Pro-Voca

• Android Prototype

Pro-Voca is a German vocabulary learning app, which I designed during my UX design course at CareerFoundry. At the same time, I was also learning a new language and planning a system to increase my vocabulary skills. Learning any non-native language and its vocabulary can be tough and time-consuming. The purpose of this app was to help the users to learn new vocabulary with visuals, bookmark them, practice old Vocabulary sets, and test their language proficiency (CEFR). Users can always start learning from any Level (A1/A2/B1/B2/C1/C2) based on their current proficiency after taking a small optional test.

Learning a new language is always challenging, and sometimes it can be exhausting with memorizing grammatical rules, new vocabulary, practicing mockup tests, etc. There are already numerous apps out in the market to overcome these challenges. However, from my interviews and research data, I have discovered that many people use various applications to meet their personal needs. Because of this complexity, sometimes it is causing them frustration or irregularities with the applications. Hence I wanted to create an application that helps to build solutions for these problems.

Our Proto persona needs a way to track his progress, and learn scenario-based various types of vocabulary set, because other than his works and daily activities, he is also interested in the cultural background of the country. We will know this to be true when we see our proto-persona can track his progress and improve his language skills in the social and professional platform.

I needed to find a better understanding of the industry and people's thoughts about the existing applications. To accomplish that, I choose three flashcard applications, Study Blue, Quizlet, and Brainscape. I conducted a competitive analysis on all three of them to have a better understanding of their key features. This allowed me to see the current trends and gain a valuable insight.

I chose three working/studying interviewees in the 30 to 35 age range​​​​​​​. I wanted to understand my potential users' needs and what they wanted in a Vocabulary learning app. My goals were to improve my understanding of how people approach learning a new language and vocabulary.

Based on my interview data and my research, I created one Proto persona, which was the perfect example for my future target audience.

I created user flows based on the proto Persona Protick and his user stories. I included every interaction he would take to complete an action by using an app function. I created two User Flows which documents how Protick would learn new words and practice previous words.

With the information I gathered from the Define phase, I started building Low fidelity wireframes. I created these wireframes by using pen and paper.

After creating the low fidelity wireframes, I made an interactive prototype by using the Marvel app.

Following that, I conducted the usability test with four participants. I used Jakob Nielsen’s Error Severity Rating Scale to examine the usability test report.

The main goal was to understand how users interact with the app while performing various functions. The test was mostly focused on the usability of the app and recognize users' ability to finish the tasks.

The usability test was performed using the Moderated Remote method via Skype. The screen was shared and recorded while the participants finished the tasks. I divided the Task into two sections, Direct Tasks, and Scenario Tasks.

• Task 1: Create an account
• Task 2: What would you do to learn new words?
• Task 3: Add a bookmark and create a list
• Task 4: Practice a set

• Task 1: After starting a new vocabulary learning session, you changed your mind to reset the level. Can you show me how you will do that?
• Task 2: While learning new vocabulary, without finishing the whole session you decided that you are going to practice. Can you show me how you will do that from the learning screen?
• Task 3: What would you do to take the same practice twice?

After conducting the usability test, I analyzed all the notes and the recordings. Following that, I created a chart based on Jakob Nielsen’s Error Severity Rating Scale. I isolated the information into three sections, Observation, Severity ranking, and Recommendation. After conducting four usability tests for the early stage of the Pro-Voca app, I have found that most of my participants were able to complete almost every task. However, there were some small and one major error accrued during the test. The participants have also suggested a few improvements on the design and the usability of the application.

The main Feedbacks were :

• Can I share my list with other people?
• Can I add or customize any Notes in Bookmark section?
• Can I save my work and resume later?

After finalizing the wireframes, I revised the prototype using Marvel app and gathered users' feedback.

Pro-voca was my first UX/UI project. It helped me to understand the basic and the key processes behind user experience design. Working on this project gave me motivation and inspiration to work on my next project. This experience allowed me to create an easy to use application with a user-friendly interface.

• Prototype

The design area of the application needs more user-friendly improvement to make it more intuitive. I will conduct several usability tests and surveys concentrating on the user experience. It will help me to achieve more users in the future. I want to expand my participant numbers to receive more opinions as well. I want to improve my skill in sketching the wireframes, so my participants can have more fun.