How might we design a mobile app that empowers people to learn new vocabulary?
Project Details
Objective
Empower people to learn new vocabulary.
Context
Analyze the experience of memorizing and understanding new concepts, techniques, and terms by researching and designing a mobile app to learn new vocabulary.
Role
I was the sole UX/UI Designer, collaborating with users, peers, and a tutor.
Duration
September 2020 - October 2020
Skills & Methods
Hand Sketching - Design Thinking - Competitor Analysis - Surveys & Interviews - User Research - Research Synthesis - Personas - Prototyping - Wireframes - Preference Testing - Usability Tests - User-Centered Design
Tools Used
Hand Sketching - Illustrator - Photoshop - MarvelApp - Powerpoint
Research Methods
Gaining an Understanding
Collecting Qualitative & Quantitative Data
Research Goal
Find out what tools people used for learning new terms and jargon. Of the 3 research methods I used, the 5 interviews I conducted generated the best data.
4
Competitor Analysis
11
Survey
5
Interviews
Competitor Analysis
Understanding the Existing Landscape
In order to understand how other similar apps functioned, I reviewed several and documented my findings. My experiences were labeled as positive or negative and revealed many functionality pain points. There were a lot of opportunities for improvement.
Interviews
5 Participants
My goal for the phone interviews was to understood what the participants were DOING, THINKING & FEELING the last time they had to learn new terms or jargon for work. They were engaged, and provided great insight & thoughtful quotes.
Behaviors
Three major Pain Points were experienced during the last time they had to lean new vocabulary.
DOING
Attending monthly meetings where new jargon is presented.
THINKING
Sometimes I need to hear a new term a few times before it sinks in.
FEELING
Being overwhelmed was the hardest part of learning.
User Quotes
"I needed to learn successfully in order to pass the exam."
- Natalie
"I got frustrated when colleagues used new jargon that I was unfamiliar with."
- Vince
Survey
11 Participants
The Lean Survey Canvas template was used to create 6 survey questions. I pre-qualified the participants and emailed them the survey using Google docs.
6
Open-Ended Questions
13
Responses
24
Hours
Survey Results
My six open-ended questions did not provide as much insight as I had expected. I realize the benefits of including close-ended questions so I can start to see trends in the data collected. I wrote the survey questions at the same time that I wrote the interview questions, so I wasn’t able to use the survey to validate the interviews. I did learn that many participants like to use flashcards to memorize new terms.
Design
User-Centered Methods
Proto-Persona
Personifying the Research
All of the best data collected was used to create Gino, reminding us that we are designing for real people.
Problem Statement
Gino Gonzales needs to be empowered to learn new vocabulary and jargon because he is tested monthly and also needs to train his staff.
We will know this to be true when we see that Gino can pass his monthly tests and communicate his new knowledge to his staff.
Hypothesis Statement
We believe that by creating a flexible, customizable, and effective learning tool for Gino, we will succeed in providing Gino’s patients the best treatment available.
User Stories / Job Stories
Research Anchors
As I developed each of his Job Stories and his different activities, I jotted down some great features to help him reach his goal - passing his monthly tests and training his staff.
These became my RESEARCH ANCHORS that informed my decisions throughout the design process.
Calendar
As a Clinical Social Worker, I want to learn all of the current behavioral health terminology, so that I can pass my monthly tests.
Gamification / Challenge
As a busy professional, I want an engaging way to learn, so I can look forward to studying.
Tagging / Key Words
As a Clinical Social Worker, I want my new jargon entries to be automatically dated when I hear them, so I can search by date.
Reminders / Rewards
As a Clinical Social Worker, I need a reminder of an upcoming monthly exam, so I can be quizzed in advance.
Create Collections
As a Manager, I need to be able to categorize, organize and select the relevant terms and jargon, so I can train others.
Task Analysis
Key Features
Opening the app is the entry point. Here are all of the steps Gino needs to take to create a new term, and then learn those terms that he’s placed in a deck. The “Happy Path” is highlighted in white and shows the quickest, most efficient path to accomplishing each of the goals.
- CREATE
- LEARN
Card Sorting
Information Architecture
An open card sort gave me insight as to where users would expect to find information. A participant even suggested clever category names and icon doodles that relate to a vocabulary learning App.
User Flow
Plotting the Journey
A quick sketch of different options on how the user will navigate through the App to complete two tasks.
Onboarding
Introducing the App
A preliminary study of hand-sketched wireframes developed into a mid-fidelity set of screens and a prototype
User Flow 1
Create A New Term
Initial wireframes that were created in illustrator, then uploaded to MarvelApp to create a prototype.
Usability Testing
Participants Weigh-In
Remotely Moderated
Zoom Calls
Each of the testing sessions had a participant testing 8 tasks, as I observed their screens while taking notes. Two of the participants tested the prototype via the MarvelAPP online simulator on their desktop computers while the other two tested using their mobile phones.
4
Participants
4
Direct Tasks
4
Scenario Tasks
User Feedback
"This is so confusing"
- Natalie
"This should excite and motivate more me so I want to learn”.
- Margaret
User Insights
Prioritizing the Feedback
- My observations were recorded in a Usability Test Report.
- Two of the biggest problems were addressed in the next iteration.
- I rated their severity using Jakob Nielsen’s error severity rating scale.
Design Iterations
Data-Driven Decisions
UI Elements
Eliminating Friction
- Problem #1 on the left shows the confusing status graphics on the home screen. The revised design shows each status as an empty list.
- Problem #2 on the right has been revised to show an improved feedback message and CTA button phrases.
Storytelling
Gino's Journey To Success
This is the end of the road for this MVP, but not for Gino's success story ... that is to be continued..!
I had fun creating a 10 slide storytelling deck describing his journey. Gino is now able to train his staff so they can make sure their patients are getting the best treatments.
Conclusion
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the research phase of my first UX Design project.
Lessons Learned
It is important to properly prepare each participant for the interview session by describing the scenario that leads to using the app.
Next Steps
I would like to develop the app features that were identified in the user stories. I'd continue iterating and testing the app to build a polished UI and prototype.