SignUp – Captions for the Deaf
SignUp Media
Role: Senior Designer, Stratosphere Digital
Responsible for end-to-end UI/UX
SignUp is a Chrome extension that allows Deaf or hard-of-hearing people to enjoy movies and TV with a real interpreter providing signed translations for them, eliminating the need for reading subtitles. This is especially helpful for children!
My job was to redesign their Chrome extension, design a backend CMS, and update their new website.
The original version of the extension wasn't quite ready for primetime
Checking the foundation 👷♂️
The extension was too limited
The extension was cumbersome to use and felt outdated. SignUp’s founder wanted something more polished for fundraising and growing the user base.
When we decided to build a backend, we knew we would have to start with plenty of ambiguity around the scope
Establishing the backend scope 🕵️♂️
They needed a way to manage title requests and their listings
SignUp’s founder wanted her team to be the ones updating their title listings as they commissioned interpretations instead of requiring dev time for it.
The original site needed some polish before they looked for funding
Tailoring their digital suit 🤵♀️
In pursuit of a more impressive website
The site lacked the polish necessary to truly capture their story and mission or draw larger investors. They wanted something more flexible, professional, and engaging.
To start, we redesigned the extension using their new brand as a guide for the aesthetics
Redesigning for growth 📈
Giving the extension a facelift and filters
To start, we updated the extension’s UI to pair with their new branding from Xforwhy.
Additionally, we added filters for each supported streaming service, favorites only, different signed languages, and more.
The first need we addressed in the custom CMS was managing titles
Creating a custom backend 🏗️
Addressing customer needs as they arise
Instead of managing titles for them, we created a CMS so that they could do it without requiring extra dev time.
Later, we added the ability for them to add blog posts and manage certain homepage content on their website as well.
The hero section, designed by my teammate at Stratosphere Digital
An expandable testimonial section communicates value but allows people to dive in at their own pace
Giving the website a little TLC 💅
Adding some finishing touches to the website
After my teammate designed the first version of the website, I designed:
a timeline of titles added to the service,
an expandable list of testimonials,
... and more to make the site more compelling for prospective users or investors.
Expanding and filterable titles section let's people view all available interpretations on their favorite streamer
A full timeline of added titles helps communicate the legitimacy of the platform
An accessibility audit helped us patch up holes in our experience
Crossing T’s and dotting I’s 🕵️♂️
Ensuring the site was accessible to all
After all this, we hired outside experts to do an accessibility audit for the project. We designed specific reflow behavior, edited our buttons, and updated the focus states for our components to make them more accessible.
Results
20,000+ installs
4.6 star rating
200+ movies added
“It was the first time she's had full access to a movie. Thank you, thank you!”
“...we surprised our 6-year-old daughter on her birthday with 'Zootopia' with the interpreter, and her jaw dropped.”
What I learned:
How to document accessibility decisions from reflow and color to minute changes to text styles
How to quickly design concepts for prospective partners
Thank you!
Contact me at hey@tomwellington.design
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Posted Mar 14, 2025
I designed and we shipped: - A website - A redesigned Chrome Extension - a custom CMS for their movie listings All of which are certified WCAG accessible 😎
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