MY RoleS
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT PRODUCT DESIGN
MASTER
LANGUAGE APP
The MASTER language app is a comprehensive AI-driven language learning and language assistance app. It's purpose is to facilitate language learning and on-the-go real time language translation.
The goal for this project was to create an early stage prototype with recommendations for future design work.
APP FEATURES
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Two Main Modes: Simple Mode and Quest Mode
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Translator - translate conversations on-the-fly
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Customizable AI generated word banks
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Uploadable word list files
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Flash Card feature - based on saved word banks
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Dictionary - comprehensive language dictionaries
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AV Room - curated videos in various languages
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On-demand paid portal live language experts
BACKGROUND
The MASTER Language app was also developed as part of the ten month Product Design program through Career Foundry.
The project brief was to concept and do early design wireframing and prototyping around a vocabulary app on a web-responsive mobile first design platform.
TOOLS
FIGMA
PHOTOSHOP
I-MOVIE
SCREEN SHOT
PREVIEW
PAGES
NUMBERS
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS EXAMPLES
WORD UP - a feature-rich app intended to help users learn English
TAKE-AWAY: A diverse learning approach in an app can be undermined by poor user experience design, leading to user frustration and disengagement.
POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES
POSITIVES
-ad-free basic version and reasonable subscription plan images paired with words
-voice capable and interactive AI
-various word bank layouts
-tailored vocabulary and community!
-various ways to learn!
NEGATIVES
-no onboarding!
-crowded design!
-instructions for app use were buried in the support menu typos in a language app
FLASH CARDS - Flashcards is a customizable app focused on vocabulary only. I chose to look at this app because it took a traditional approach to vocabulary learning.
TAKE AWAY: The Flashcards app stands out as an effective, customizable, and straightforward vocabulary tool with a well-balanced monetization strategy, featuring non-intrusive ads in its Basic version. However, to improve user engagement over time, integrating more entertaining features could make learning not only educational but also more motivating.
POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES
POSITIVES
-several word bank layouts, user-created word banks; no annoying ads
-well prioritized and laid-out menus
-good functionality
-basic and pro features clearly marked
-good use of screen space
-easy to find and use scrollable instructional section
NEGATIVES
-sparse onboarding, early review prompt
-overlapping buttons on layout
SEVEN moderated user interviews were conducted within the target audience, three in person, and four via Skype. A brief compilation of interview insights is listed below:
USER DEMOGRAPHICS
AGE RANGE: 13 - 63
GENDER: 3 women, 4 men
LOCATION: UT, TN, GA
OCCUPATIONS: Retiree, Pre-school teacher, secondary and college students, insurance adjuster, office manager
INTERVIEW INSIGHTS
DOING
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I have been learning Norwegian for 399 days and has a 400-day streak, with a goal of traveling to Norway and understanding their culture.
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I use Duolingo to learn Italian, but wish it had more context explaining the rules of grammar to clarify ambiguous usage of certain words
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I have never successfully learned a language to fluency.
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I learn basic phrases for traveling with language apps, and am not aiming to become fluent.
FEELING
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I like AI conversations, finding them helpful for focusing on language use and reflection.
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I struggle with following through on language learning goals due to lack of motivation.
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I struggle with lack of self-discipline when learning languages, and need higher stakes to motivate me (e.g., moving to a German-speaking country).
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I like playing with my friends, the social aspect of competing and winning things to flex to your friends.
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I’m frustrated with streak-based incentives that can lead to feeling discouraged when you miss a day and lose your streak.
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I struggle with consistency and prefer shorter, more flexible learning sessions that fit my busy schedule better.
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I am frustrated with paywalls and feeling pressured to maintain a streak
THINKING
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I think a vocabulary app should have customization and tailoring to specific subjects or learning paths.
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I think vocabulary apps should have customization and incentives to encourage frequent use.
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I think it would be cool to have an app that allows users to compete against each other in a language learning community, with progress bars and rewards for reaching goals.
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I believe that having a glossary feature that explains how to use grammar effectively would make learning new vocabulary more manageable.
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I prefer apps that are both fun and useful, such as YouTube and browsers.
PERSONA
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Below is an example of the first round paper sketch wireframes that were completed based on user interviews and personas for the target audience. You can find a more detailed study in the VIEW EXTENDED DOCS tab above.
INTERVIEW FORMAT
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Three interviews conducted.
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One interview was in-person.
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Two interviews were via Skype.
PARTICIPANTS
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Same individuals were used for both research and usability testing for consistency.
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Selection was narrowed to those most likely to use the app.
TESTING PROTOCOL
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Each participant was given seven specific tasks to perform during the usability testing.
USER DEMOGRAPHICS
AGE RANGE: 18 - 45
GENDER: 1 woman, 2 men
LOCATION: UT, TN
OCCUPATIONS: college students, insurance adjuster, office manager
INTERVIEW INSIGHTS
OBSERVATIONS
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The difference in user styles was apparent, with USER ONE being very careful to read through instructions and follow logical paths,
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whereas USER TWO was much more random in trying to find appropriate paths, even stating he preferred to explore on his own and see what things did.
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USER THREE was much a hybrid between the two, intuiting proper actions but also reading instructions when necessary to figure things out.
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Overalll all three said they had a relatively easy time with the layout of the app.
RECOMMENDATIONS
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Make the new user login prompt clearer
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Allow the icons to appear in a semi-transparent way on the main modes page 2. Make the review/edit word bank feature more clear/prominent.
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Make the microphone icon clickable.
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The task can be done either way, but “add another” should be made more prominent in some way.
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Make arcade mode and simple mode separate menu items, and add a “how to add a friend to your account” line in the FAQ
My part of this project ended with early product concept and wireframing with recommendations for future iterations of the MASTER language app.
Below is an app demo of the early stage prototype walk through with paper sketch wireframes.
YOU CAN ALSO CLICK THE BUTTON ABOVE for a detailed keynote presentation of the MASTER concept and audience.