Speaker

A mobile application encouraging language learners to use English in everyday life.

ROLE: Team Leader, UX Designer

Semi-structured Interview
Persona
Paper prototyping
Adobe Xd

Background

This project was completed as an assignment for the “Human-Computer Interaction” course. A mobile application was required to be designed for people’s Behavior Change.

Target Users

International students living in a foreign country, trying to improve their English skills in order to pass exams or fit into local society.

Research

We interviewed international students who were studying English at ICTE-UQ, in order to meet language requirements for entering a university.

Semi-structured Interview

  • Experience of learning English
  • Experience of using apps helping with language learning
  • Difficulties in learning English
  • Achievements of learning English
  • What drives them to learn English

Insight

Motivation towards English learning is not long-lasting. When result is not as positive as they expected, students tend to be frustrated and stop learning.

Vocabulary and collocational patterns are two main aspects that interviewees thought could help them in exam and daily life.

Even thought being in a foreign environment, they still feel it’s not easy for fundamental level learners to speak English, as successful communication requires understanding and expressing, neither of which are confident for some learners.

Persona

User Story

As a language learner, I want to have more opportunities to communicate in English, so that I can keep my learning in use and find the gaps.

As a language learner, I want to know more words or phrases, so that I can use them for oral communication, help me get through the exam, and fit in local communities.

As a language learner, I want to know my progress, so that I feel motivated.

Requirements

Be motivated

Users long for a constant motivation, so that they could stick to learning English with inner drive.

Relevant to life

Users expected to be provided useful materials closely related to everyday life, so that they can make use of them.

Practice platform

Users hope there is someone to talk with, helping them practice English-speaking skills.

Levels match

No matter vocabulary, grammar, or people who speak English to talk to, users hope the gap is not too large to bridge, otherwise they will be timid or frustrated.

Paper Prototyping

Solution

Gamification

Involved in learning process as enjoying a world tour.

User will be staying at different cities everyday, and be rewarded after they complete journey in a city.

Rewards

Encourage others by sending wish cards and receive badges after completing a certain amount of practice.

Movie voice over

Learn expressions, mimic pronunciation and tones of voice through movie voiceover.

Voice record and playback allow users to compare their pronunciation with original movie clips, helping with rectification

Practice with parter

Establish connection with other users and be each other’s partner to practising English.

Reflection

I didn’t write usability testing results and the evaluation we did with SUS, TAM, and Heuristic evaluation. When I was writing this page, I was wondering whether we did something wrong. There’s no doubt that Changing Behaviour should be the top item on the criteria list, but it cannot be evaluated in just several weeks. People cannot predict what they will do and think in the future, so we cannot evaluate by asking about their future behavior. There might be right ways there, but I don’t think what we did is right. If consider it as a long-term project, I think criteria that can be set for evaluation could be: numbers of returning visitors, frequency of using the app.