Tidy Tongue
01. Overview
Challenge
How can multilingual people improve pronunciation of their second, third, fourth (or more) languages?
Who
Multilingual individuals seeking to improve pronunciation of languages beyond their native tongue.
Why
While language-learning tools are plentiful, resources for improving pronunciation are limited both in options and scope.
Solution
Speech Therapy is provided through game-like, interactive activities to help people overcome their personal speech challenges.
My Role | UX and UI designer
Duration | 1 month
Tools | Figma, Procreate
02. DISCOVERY
Competitor Research
KEY FINDINGS
Key Finding #01
Audio feedback indicating correct or incorrect responses, as well as a way to hear correct pronunciations adds the value of positive reinforcement.
Key Finding #02
Providing varied learning activities for speech challenges being addressed provides an engaging and attention-holding experience.
Key Finding #03
Helpful features: course overview, timelines of steps or activities, visuals related to the word or sentence and the ability to record audio.
Key Finding #04
Potential pain points: Use of too many irrelevant visuals, use of lingo primarily used in speech therapy setting, and not keeping the UX engaging
User Research
KEY FINDINGS
Key Finding #01
It is easiest to learn languages and proper pronunciation by watching other people engage in natural conversations
Key Finding #02
The majority of potential users want to have a customizable experience- a list of words and phrases they have trouble with, along with spoken samples to compare to their own voice recordings
Key Finding #03
Duolingo’s game-like approach to the UX of their app was very appealing to all potential users. It was engaging and very encouraging to continue using.
Key Finding #04
All of the potential users would prefer program- or AI-analysis of their progress rather than relying solely on self-analysis.
03. Design Process
Sketches
Low to Mid- Fidelity Wireframes
Usability Testing
Participants were asked to used the app while completing the following activities:
Practice TH Sound Activities
Practice Sentences + My TH Words
Complete the TH Words Activity
Progress bars at a high level of each category were well received and intuitive
Easy access to tips and activities made users feel they could exit and return any time without losing progress
The simple titles and content were found easy to digest, with two of the participants expecting there to be more speech therapy lingo they were unfamiliar with
The ability to record their own voice was valuable
The use for the underlined words was confusing
Having immediate audio feedback in addition to the visual cues and illustrations were successful
All participants liked being able to see how many words were in the activity
The positive reinforcement encouraged the participants to want to keep trying more activities
The progress bar and option to watch people speaking were found to be the most valuable features
04. Final Designs
05. Outcomes + Next Steps
Big Win #01
Speech therapy is a complicated subject. I created an easily digestible app that is delightful to use and encourages you to continue coming back to learn with a simple, engaging experience and fun game-like activities.
Big Win #02
I tackled big challenges about a subject I had minimal prior knowledge on through thorough research and application of design, behavior and learning principles. Many friends and strangers alike are excited about the app and would love to share it with multilingual friends and family.
Next Steps
Design a preliminary evaluation to determine a user’s own speech challenges
Determine what happens when someone does not do well/ thorny user states. How do you motivate someone to continue when their results aren’t optimal?
A plan or module setup to where the user can see a high level view of all they are venturing to improve, perhaps organized by goal
Future state, would provide virtual tutoring with an expert at a higher membership tier,