Project Overview
Problem
Learning research shows that most adults learn by doing instead of reading. Most language apps focus on vocabulary and grammar learning instead of trying to get the student to speak as quickly as possible. As a result, many language learners don't follow through with their ambition and quit after a few weeks.
There are countless people who have the desire to learn a language but abandon the idea after they lost momentum. One of the most frequent reasons is that they are missing a support structure and motivator to help them.
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App Hypothesis
Situlearn's goal is to get people to speak a foreign language quickly. The lessons are structured around specific situations like ordering food or going to the cinema. It is built around social interactions and removing the fear barrier of speaking a foreign language. Other features include the ability to connect with a like-minded community and you can book coaches to help you with the material.
With that in mind, this is how the project is structured:
With that in mind, this is how the project is structured:
My RoleUX Designer, UX Researcher
This was a solo project as part of my UX learning Journey |
Timeline30 Days
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ToolsFigma, PowerPoint, Word, Pen&Paper
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The UX Project Plan
Research
Competitive Analysis
The competitive analysis was divided into two major parts. A company and product overview and an in-depth UX analysis. I chose three very successful direct competitors for the research with hopes to find out what they are doing well and what could be improved upon.
Company & Product Findings
All three apps featured different business models, learning styles and lesson structures. This supports the claim that we don't yet know the most effective way to learn a new language.
From a UX perspective, that means that keeping the user engaged would be a top priority. All three apps featured different ways to keep the user engaged.
From a UX perspective, that means that keeping the user engaged would be a top priority. All three apps featured different ways to keep the user engaged.
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Duolingo
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Rosetta Stone
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Memrise
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Yet, despite these mechanisms, studies show that most people abandon their language learning and that these tools alone are not effective to fully learn a new language.
As a result, Situlearn will focus on specific situations to help people grow an interest in the language rather than teaching it from scratch.
As a result, Situlearn will focus on specific situations to help people grow an interest in the language rather than teaching it from scratch.
UX Findings
All three apps were researched from an UX point of view. Unsurprisingly, they had strong features that complimented their chosen learning styles. Most weaknesses were related to content and user restrictions. Also, the business model of the free apps caused some annoyance by having ads break the learning immersion.
Situlearn will focus on connecting people with each other and teach specific situations. The payment model will revolve around premium features and not ad revenue.
Situlearn will focus on connecting people with each other and teach specific situations. The payment model will revolve around premium features and not ad revenue.
User Research & Personas
I interviewed 7 people who expressed the desire to learn a language and who failed to successfully learn a language in the past. I was most interested in the tools they used, the problems they encountered and their reason for stopping. The interviews were held and recorded on Skype for later use.
These are the main takeaways:
- Most interviewees used apps for learning a new language.
- 5 interviewees wanted to learn a new language because they felt they had to and only 2 had specific reasons for doing so.
- Despite expressing the wish to learn a new language, no one wanted to pay for it.
- Not being interested anymore and the feeling of not making any progress were the main reasons why people stopped with their learning.
Based on these findings, the biggest problem would be to keep people from quitting and help them feel confident in their speaking abilities.
Interviewees were selected with specific characteristics in mind. As a result, user personas were created to represent their thoughts and make it easier to understand their wishes and frustrations.
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User Persona cards highlight the main information that's contained in the full persona research.
With more time and resources, I'd prefer to add an additional research layer to the project by gathering quantitative data. This would be done by an online survey that's directly aimed at language learners. I'd also try to interview people face to face to ask questions in a more private environment.
With the collected information the project moved into the design phase.
With the collected information the project moved into the design phase.
Design
Information Architecture
The design goal was to create a working prototype that outlined three core functions of the app. Each of these functions were first outlined in a diagram. Below you can see the first draft of opening a language lesson.
As engagement would be a top priority for the app, I wanted the user to experience the apps core features through a short slide deck before they could choose a language. Afterwards the user would learn how to navigate the app through the Dashboard before they are able to choose a lesson.
The problem with this approach is that there are too many steps involved until the user gets to use the app. Since most people are familiar with standard app surfaces, it seems unnecessary to have them experience two function introductions. With that in mind, the current app structure would look like this:
The problem with this approach is that there are too many steps involved until the user gets to use the app. Since most people are familiar with standard app surfaces, it seems unnecessary to have them experience two function introductions. With that in mind, the current app structure would look like this:
In this version, the user gets to experience the language lessons in the quickest way possible. They'll get a feature explanation as soon as they start their very first lesson to ensure that they are familiar with the layout and core functions.
In total, I created three different journeys for the user as I deemed this enough to build the first prototype.
In total, I created three different journeys for the user as I deemed this enough to build the first prototype.
Wireframes
Hand-drawn wireframes were created first because of the speed advantage and the possibility to test different ideas without much downtime. Below you can see 4 attempts at different app screens and their translation into mid-fidelity frames using Balsamiq.
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During the creation, I implemented a few changes. The bottom menu, for example, seemed obsolete with 3 functions and it was missing vital app parts such as the community features. Other changes were implemented because they looked less confusing and more in-line of established UX practices.
In total, 15 screens were created. This was enough to cover 3 main functions and prepare a working prototype that could be submitted for user testing.
In total, 15 screens were created. This was enough to cover 3 main functions and prepare a working prototype that could be submitted for user testing.
Evaluation
Prototype Evaluation & User Testing
A total of 6 interviews were scheduled with users who were keen on learning a new language right now. The sessions were recorded to identify roadblocks and to double-check the navigation. I found that:
- Users enjoyed being able to take a lesson quickly.
- It was easy to complete the three tasks that they were asked to perform.
- Users were questioning the community aspects of the prototype.
The gathered feedback was evaluated with a rainbow spreadsheet to outline design and change priorities.
All observations were then rated with the Jakob Nielsen’s scale to determine and rank changes that would have to be made for the product.
Future Steps
Next steps will include a higher-fidelity prototype to provide the test user with a more realistic environment. For that to work, a full UI type has to be created.