ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO — The Text-to-text app was created to simplify and streamline a critical step in the translation process: matching English text to translations in foreign, remote, and ancient languages. Before our software was developed, people relied on Excel spreadsheets to do this, a tool they were familiar with, but also one that didn't quite fit the complexity of multilingual projects. Our goal was to enhance the existing process without disrupting it, making it faster while preserving what people already knew and trusted.
Before audio recording can begin, matching the original text in English to the language we're going to translate orally later is a crucial step. Traditionally, people used Excel spreadsheets to do that and were comfortable with it, but it had limitations. So we aimed to respect how people were already solving their work-related problems while making the process faster. We ensured increased velocity and efficiency by designing around what they were familiar with.
Auto-match Text seamlessly aligns text from two different language files. This is the first step before audio translation begins.
I've always believed that people are already finding ways to solve their challenges and we just need to understand their methods and offer our expertise to enhance them. As the sole designer for the Text-to-text app, I embraced this philosophy throughout the entire design process. The work the translators do is complex and trying to improve everything at once is nearly impossible, so I focused on the areas where I could make the most impact.
Custom Quotation builds on the familiar methods people already use, allowing them to define and manage quotation marks across different languages. This helps match accurately as many pieces of text as possible between languages before a human being is needed to take a look at it.
Text-to-text is primarily used internally, so some of our stakeholders are also the ones interacting with the app daily. We designed with them, meeting daily until we got to the MVP, conducting usability tests, and gathering feedback. I also collaborated with the product manager to manage stakeholder expectations and to help make sure our designs aligned with the practical realities they faced. This ongoing relationship allows us to continually refine the app and ensure it remains a valuable tool for everyone using it or benefiting from its processes somehow.
Detail: New project screen.
Speed and efficiency are paramount in our organization. With a large number of languages to translate over the next decade, our focus for the Text-to-text was on optimizing performance.
The app is used to match English text with foreign language text, setting the stage for the oral translation process that follows. We measured success through key performance metrics such as misclick rate, time on task, user error rate, and task success rate. By analyzing these and other metrics, we ensure that the app not only streamlines the text-matching process but also reduces errors and improves overall efficiency and speed in our org.
Metrics like time on screen, completion rate, and time-based efficiency are also used in evaluating how effectively we increase speed in the app and in the overall workflow. We also tracked the use of search versus navigation to refine the experience further and got valuable insights from that. The focus on performance and experience ensures that our translation efforts remain on track, supporting the organization's mission to bring content to remote and underserved communities.
Voice Configuration allows people to configure whether their audio project will have a single narrator or multiple voices. This feature alone, informed by our performance data, was one of the decisions made to optimize the experience.
My relationship with the developers is smooth because I like coding (the little I know), and have a deep appreciation for engineering, therefore I genuinely enjoy collaborating with and learning from them. Besides that, I am eager to see the final product succeed and honestly, I just love crafting.
Devs will truly dislike you if you don't think of them while designing your cute buttons.
A successful design isn't just about looking good in Figma; it has to work beautifully in the real world, too. From day one, I've stayed connected with the devs and have provided them with JSON design tokens to help with implementation, all that to make the integration between design and development easier. When we were using Xamarin, I went the extra mile by creating detailed grids to help navigate the challenges of pixel measurements, ensuring everything was as clear and straightforward as possible.
These design tokens bridge the gap between design and code.
From managing text alignment to resolving flagged issues, the app ensures that everyone involved can focus on their tasks without unnecessary delays. Error Flagging lets people identify and flag text issues, enabling quick communication with peers to address and resolve problems during the text-matching process.
Error Flagging feature enables communication between peers to address and resolve issues quickly.
While we aim to enable seamless teamwork, data and feedback led us to lock access to the text once recording starts using one of the org's other apps. This decision helps prevent disruptions and ensures an uninterrupted recording process.
Access to the entire text of either language is locked once the audio recording starts, to ensure and maintain the integrity of the audio capture.
When I first joined the team, I was eager to change everything and fix what I saw as foundational problems. I was nervous because I knew I could help, but I wasn't sure how to approach the work that had already been done before me. It was a humbling experience to realize that people often have good reasons for doing things the way they do, and those were reasons that I might not have fully understood at first.
I learned quickly that balancing my own design instincts with the insights of those who already know the users well was key, even if they were not designers or researchers. This environment, with its diverse range of cultures, behaviors, and perspectives, taught me to approach things with more openness and respect.
Over time, I found ways to make truly meaningful improvements in the organization in terms of design. It was incredibly rewarding to hear from teammates, after months of collaboration, that our design efforts were playing a crucial role in the organization's recent successes.