluetooth Connectivity
Device projects your hand movements onto the screen allowing users to "match" with the correct sign
A Family Experience
Families can practice ASL by playing games together in a fun and memorable way that allows them to bond over the language.
Adaptable Learning
Kin will also serve as a learning platform for users to access different lessons ranging from grammar, vocabulary, and basic conversational skills.
Intuitive,
Trackable
Progress
Users can access their profiles and check their progress on different lessons. The app also gives busy parents the option of doing a daily practice to hone their skills.
