This was my introduction to UX and it introduced me to some of the most important terms, tools, and techniques in the field of user experience design. 

In this project, I picked apart the experience of memorizing and understanding new concepts, techniques, and terms by researching and designing an app to learn new vocabulary. The goal of this  project was to practice using the design process and learn important vocabulary along the way.

The Challenge

My challenge was to design an app that users would come back to again and again. It had to be simple, useful, fun and engaging. Rewarding and motivating the user was key to keeping the user engaged.

My Role and Responsibilities

In this project I took on the role of sole UX designer. It was my responsibility to conduct user research by engaging in user interviews. I created a user persona from my research and then user flows to map out the information architecture. I then had to sketch out low fidelity wireframes and create a prototype. The project was rounded off by usability testing and a test report.

Tools

Pen and paper, Prott and Photoshop.

Who: It was up to me to define my target audience. I did this by engaging in user research on people whom I knew had learned languages in the past.

What: A mobile application focused on learning new vocabulary. 

Where: Location and context ultimately depended on my target users. Once I had determined the “who,” I imagined them using the app for 5–10 minute intervals, perhaps at a cafe, in bed, or on a bus.

Why: It can be difficult to keep track of all the jargon when studying a new discipline. Students need a way to methodically categorize, reference, and study new vocabulary and concepts so they can move forward confidently in their field.

The first step in the process was to examine what my competitors were doing in the way of vocabulary apps. I took note of the pros, the cons and made a summary of each app. The three apps I examined were Tiny Cards, Quizlet and Animals and Tools.

Then, to get a better understanding of my target group I conducted user interviews with three potential users. I selected these interviewees on the basis that they had experience in learning languages in the past.

After the interviews I collated all the information and created my Proto Persona Vicky. Vicky was to represent my target user group. Her persona was divided into needs and goals and behaviours. I created a problem and a hypothesis statement for her. To make Vicky more human and a persona I could better visualize I gave her a photo, statistics, a quote and finally I created user stories for her.

Using the user persona as a guide I then created some user flows which visualized the most important functions of the app.

Working off the user flow I began sketching out an outline of the app. Using Prott I then inserted the low fidelity wireframes into a prototype. 

The next phase was to test my prototype with potential user. This enabled me to gather data about the information architecture and the functionality. I formulated a test script and a test plan and conducted usabilty tests with three potential users.

The end result of my work was a game based vocabulary learning app where users can battle each other whilst also learning new words. From my research I learned that the game element where users could level up would be a motivating factor for the user to use the app again and again. Therefore as you can view in my prototype the learning is game based, with also a social media aspect to it.

This introductory project came to an end with the completion of my user testing. It gave me a brief overview of the early stages of UX methodology.

This project really gave me a feel for UX and gave me my first chance to do user research and testing. It was an eye opener for me to hear what my different users had to say and then to apply the research to my project via my user persona. I was always a budding artist so I enjoyed the sketching and prototyping also.