LANGCITY
LANGCITY
“Learn a language at your pace, your level, and in your world.”
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About
LangCity is a language learning app designed for users to learn the grammar and syntax of a language, with the option to be fully immersed in it as well by means of a gamelike world.
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Methods
Competitive Analysis, User Interviews, Surveys, Prototype Feedback & Testing
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Deliverables
User Persona, User Flows, Low, Mid and High Fidelity Wireframes, Usability Test, Interactive Prototype
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Tools
Sketch, Invision, Adobe XD, Pen and Paper
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Role
UX Researcher and Designer
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Duration
Nov 2020- March 2021
Project overview: The challenge
According to Center for Immigration Studies, only about 1 in 5 people here in the United States can speak another language. Most people interested in learning a new language either use books or apps like Duolingo or Babbel to try and learn a new language. The issue is that these tools just aren’t immersive.
LangCity was created to change this. Working to be the true immersive learning experience on a mobile app, users learn real world phrases and vocabulary on Titan, a virtual world where users can explore and interact in their target language . LangCity is the fun, engaging, practical, and visually stunning solution to the traditional language app.
The Goal: Why LangCity needed to be created
According to Center for Immigration Studies, only about 1 in 5 people here in the United States can speak another language. Most people interested in learning a new language either use books or apps like Duolingo or Babbel to try and learn a new language. The issue is that these tools just aren’t immersive.
discover
Understanding the problem
The world today is connected more than ever now with social media. And yet, many still do not know how to speak a second language. However, to learn a second language on your own is not easy. It either is pretty costly to study at language schools, or if you go the free route, most applications and tools are overly repetitive and are not immersive.
Only about 20% of people in the US today, and with the level of technology available I wanted to understand why? So I took a look at what is out there now.
Understanding the market: A look at main competitors
One of the biggest, most well-known language apps out now is Duolingo. With millions of users and available in various different languages, Duolingo is leading in this industry now. It takes on a gameified experience to help its users get engaged with learning, by offering features like hearts that either increase or decrease upon how you completed a lesson.
The second big competitor is Babbel. Another language learning app with millions of users. It is centered more towards teaching language much more like you would see in a classroom, and feels much less like a game like Duolingo aims to feel.
Duolingo Offers:
Mostly free courses with a paid option available
Lots of different languages to choose from, including endangered languages
Stunning UI and sleek design with cartoons and art
Uses “hearts” to make it feel like a game
Babbel Offers:
Much less free material, emphasis on the paid subscription service
Offers lessons in mostly the most commonly spoken languages
Uses real images and videos in their lessons
Breaks down lessons into conversations
UX Analysis
For the most part, users expressed their liking of the simple UI, easy to use nature and breakdown of learning categories on both of the apps. However, many reviews of the Duolingo app, revealed complaint with the “mindlessness” of working in the lessons due to over repetition, and lack of more complex real-world scenarios and vocabulary. Many appreciated the real world context of the vocabulary they were learning in Babbel. Both apps are easy to use and intuitive.
For the creation of my language app, I not only wanted it to contain that clean UI, easy to use feel, but I want users to feel engaged and immersed; a sort of mash up of Duolingo and Babbel.
Understanding the user
To best understand who the users of my app are, I decided to develop a user survey and interview. I created two polls: one to gauge approximately how many people have used a language learning app like Duolingo or Babbel to learn a new language. After receiving responses from about 32 people, 24 were interested in being interviewed. From these interviews I wanted to understand how users were interacting with their existing language apps, and find out what they think could be improved upon.
User interview questions
I conducted user interviews with 12 language enthusiasts and 12 occasional language app dabblers. I asked the following questions, “What do you enjoy most about language apps that you have used? What do you dislike about such apps? What features do you think are missing? Do you find your learning experience an immersive one, why or why not? Why are you learning another language?”
Top Interview Insights
After speaking with everyone, I sat down and went through my notes to identify the overarching themes and pain points users had with their language learning apps. I noted their goals, frustrations and wishes for future language apps. Here is a breakdown of the three top insights I collected from the interviews, and the percentage of the participants that related to such insights.
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75%
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![95% Want to learn vocabulary used in real lif]()
95%
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80%
empathize
Representing the user
With data gathered on my users, I could now better empathize with the goals, needs, and desires for a better experience. With such invaluable data I could now create personas to show to stakeholders the type of people that would be using this app. Here is a look at the two personas:
Kyle - the language junkie
Kyle is a linguistics student at NYU. Born and raised here in New York City, Kyle enjoys speaking with people of all races and backgrounds and learning about their cultures. A speaker of several languages, Kyle uses multiple platforms and apps to help him with his language learning and is looking for an app that is more fun!
Kyle’s Goals:
Find an app that goes beyond teaching basic phrases, and one more focused on real world application
An application that offers “smart” features
Immersive experiences with language learning
Kyle’s Pain Points:
Apps don’t go beyond basic phrases and grammar
Over repetition of phrases and random vocabulary words
Can’t learn with friends like he can in other games he plays
Dara - the business guru
Dara is a shop owner and avid traveler. She is looking to open her first location in Paris, a city she loves but she needs to brush up on her French in order to better communicate with clients. Dara doesn’t have too much time in her schedule to dedicate to a class, so she hopes to find an app that will provide enough valuable content and information for the couple of minutes a day she uses it.
Dara’s Goals:
Acquire real life vocabulary she can use with clients
Feel challenged, but supported while learning French
Have a good time while learning
Dara’s Pain Points:
An app that feels like school, boring looking. and feeling
Elementary and overly basic situational vocabulary
An app that is overly repetitive or textbook-y
ideate
Focus on usability
Duolingo and Babbel are both easy apps to use, and if I am to compete with such apps with LangCity I need them to be equally or even easier to use. For the ideation process, I will be focusing on three of the main user tasks a user would find themselves in, and working to make completing such tasks as simple as possible.
Task one
task: Sign up for langcity and start first lesson
entry point: Open app
success criteria: start first lesson
Open langcity app
Make an account
Select language of interest
Take introductory test of language ability
Start first lesson
design
Learn First, Explore Later
LangCity University
With LangCity University users learn the fundamentals of a language, like a new alphabet, grammar, numbers and sentence structure. The design structure and layout is similar to that of existing apps with similar emphasis on exercised repetition with real world conversation and vocabulary.
Titan
On Titan, users explore the dreamlike alien world where everyone they meet speaks the language they’re learning. This realm was designed with various missions to complete, teach in a fun way the necessary vocabulary to speak their target language fluently.
The true immersive experience
The true best way to learn a language is to be fully immersed in it. However, traveling to a new country or city is not always possible. With LangCity no user has to travel far to be immersed in the language they are trying to learn. This learning method can be challenging, but it is one of the most efficient ways to acquire language, naturally. By recreating real life situations, like going to the bank, meeting up with friends or taking the bus: the user learns how to speak and understand language necessary in real life situations, not just memorize phrases from a textbook.
Here’s a look at Titan
Why learn solo? When you can learn duo?
Everyone learns differently. Some prefer to learn on their own, while others like to learn in a group setting. With LangCity a user can explore Titan solo or duo, alongside a friend. Intentionally more difficult, duo mode pushes learners to engage with more complex conversations and missions for longer durations of time; because with two brains working together it only makes sense.
A “smart” dictionary for smart language learning
When a user comes across a new word, they don’t just find out what it means, but learn of the various contexts that the word is used in daily conversation. With the dictionary they can hear the pronunciation of the word in context, and better understand how the words are using can be used in different contexts or in special situations; they can also save words and practice them later.
The style guide
test
The Prototype
It all comes together.
Final Takeaways
Throughout the course of the design process for LangCity, I have been reminded of how much I love to design and create new things. And while doing so is not always easy, it is fulfilling and is such an engaging experience for me personally. What I realized makes for really great design is mostly listening and after listening then paying attention to detail, use of color, typography.
The critiques that I received on various aspects of the design throughout the process helped me push the design further and create what I think is a truly impressive and engaging user experience. At the end of the design process I also realized, why I am so invested in UX. I enjoy creating and designing applications and tools that are meant to serve others, whether it is by helping them become better
with money, better navigate their city, or in this case, their a new language. I am determined to see this application pushed out to people all over the world, who are fascinated by language as much as I am, and for those interested in connecting with others across the globe. I am in eager expectation of the limitless potential of LangCity to be fully realized.