Pluto
Improving interpreter focus and efficiency during calls - raising user satisfaction to 92%
Lead UX Designer
4 Months
Web
Disjointed layouts created friction during interpreted calls, causing missed information and increased fatigue. Pluto reduces friction by streamlining workflows, prioritizing key actions, and helping interpreters stay focused.
The Problem
Interpreters face high cognitive load, excessive clicking, and frequent eye gaze - taking time away from interpreting.
Interpreters
3,000+
Constant searching for tools caused fatigue, miscommunication, and increased stress during calls.
Consumers
50,000+
Gaps in interpreter focus made consumers feel unheard, leading to misunderstandings and disengagement.
Company
Poor call experiences lowered satisfaction and trust, impacting consumer retention and revenue.
Our Team
I inherited Pluto right after it launched
My role was to collaborate with interpreters and stakeholders to reduce friction, stabilize the experience, and evolve the product based on what users truly needed.
Research
Immersing myself in workflows
Since I don’t know ASL, I observed live calls, analyzed usage data, and had direct conversations with interpreters. Pluto was more structured than the legacy system, but it became clear that it still wasn’t meeting user needs.
“Why can’t we move things around?”
Feature Request
Dallin
Pains
Gains
Too many clicks to complete actions
Pain Point
Everything is on one screen
Gain
Hard to maintain focus while navigating
Pain Point
Less hardware is required at home
Gain
Important info is buried or hard to find
Pain Point
Consumers video is larger than before
Gain
Data showed that 84% of actions were rarely used
Many interpreters asked for a customizable layout, but with limited resources, that wasn’t feasible. Instead, usage data helped reframe the problem: most tools weren’t used, yet still drew attention. We didn’t need flexibility, we needed a better default.
We gathered 25 requests from interpreters
The list was filled with proposed solutions, not clearly defined problems. Before diving in, I took a step back to understand the why behind each one. Here are a few:
Participant Volume Control
Without individual audio controls, interpreters kept the Windows Audio Mixer open, limiting Pluto’s visibility and often disrupting the call experience.
Persistent Video Visibility
Key features like the dial pad and menus often covered the consumer’s video feed, making it difficult or impossible to follow signed communication when active.
Chat Between Interpreters
Supporting interpreters had no way to discreetly communicate during calls, leading to confusion, missed context, and reduced coordination in high-pressure scenarios.
Adding new features into the current layout would only increase clutter and friction
We needed to avoid solving one problem while making another worse. Stacking features could increase friction - so I proposed a more strategic approach:
Design a Vision
Define a clearer, more scalable layout focused on core interpreter needs.
Validate Solutions
Test layout and features with interpreters to guide structure and priorities.
Build Iteratively
Ship in phases to reduce disruption and adapt quickly to feedback.
Design
Aligning on the guiding principles
Through talking with interpreters, we identified a few hard lines that the design should avoid. Before starting any design work, the team aligned on two core principles:
Unobstructed View
Nothing should block the consumer’s video as it covers signs and makes interpreting difficult.
Centralized Actions
Keep tools on one side to reduce eye movement and help interpreters stay focused.
Creating an intuitive, but scaleable layout
The original layout treated many actions equally with no hierarchy. That meant common tasks were buried among tools that were rarely used. The goal of new layout was all to surface what mattered most and simplify the rest.
After reviewing data and exploring dozens of layouts, I landed on a scalable structure that balanced priorities with flexibility, giving us confidence to move forward.
Increasing focus on call participants
To bring structure to the call experience, I created a dedicated Participants Section. This gave interpreters a clear view of who was on the call and quick access to relevant actions and information for each person.
High-priority elements are placed at the top of the screen, closer to the webcam, reinforcing a sense of presence and attention for the consumer.
When interacting with someone (like opening the chat), their card would expand, keeping the interaction anchored to the person. This ensures that relevant information is centralized and not spread across the screen.
Rethinking secondary actions
Secondary features like requesting support or the dial pad weren’t used constantly (30% of calls), but when needed, they had to be fast, accessible, and distraction-free.
To solve this, I introduced a dedicated space anchored to the bottom of the sidebar for important, low-frequency actions. These tools stay tucked away by default, but expand smoothly when needed.
The dial pad now defaults to a clean input field, keeping the layout minimal and the video unobstructed. Interpreters can expand it to access the full keypad when needed, offering flexibility without visual clutter.
Designing for team calls
Teaming is when two interpreters work together on the same call, often due to speed, complexity, or stress levels (such as during emergency calls).
Interpreters often requested the ability to communicate privately with their teammate during a call. Until now, there was no discreet way to do that.
Team calls felt cramped and disruptive. Videos were stacked side by side, shrinking visibility, with no way to identify or discreetly communicate with the second interpreter. Consumers often said it was hard to follow and visually overwhelming.
With the new Participants Section, it made sense to place the second interpreter there, just like any other participant. I added a chat action to their card, giving interpreters a way to collaborate quietly without pulling focus from the conversation.
Testing
91% said they preferred the new experience
Our researcher and I ran usability sessions with interpreters, mixing both remote and call center, and guided them through tasks while gathering feedback:
Cleaner, More Readable Interface
They appreciated larger text and that nothing blocked the consumer’s video - calling the layout clearer and easier to follow.
“This would make my numbers go up.”
34% Faster Task Completion
Participants were able to move through core actions like adding callers, requesting support, and using the dialpad faster with less hesitation or second-guessing.
“You’re going to make a lot of people happy with this”
More Confidence in the Tools
Interpreters said the new layout felt more intuitive and reduced hesitation, helping them stay focused on the consumer.
“Can I start using this today?”
Adding more clarity
Based on what we heard from interpreters during usability testing, we made several refinements to improve clarity, speed, and confidence across the board:
Emergency Icon
The original hazard icon wasn’t clear enough under pressure, so we replaced it with a custom “911” icon and designed it be instantly recognizable during urgent moments.
Label Updates
Labels were updated to better align with interpreter expectations and legacy terms - changing “Chat” to “Share Text,” and labeling the interpreter chat as “Private Chat”.
Results
We’re continuing to iterate toward the larger vision
After tackling some of the larger pain points (excessive clicking, cognitive load, and scattered actions) and with the data showing that we’re on the right path - the team is building on this momentum, shipping improvements and tracking as we go.
Reflection
Just because a request is framed as a solution doesn’t mean it’s the right one.
By resisting the urge to react too quickly, we were able to zoom out, define the actual challenges, and align on a solution that was more impactful and cost effective.
