Opening a lesson at home:
The user is at home in the late afternoon, looking to relax but also learn something. They open the app and navigate to start a lesson.
Enhancing language learning through augmented reality (AR) and gamification, enabling users to interact, practice, and stay engaged in an immersive experience.
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Role:
Lead UX/UI designer
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Tools:
Miro, Figma
Overview
The project focused on designing a user-friendly interface for a language-learning app that integrates augmented reality (AR) and gamification to enhance engagement. The app enables users to interact with real-world objects, practice vocabulary in context, and participate in interactive challenges to reinforce learning. The target audience includes individuals aged 18-35 who seek an immersive and motivating way to learn new languages using digital tools.
Problem
Traditional language-learning apps often lack engagement and fail to provide immersive learning experiences. Many focus on passive learning methods, such as flashcards and repetitive exercises, which do not simulate real-life interactions. Additionally, existing solutions do not effectively incorporate AR technology, leaving a gap in providing interactive, context-based learning. These limitations reduce user motivation and hinder long-term retention.
Solution
To address these challenges, the app was designed with a strong focus on interaction, personalization, and real-world application. By integrating AR, users can learn vocabulary and sentence structures by scanning objects in their environment. Gamification elements, such as challenges and rewards, keep users motivated. Through usability testing, design improvements were made to ensure intuitive navigation and seamless user interaction. The final product offers an engaging, immersive, and effective way to learn languages through innovative technology.
Research
After analyzing various language-learning apps on the market, such as Duolingo and Falou, we assessed their strengths and weaknesses. Our findings indicated a demand for a more interactive and immersive learning experience that incorporates real-world applications. A key pain point identified was the lack of engagement in traditional apps, which rely heavily on passive learning rather than interactive and gamified methods.
To further explore user behaviors and preferences, we conducted interviews with language learners (ages 18-35). We then analyzed responses using Miro brainstorming board, grouping insights into key themes:
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⟣ Languages
Users prefer short, daily learning sessions but struggle with pronunciation and dialects. Many supplement app-based learning with TV series, online courses, and tutoring to improve their skills.
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⟣ Technology
Most participants are familiar with mobile learning apps but have limited experience with AR-based education. Users see the potential of AR for interactive learning, but they need it to be intuitive and practical.
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⟣ Games & Motivation
Gamification drives engagement, with competition (rankings, challenges) and cooperation (group tasks) being the most effective motivators. Users find traditional learning apps lack interactive, game-based experiences that make learning fun.
Our research confirmed the need for a more immersive, gamified approach to language learning by integrating AR and real-world interactions. To enhance motivation, we incorporated leaderboards, challenges, and interactive tasks. AR-based learning improves vocabulary retention, while multimedia integration supports better pronunciation and dialect training, creating a more engaging and effective experience.
Ideation
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Personas
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User Scenarios
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User Scenario 1 - Mine
Actor
Mine, a 30-year-old student from Istanbul, Türkiye, who recently moved to Poland for her studies. She is focused on learning Polish for everyday interactions like shopping, transportation, and socializing.
Context
Mine's busy lifestyle leaves little time for structured learning, so she integrates language practice into small breaks throughout her day.
Goal
She wants to develop survival Polish skills to manage routine tasks and feel more connected with locals.
Time & Setting
After finishing a yoga session, she has a short break before her next task.
Actions
- ○Opens her vocabulary notebook and reviews Polish words.
- ○Writes down each word carefully, checking its meaning.
- ○Uses Google Translate to listen to pronunciation and repeats it aloud.
- ○Tests her memory by recalling words she practiced earlier.
- ○If she forgets a word, she rewrites and repeats it until she feels confident.
Task Completion
Mine successfully completes her vocabulary review and feels a sense of progress in building her Polish language skills.
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User Scenario 2 - Anna
Actor
Anna, a 24-year-old student from Copenhagen, passionate about traveling and learning new languages. She enjoys watching Spanish TV shows and movies to improve her pronunciation and comprehension.
Context
Anna is planning a trip to Spain in September and wants to practice Spanish in a natural, engaging way. Due to her busy schedule, she prefers learning through entertainment rather than structured lessons.
Goal
Anna wants to engage in basic conversations and understand commonly used phrases before her trip.
Time & Setting
After a long day of work and classes, Anna unwinds by watching an episode of La Casa de Papel on Netflix late at night.
Actions
- ○Turns on Spanish audio with English subtitles for comprehension.
- ○Pauses frequently to repeat words aloud, practicing pronunciation.
- ○Writes down unfamiliar words along with their context.
- ○Struggles with grammar (e.g., "el" vs. "la") and words with similar meanings.
- ○Uses native speaker content to clarify grammar and pronunciation.
- ○Practices along with the media until she feels more confident.
Task Completion
After finishing the episode, Anna feels more confident in her pronunciation and grammar, making her more prepared for real-world conversations.
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User Story Maps
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Low Fidelity Wireframes
Design
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Style Guide
Our design follows a modern, user-friendly aesthetic, ensuring clarity, accessibility, and engagement. The typography is based on the Nunito font, providing a clean and readable structure with distinct styles for headings, paragraphs, and captions. The color palette includes deep purples as primary colors, complemented by vibrant green and orange secondary colors, creating a bold, energetic contrast that enhances visibility while maintaining a polished, professional look. Neutral tones of black and white provide balance and readability. The Material Symbols icon set enhances the interface with minimalistic, recognizable icons, ensuring a smooth and consistent user experience. This cohesive design system prioritizes accessibility, usability, and aesthetics, creating an engaging and visually appealing interface that supports seamless interaction.
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UI Design
The first version of the design included all major features, such as vocabulary learning, interactive word repetition, and gamified challenges. Interactive elements were added to simulate real-world language learning experiences and enhance user engagement.
Testing
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Prototype
We used Figma to create an interactive prototype, allowing users to navigate through the app and perform key tasks. The first version of the prototype included all major features, such as AR-based vocabulary learning, interactive word repetition, and gamified challenges. Interactive elements were added to simulate real-world language learning experiences and enhance user engagement.
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Usability Testing
Test Scenarios
To evaluate the usability of the interface, we defined a set of test scenarios that focus on key user interactions to ensure the prototype's functionality aligns with user needs and expectations. The scenarios include:
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Using the app in a foreign country for translation:
The user is traveling in a country where they don't know the language. At a flea market, they find a chair they like but don't know how to ask about it. They must use the app to assist them.
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Reviewing past lessons through games:
The user has been in a foreign country for a while and has used the app before. Now, they want to review their past lessons through interactive games.
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Setting a new language in a foreign country
The user is in Spain and opens the app for the first time. They need to set a new language for learning and adjust their settings accordingly.
Identified Usability Issues and User Pain Points
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Navigation confusion
Issue:
Some participants found it unclear which dropdown menu referred to the "native" vs. "target" language when setting up their preferences.
Impact:
This created frustration and reduced the perceived value of the feature, impacting the overall learning experience.
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Terminology clarity
Issue:
Terms like "Content Library" and "Articles" were vague, leaving users unsure of their purpose.
Impact:
This reduced the efficiency of exploring the app's features but did not significantly hinder task completion.
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Functionality Glitch
Issue:
The "Learn" button occasionally repeated previously learned words instead of showing new vocabulary.
Impact:
This created frustration and reduced the perceived value of the feature, impacting the overall learning experience.
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Statistical Graphics
Issue:
The "Statistics" page lacked engaging visuals to highlight achievements, which made progress tracking less appealing.
Impact:
While it didn't affect usability, this limited the motivational impact of gamification.
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Iteration and Finalization
We refined the design based on usability testing results and finalized the prototype. Here are the changes we made:
- ⟣ Clear labels were added for native language and target language dropdowns to reduce confusion.
- ⟣ Ambiguous terms like content library and articles were renamed and clarified, improving usability and understanding.
- ⟣ The Learn button functionality was fixed to ensure it displays new vocabularies as well.
- ⟣ Engaging visuals were added to the statistics page in the profile section, making progress tracking more visually appealing and motivating for users.
Final Prototype
The final prototype incorporated all feedback, resulting in a user-friendly, feature-rich application that met user needs and preferences.
