About the Project
Word Monster is a vocabulary app that helps you study vocabulary in a fun way using flashcards. It was developed during my UX Design Course at Career Foundry within two weeks.
The Challenge
The goal was to design a mobile app that empowers people to learn new vocabulary within quick 5–10 minutes study sessions.
Early Insides
Competitors Analyzes
I needed to get familiar with the problem space. I searched for similar applications and came across four competitors Quizlet, ENG, Lexis, and PONS. I reviewed them and analyzed which features make them unique.
Understanding the User
Interviews
To understand my potential users, I have conducted 3 in-person interviews via zoom.
I was interested in their needs, behaviors, pain points, and experiences. I tried to find out about the process they go through when they are learning a new language, how they feel about it, and which different tools they are using.
Humanizing the Research
Persona
With the help of the interview insides, a persona named Emelie was created. She helps to set specific goals that are based on the needs and behaviors of my target audience.
User Stories
User stories help me to identify the needs of the app.
Problem Statement
Emelie needs a way to feel more confident with speaking German because she is afraid to pronounce words incorrect so she rarely speaks in public, which hinders her to grow and truly memorize her vocabulary.
We will know this is true when we see that Emelie is practicing regularly and has many correct voice answers without trying too many times.
Hypothesis Statement
We believe that by building a clean and playful environment that supports voice recognition for Emilie, we will achieve having Emilie practice her speaking skills regularly.
User Flows
I created user flows with simplicity in mind to define the specific actions Emelie would take within the app. This allowed me to see which screens needed to be developed for the app.
Sketching & Wireframes
With my sitemap and user flows in hand, I started sketching low-fidelity wireframes on paper that transformed into clickable mid- and high-fidelity wireframes in Adobe XD.
Homescreen
It's time to test
Usability Test
The test was conducted with 3 participants and the help of direct and scenario tasks. The app worked mostly fine. A few changes have been made based on the feedback.
The Result
With the help of all the insides and feedback gained throughout the process, a simple, playful design emerged.
Emelie has now the chance to practice her German on a regular base in short sessions.
The support of voice recognition will help her to become a confident speaker.
The lessons are practical. She can decide between sets provided by Word Monster or create her own easily with the help of voice recognition, scanning words, or typing.
The little monster makes it playful and supports Emelie on her journey.
The clean and intuitive design pleases her eye for beauty and keeps her motivated.
Retrospective
Making it through my first UX Design Case-Study was a fun mission with lots of new skills learned and failures made.
It taught me how many unexpected insides you can gain during interviews and usability tests. The user plays such an important role within the process. Designing for real humans is a very fun experience, that's a fact!
It taught me how many unexpected insides you can gain during interviews and usability tests. The user plays such an important role within the process. Designing for real humans is a very fun experience, that's a fact!
