FreeComETT - Transcription Web Application

Team Volunteering Project

Project Duration: May - Present

Role: UX/UI Designer, Research Support

Responsibilities: Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, UI Design

Methodology: Agile/Scrum

Project Overview

FreeComETT is a digital transcription tool developed for FreeUKGenealogy, an organisation dedicated to providing free access to family history records. The platform enables volunteers to transcribe records of births, marriages, and deaths to be uploaded to the charity’s main database. Unlike a traditional website, FreeComETT is being built as a product-first application, with usability, efficiency, and volunteer engagement at its core. Our job was to help redesign the platform, placing empthasis on the users needs and experience to drive a functional and user friendly product.

The Primary Objective

To transform the current, technically functional build into something actually usable and enjoyable for end-users. Up until now, the product had been led entirely by the development team, with no consideration for usability.

Following several Scrum meetings and initial discovery sessions with fellow UX volunteers, the core UX goal was defined:

Make the transcription process (the core function of FreeComETT) as intuitive and user-friendly as possible.

Therefore focussing our design process to:

  • Streamline the user journey

  • Minimise friction in interactions

  • Design with volunteers’ needs and limitations in mind

My Role as a Junior Designer

  • Joined introductory meetings with developers, designers, and stakeholders

  • Took part in Agile Scrum ceremonies

  • Contributed to early product and UX discussions

  • Collaborated with developers to understand technical goals and constraints

  • Partnered with senior UX designer to:

    • Audit site pages (screenshots, content, layout)

    • Map primary user flows

    • Analyse navigation and interactions

  • Helped define the main UX goal: improve transcription usability

  • Supported creation of sitemap and information architecture

  • Designed an initial homepage (parallel design process)

  • Focused on understanding user pain points and needs

  • Continued with the design process, collaborating with designers, developers and stakeholders in meetings and design crits to establish layout, content and design goals for future development.

Developing an understanding

Team Collaboration & Agile Participation

I joined the FreeComETT team right at the start, during the discovery phase, and took part in early meetings with the developers, designers, and key stakeholders. I quickly got involved in Agile Scrum sessions, which really helped me get to grips with the project’s goals, who we were designing for, and how the team worked together.

One of the most interesting parts early on was learning about the transcription process itself—something completely new to me.

I spent time understanding what it involves, why it’s important, and what motivates volunteers to do this kind of work. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the people behind the platform and really shaped how I approached the user experience. Having this understanding was important for my design process - helping to reinfroce a user centric approach and mindset moving forwards.

I also joined in on early product discussions, shared initial ideas, and asked lots of questions. Working closely with the developers and more experienced team members gave me insight into the technical side of things and helped me understand the bigger picture of where the product is heading.

Since then, I have

  • IA and user flow mapping - screenshotting each page and completing a map of existing links between pages and creating a hierarchy for the site

  • mapping out content and establishing re-used elements to help make design more efficient

  • primary user flows established t guide top level hierarchy

  • having established with the stakeholders and devs the focus of MVP, we then got to work n our designs for the homepage

  • created homepage designs based on current page, and main actions derived from stakeholder conversations

  • Contributed to design crits where I shared my work with designewrs and devs, providing the rationale behind my designs

  • created rationale documents with each design for homepage to present to devs and explore each others ideas

  • taking on feedback to iterate designs

  • contributing to discussions about future designs and how certai elements, although good and useful, may be better for future development. recentering to MVP and reminding self what the focus is on

  • discussions centred around user flows and user journeys as to what the main pages needed are for future UX work

  • Repeating design crit with following screens - transcribe from scan - main screen - utilised the feedback and conversations from past scrums to inform my design to ensure a user-centred approach the entire way through

  • Redesign of previous screens with new colour palette and design focus in mind - presenting to devs for feedback

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