Sigma Software is purposefully developing its CSR initiatives as part of its operations. We consistently strive to make a meaningful social contribution wherever possible.
In June, we received a request from the charitable foundation ‘Integration’ to create video tutorials on using city services for people with hearing impairments. Since our team already had experience working on social projects, we were happy to support this idea and bring the project to life.
How It All Started
The Kharkiv-based Charitable Foundation Integration received a grant from the Ukrainian public organization Unity. to create a series of educational video tutorials on how to use city services for people with hearing impairments.
There are already many videos available online explaining how to pay utility bills, apply for subsidies, access medical services, and more. However, unfortunately, most of this content is not adapted for people with hearing impairments.
Initially, the foundation’s team attempted to create such videos independently by recording Zoom sessions. However, the results did not meet their expectations, which led them to approach our company for support.
“This task was particularly interesting for us. We recognized the opportunity to deliver a social project that could simplify everyday life for people with hearing impairments. While we have extensive expertise in producing educational video materials, this initiative presented a number of challenges. We needed to thoroughly analyze the services involved, identify the gaps experienced by end users, and determine how to best address the needs of the target audience,” noted Anna Arutyunyan, Head of Sigma Software University.
Sigma Software Training Manager and Sigma Software University e-learning expert, Yevheniia Yurevych, took full responsibility for coordinating the project.
“At the initial stage, together with the charitable foundation, we analyzed the existing content available online. We discovered that:
- most videos present information too quickly;
- they offer inconvenient authentication methods (phone calls instead of SMS);
- they use extensive terminology that is difficult or impossible to translate into sign language;
- they do not include sign language interpretation or subtitles, even though not all people with hearing impairments use sign language.
Considering all these shortcomings, we realized it would be easier to create new videos rather than adapt the existing ones. Our goal was to develop unique video materials that would genuinely help people with hearing impairments use online services effectively,” Yevheniia adds.
Implementation
Ten city services were selected for the project. We carefully studied how each of them worked, identified the most optimal user journey, and incorporated it into the script. We also tested the script to identify any potential issues or points where something could go wrong.
Once finalized, the script was approved by the client. We then recorded the screencasts and transferred all materials to Kolis TV, a production company that handled the sign language interpretation and completed the final editing.
When the videos were ready, the team organized a focus group consisting of people with hearing impairments to evaluate the content. Participants watched the videos and followed the instructions while using the services themselves. The feedback was unanimous — the videos were clear, accessible, and highly informative.
“We are grateful to Sigma Software for supporting our initiative. During the pilot screening of the videos, we received very positive feedback. We saw that the concept was right: the videos are informative and effective in terms of perception by people with hearing impairments,”
says Olena Shynhariova, Founder and Head of the Charitable Foundation Integration.
All materials will be published on the foundation’s YouTube channel. The first videos are already available at the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_-i4imqOdGJEfwapvy_vdA/videos
The Sigma Software University team was truly happy to support this initiative and deliver the project with high quality and professionalism.
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