INTRODUCTION

PROBLEM

70% of adults claim they want to learn a new language but they can't fit in the time to build a vocabulary. How do you build up a new vocabulary when your schedule is busy and there doesn’t seem to be a spare minute to even start?

GOAL

Create a mobile app that provides language/vocab learners with a rewarding experience that motivates them to learn.

WHAT’S OUT THERE?

I started out my project by conducting a thorough competitive analysis of existing competitors in the iOS App Store to better understand the problem space I’m working in. Click on the thumbnails to view my thoughts on these three apps below.

USER INTERVIEWS

These apps all had their own way of displaying vocabulary words but I was surprised that few offered the option to upload your own words, which would be helpful for those learning off of a set curriculum. Between the three, there were many different details and features but I questioned if some of these were necessary or whether the crowded interface was deterring people from using the app on a regular basis. There was only one way to find out what users want in a vocab-learning app - user interviews!

PEOPLE I INTERVIEWED

GATHERING INSIGHTS

I conducted user interviews with a few people I knew who had attempted to learn a language in the past 5 years. A sampling of the questions I asked:

• What is a challenge when learning new language/vocabulary?

• What would you say helps you the most when learning a new language/vocabulary?

• Have you ever used a mobile app in learning a new language/vocabulary? Why did you choose to? Why did you choose the one you chose?

• Was the app useful? Why or why not?

…and here’s what they said:

These were great insights, but I needed to consolidate it all into one user persona named Amy. This helped me refine the user needs into a working hypothesis. Learn about Amy below - her user stories, and the problem statement and hypothesis that followed.

EARLY THOUGHTS

With Amy’s goals and problem statements in mind, I was ready to start thinking about information architecture - how to structure the app to help her reach her goals. Since I’m creating this product from scratch, I decided to define two important tasks for Amy and run a task analysis for each one. I then drafted potential user flows for each of these tasks, and tested out two diagramming tools - Google Drawings and LucidChart.

TASK ANALYSIS

Task 1. Onboarding or Login

Entry Point: Open App

Success Criteria: Arrive at homepage/dashboard

Tasks:

• Open the application

• Select Create Account or Sign In

• Complete onboarding process or input necessary credentials

• If new user, select learning preferences and settings

• Arrive at homepage/dashboard and start learning

USER FLOWS

WIREFRAMING

I busted out pen and paper and started sketching some initial designs for the two tasks I had created user flows for. I wanted to capture all of the components that go into the user’s experience of these tasks, including transition pages, onboarding tips, and confirmation messages. Since these still needed to be tested and would likely go through more iterations, I kept these designs low-fidelity and focused more on function than visual design.

VALIDATING THE DESIGNS

And then it was off to usability testing! To assess the usability of the navigation and features I designed in my wireframes, I made an interactive prototype through Marvel and ran three 10-minute usability tests. I gave my participants 5 scenario tasks and measured how effectively they could complete each task according to Jakob Nielsen’s Five Components of Usability:

• 0 = I don’t agree that this is a usability problem at all

• 1 = Cosmetic problem only: need not be fixed unless extra time is available on project

• 2 = Minor usability problem: fixing this should be given low priority

• 3 = Major usability problem: important to fix and should be given high priority

• 4 = Usability catastrophe: imperative to fix before product can be released

WHAT DID I LEARN?

• The issues that scored a 3 had to do with the onboarding tour. I learned that I needed to show how to move through the tour, as well as how to exit the tour, more clearly.

• I also learned that it was helpful to add the “Share Set” action to multiple pages, since users might want to take this action from the “Sets” page or the “Friends” page. This requires only adding an icon so it’s an easy add that doesn’t affect the overall page too much.

• I also needed to simplify some of the pages.

With these insights, I revised my wireframes and prototype.