FreeComETT
Bringing History to Life through Digital Preservation
Volunteer - Freelance User Expereince Designer
Overview
FreeComETT is a product-first transcription app built to unlock historical records for everyone. By teaming up with real users and stakeholders, we traded a clunky interface for a sleek, user-centric experience where form finally meets function.
Role
Working in the fast-paced Agile lane, I teamed up with devs and designers to hunt down friction points and technical snags. From auditing messy layouts to mapping out smooth sitemaps, my mission was simple: make the product actually work for the people using it.
Problem
The existing platform was a developer-led, technical build that lacked usability. This created a high-friction experience that ignored volunteer needs. Our challenge was to transform this rigid tool into an intuitive, accessible application that streamlined the transcription process.
Objective
Our goal was to flip a developer-heavy, technical build on its head and turn it into something people enjoy using. Through discovery sessions and Scrum huddles, we focused on killing the friction and making the transcription journey feel like a breeze for our volunteers.
Solution
A user-centric redesign that transformed this rigid tool into an intuitive, product-first application. By streamlining the user journey and reducing friction, we created an efficient and engaging experience tailored specifically to volunteer needs and ready for public launch.
Key principles involved
User Empathy. Gaining a deep understanding of the users' emotional and practical motivations to drive design decisions.
Contextual Inquiry. Immersing myself in the user's "why" to bridge the gap between technical functionality and human experience.
Decoding the story
To understand the volunteers behind the platform, I joined introductory meetings with developers and stakeholders to grasp the project's goals.
I spent time learning the transcription process itself—why it’s important and what motivates volunteers to do this work.
This research was crucial for reinforcing a user-centric mindset and appreciating the human element behind the digital preservation of records.
Cutting through
the noise
Following initial discovery, we identified that the existing developer-led build lacked usability and ignored volunteer needs.
By auditing every page and mapping out navigational flows, I helped define the core UX goal: transforming a rigid, high-friction technical tool into an intuitive application.
We then collaborated with the team to nail down the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and finalise the information architecture.
Key principles involved
Problem Framing. Moving from a "function-first" technical perspective to a "user-first" problem statement.
Information Architecture. Auditing and mapping the site hierarchy to create a clear roadmap for navigation.
Drafting the Blueprint
Key principles involved
Reducing Cognitive Load.
Designing to centralize key actions and reduce the mental effort required to start a task.
Divergent Thinking.
Exploring bold solutions and learning to pivot based on technical constraints and feedback.
During the ideation phase, I explored ways to streamline the user journey and minimize friction. I proposed a dashboard-style homepage that would centralize tasks and assignments into a single screen for easier access.
While some ambitious ideas were deferred to stay within the MVP scope, this creative process allowed us to explore various layouts that prioritised volunteer ease and comfort.
Bringing it to Life….over…and over again
Using the established component library and style guide, I designed the initial homepage and key transcription screens, focusing on user-friendly layouts that prevented cognitive overload for volunteers. This involved prototyping new pages and refreshing legacy screens to ensure visual and functional cohesion across the platform.
Through a continuous feedback loop of weekly catch-ups and design critiques with developers, SMEs, and stakeholders, each page underwent multiple iterations. This collaborative process allowed me to present my design rationale, collect targeted feedback, and ensure the final solution was technically feasible, user-centric, and ready for public launch.
Key principles involved
Iterative Design. Continuously refining the product based on feedback to ensure the final output meets user needs.
Stakeholder Management. Presenting design rationale to non-designers and balancing user needs with technical feasibility.
