The Challenge

How might we design a mobile app that empowers busy people to learn new vocabulary on the go?

In this project I will illustrate the UX design process from initial research to hand-off within the context of a vocabulary app-building project.
In the following case study I will show and explain how I approached, tackled and developed solutions for the given brief.

Competences

Competitor Research
User Research and Analysis
Persona Creation
MVP Definition
User Flows and Task Analysis
Wireframing and Prototyping
Usability Testing
Storytelling

Client

CareerFoundry

Duration

Two months

Tools

Adobe XD
Illustrator
Figma
Google Forms
Google Analytics
Google Sheets
Optimal Sort
Usability Hub
ProtoPie

The Process

Problem Statement

Our users are busy expats with a grasp of the language spoken in their adoptive country. Their free time is precious and dedicating it to a language course after a long day at work is exhausting. They need a way to learn new words, smoothly, without doing constantly researches on the web and with little daily effort. They want to find the right word in any daily context.

● There are plenty of language apps but none seem to focus on the context surrounding the user.
● It’s hard to remember newly learnt words.
● Language courses take too much time and effort.

Potential Solution

We believe that by creating an intuitive app which uses augmented reality through the phone’s camera to display the surrounding objects our users will achieve an increase in vocabulary learning, and easy memorisation of new words. Additionally, it will be more entertaining and faster thus encouraging everyday use for any occasion.

● Visual association with the new word eases memorisation for both short and long term.
● Time is money, and words are many. The mechanic has to be easy, quick and ready to use at all times.
● Learning from the real context instead of ad-hoc created content helps memorising new vocabulary and knowing when and how to use it.

The Competition

Our digital competition is mainly represented by translator, dictionary and flashcard apps and websites. Some of the strongest direct competitors are Google Translate, Reverso Context, Babbel, Duolingo, Busuu, WordUp, and Drop. Additional players have characteristics ranging from direct translation, to text decoding, to language courses using gamification.

The following analysis portrays two “Vocabulary App” samples under a magnifying lens. One is top-tier, and one is mid-tier in terms of downloads’ number, but both are above 4.5 rating stars.

The main elements that I analysed in detail are launch experience, navigation, buttons, settings, ease of use and features.

Busuu

Pros

+ The splash is very sleek and straightforward with their claim/pay-off easy to read. It is a smooth onboarding process with the option of taking a placement test, select the learning language, flag the known languages to find tandem partners, create a detailed study plan and select the main reason that brings you to the app.

+ Going through the app is pleasant and intuitive, the position and number of buttons never overwhelms, and the options/menu hides. As a result, the user can better focus on the task. Titles, categories and text in general are self-explanatory. There are also quiz games to help the user memorise better and learn in a more interactive and enjoyable way.

+ All lessons are downloadable making the app fully useable offline.

Cons

- The initial set-up of the app requires a mandatory sign-up which appears too crowded. In the onboarding there are many required steps required which could lead to losing the user’s interest. This set-up also limits the user to select one reason why they are learning the chosen language.

- After setting the study plan (as a mandatory step in order to finalise the access for first time users) and spending some time on it, it’s eventually mentioned that this feature is available only for premium users.

- Furthermore, the app starts to push the paid version straight away, before even seeing or using any of the apps’ mechanics and functions. The onboarding results a bit poor as they rely too much on the intuitive power of the app.

- The app is not very customisable, which could represent a limit, since each user has different ways of learning and of categorising language elements.

WordUp

Pros

+ The splash is eye-catchy, and in just a few steps, the user can select their language skills and set-up the study plan. The main function of the app is evident and straight to the point. It also gives the option to choose the preferred dialect for languages that are spoken in multiple countries.

+ Very intuitive and easy to navigate, with task advancement and completion always visible. There are many interesting features and different games to learn and memorise new words, and some are interactive with functions like drag and drop. Every new word learnt has many examples that show how to use it, including famous quotes, short videos from TV programs, and articles from relevant magazines.

+ Zero to little presence of ads and premium version not too pushed, instead it is encouraged with tactics like “refer a friend” to unlock premium features. Overall the app is highly customisable, allowing the user to organise the learning content and pace according to personal preferences.

Cons

- The onboarding process has many steps, making it quite lengthy.

- The homepage is crowded, with lots of information and buttons to skim through. The word explanation function, customisability, and variety of features and games are engaging, but could easily distract the user from the end goal: learning a new language.

- Unfortunately the app is available only in one language, English. This cuts out a large basin of potential users.

Word+

Differentiation

≠ Scan the world: learn from the context that surrounds the user, with the help of augmented reality.

≠ Customised examples for each word: based on preferences and interests shared with us also via the users’ social networks linked to the app, each word will show multimedia examples of the selected word in context via video, quotes and articles of interest.

≠ Import words: customise the app by creating new word categories and adding from multiple apps.

≠ Specifically focused on acquiring and expanding lexicon.

The Interview

Details

Platform: in-person
Number of interviewees: 5
Time required: 3 days
Number of questions: 10

Research Goals

● Understand the user’s needs and behaviour around acquiring foreign languages.
● Learn about users’ perception and experience with language learning apps.
● Discover triggers and points of friction when using vocabulary apps.
● Collect data related to the context in which users utilise different digital platforms.
● Gather info and data to prove the hypothesis and generate useful insights.

Summary of Findings

Do

I mostly search on Google when I don’t know a word or acronym.

I want to build the usage habit in the app before (potentially) paying for it.

I enjoy learning new vocabulary that is relevant for my life and not just the basics which you always learn in the beginning. I don’t need to learn all of the animals before going to the next language level unless I am a veterinarian!

I rewatch movies in other languages or read the book of said movie, so that what I lack in word/vocabulary knowledge I compensate by association/context.

To memorise better, I have to see it written out and preferably write it out myself, associating photos also helps. Once I memorise the meaning of a new word I try to use it soon after in order to really memorise it and add it to my own vocabulary.

I used Duolingo, but for professional vocabulary I just created my own lists on the notes app.

Think

For a word to properly permeate, I believe that reading it in context is absolutely
necessary, in addition to perusing through other relevant media content.

I think nice visuals and the option to see the translation of the word and audio
in the native tongue to hear how it should sound are a must for an app of this kind.

I think that having words organised in categories helps. So that I can target what is useful for me, together with the possibility of making my own categories according to my preference.

I think that the German language is difficult because the pronunciation is challenging, hearing it more often combined with seeing it written helps.

I think it’s interesting to learn how different words exist across different cultures/languages. For example, Germans seem to have a word for everything and if they don’t they create one by combining existing words.

I would love to be able to simply aim at objects surrounding me to get to know the name and then finding it on the vocabulary app to be able to learn more about and be able to always check it again.

Feel

I feel that Duolingo is too slow and not catered well enough to personal needs.

I felt very frustrated when I was learning German.
It’s not much about the meaning of a word, but more about knowing how to use it in a sentence.

I feel there isn’t a one size fits all for this learning goal. I am very much in between various levels of language and it feels frustrating not to be able to find an app that works for me.

I feel satisfied and proud of my self when I “earn” a new word in the sense of learning it, being able to recognise it and knowing how to use it correctly in any context.

I feel empowered when I get to learn new words or expressions because it makes my talking more fluid and makes daily life simpler.

I feel that the use of idiomatic expressions helped me understand German language more than the study of the grammar itself.

The Personas

Usability Test Plan - Overview

Background

Word+ is a vocabulary app that has the objective to help users build-up their lexicon from the daily context in a foreign language. One of the main features is based on the use of augmented reality to scan objects surrounding the user. Another feature is importing words that have been saved on a device to create their own deck of new words. As well as discovering new words and customising the words’ categories based on their needs. It will also include games and quizzes to help them memorising the newly learnt words together with multimedia context to help understand how to best use it in real life.

Goals

The study aims to test the usability of the Word+ app on a smartphone device. The usability test will evaluate the core features’ functionalities, the user journey and the feel of the app. Based on the feedback from the participants, improvements will be evaluated and implemented accordingly.

Tasks

1. Log into the app
2. Browse the homepage
3. Import a new word
4. Scan an object and save the word
5. Add a new word category
6. Look up description of a recent word

Test Details

• All tests have been moderated
• 4 in person
• 1 remote
• Test ran with smartphone using Adobe XD prototype app
• Used Zoom software (incl. recording)
• Shortest test: 15 minutes + Q&A and general feedback
• Longest test: 25 minutes + Q&A and general feedback

Demographics

All usability tests’ participants are aged between 25 and 34 years old, 4 out of 5 strictly in target, and 3 female and 2 male. Two participants are foreign language teachers. They all usually spend between 5 and 8 hours a day online. They have affirmed to be highly influenced by rating and reviews when choosing to download an app. All of them live abroad and speak at least a bit of the language of the hosting country.

Usability Tests - Results

Issue

The functionality of the home screen is lacking, with few possible interactions, and the sections are not easily distinguishable. As a result, the participants do not find it extremely useful.

Solution

All the sections are now well differentiated from each other, and a discovery feature implemented. This results as more appealing, easier to distinguish and more functional.

Issue

Although the mechanics of the import feature is easy and intuitive, the small space dedicated to select each word is difficult to use. Furthermore, it’s missing the option to select which category the imported word should be saved in.

Solution

Each word is now easily selectable due to the bigger space dedicated to it. In fact, it’s now possible to select the word by tapping on any part of the box surrounding the word.
The newly designed screen let’s the user choose the category in which to save the imported word, and also provides suggested categories and the option to create new ones.

Issue

The augmented reality scan feature doesn’t immediately show which word has been scanned.

Solution

The frame around the aimed objects reacts to the user’s choice, showing which words are about to be saved. When selected, the “+” becomes a “-“ and the colour changes from green to red.
Additionally, due to the nature of being a live camera, the back button was not necessary and eliminated. The global navigation can be used to switch to another feature.

Issue

On the word learning screen, the user the user wants to know the native translation of the word at all times. Some of the participants questioned if the categories can be changed and why are they not visible when reading/learning about the word.

Solution

The direct translation of the word has been added so that the saved word can be easily recognised. It is now possible to know in which category the saved word belongs to, suggested categories, and thanks to the “+” icon one can quickly create a new category. The user can now have an intuitive understanding about word’s field of use.

High Fidelity Wireframes

Prototype Video