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EKHO
WHY
FINAL YEAR THESIS
TYPE
OVERLAY
ROLE
UX/UI DESIGNER
EKHO is a final-year thesis project conducted at L’École de Design Nantes Atlantique. Developed over one year, it combines a research dissertation with the design of a real-time communication overlay prototype created in Figma.
The project explores inclusive design solutions to improve real-time communication between deaf or non-verbal players and hearing players in semi-competitive online games, particularly League of Legends.
DESIGN INTENTION
EKHO originated from a personal observation of professional League of Legends matches, where players with disabilities are rarely represented. As this project focuses on interface design, I explored the inclusivity of deaf and non-verbal players in competitive play, and how to create tools that facilitate real-time communication among all team members.
Through multiple interviews with professional and semi-professional players, deaf and non-verbal individuals, designers, and video game industry professionals; I developed three key concepts:
FEELER - a sensory headset designed to feel sound through haptic and visual feedback.
RESONANCE — an overlay that allows players to see sound, inspired by Fortnite’s communication wheel.
SOUND.TXT — an overlay that enables players to read sound through real-time subtitles.
SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
During my research, I conducted several interviews as well as hands-on experiments. With a sample of 10 participants who did not know each other, two Valorant teams were formed to play three real-life matches under a single rule: verbal communication was strictly prohibited.
The purpose of this test was to observe how individuals, deprived of their primary means of communication, would adapt, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the game’s built-in ping system.
One clear insight emerged: players rarely used the in-game signaling system. Instead, they naturally gravitated toward alternative forms of communication, such as eye contact and improvised sign language developed on the spot.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
INTENTION
By nature, EKHO did not require a strong visual identity, as its core purpose is adaptability for all users. It is designed as a simple overlay, activated through a keyboard shortcut, that automatically adapts to the game environment (colors, icons, terminology, key bindings), while still allowing players to customize it to their preferences.
EKHO was born from the fusion of RESONANCE and SOUND.TXT, combining the power of visualizing sound through a Fortnite-inspired communication wheel with reading sound via on-screen text. It leverages both Text-to-Speech (TTS) and Speech-to-Text (STT), as well as in-game terminology, to create a seamless communication system.
Purple plays a key role in the TTS/STT interface. According to research in cinema, it is one of the least commonly used colors, making it highly impactful in cognitively demanding situations. This enhances readability and allows players to process information quickly under pressure.
This website and his content was entirely hand crafted by Jarod Bouillo on Figma Site - No GenAI Involved