LECO
Language Exchange Companion
Overview
LECO is an app aims to facilitate language exchange, which enhances mutual learning and cultural understanding between individuals from different backgrounds. Our project, conducted as part of the UX course at NYU, focuses on enhancing this experience through comprehensive research and thoughtful design.
Duration
Sept - Dec 2023
Team
4 people
Role
UX Designer | PM
Target Users
Language learners
Stage 1
User Research
Language exchange aims to facilitate mutual learning and cultural understanding between individuals from different backgrounds.
How might we facilitate and promote it?
Research Goals and Methodology
Language exchange aims to facilitate mutual learning and cultural understanding between individuals from different backgrounds.
Research Goals
To understand people’s motivations to exchange language
To identify pain points and challenges in language exchange
To know users’ preferences when doing language exchange
To build empathy with people who have or willing to have relevant experiences
Methodology
Discover
Define
Assumptions and prior experiences
5 people
(4 users + 1 stakeholder)
Scholar articles
31 responses
​Draw insights from the research
Research Deliverables
Empathy Map
Literature Research
Language Exchange Forms
From the survey, more people have in-person language exchange experiences.
Satisfaction for Each Form
The in-person LE generally more satisfied because in-person experience provides more engaging activities.
Commitment for Each Form
The online LE generally have higher commitments.
Most Important Features of Online LE
Affinity Map
Personas
Recommendations
“How Might We” Questions
-
How might we make language exchange more effective?
-
How might we make the language experience more interesting and natural?
-
How might we measure and track the learning progress?
-
How might we ensure that users feel secure and comfortable while interacting with language exchange partners?
Limitations & Challenges
-
There is not enough quantitative data from survey.
-
The data we collected is not representative enough.
-
Not so many people participated in our research have language exchange experience.
-
Time restriction.
Stage 2
Design & Prototype
Workflow
Brief summary of Project 1
(User Research)
Ideation, Sketching,
User Scenarios & Storyboarding
Usability and Heuristic Result
Revised and Final Prototype
Problem Framing
Problem Framing
User scenarios & Storyboarding
Hailey, a Korean undergraduate, wants to exchange language with native speakers. She uses LECO and sets her learning goals. She meets Emily, a native English speaker passionate about Korean films, and practices speaking with her. The app's real-time caption and translation features boost Hailey's confidence, and its feedback and correction tools strengthen her language journey.
Ideation
Sketching
Lo-Fidelity Prototype
Design Process
Usability Test & Heuristic Evaluation
Usability Test Objectives
-
Ease of navigation: how users easily navigate through the app? Were they able to find key features and use them?
-
Likes & dislikes: What features they like the best/ least? And why?
-
Visual design: How much do users like the background color, icon, and UI of our app?
-
Initial User Experience: How is user’s first user experience and impression to our app?
Methodology
30 - 45 min
-
Short interview
-
Usability test
-
Post usability test survey
Tasks
-
Sign up and set up profile
-
Have a video call
-
Block a user
-
Join a new interest group
-
Join a real-time chatting room
-
Use the translation function
Conducting the tests
1 male & 2 females
1 used similar apps
2 didn't
All have language exchange experience
Prototype system:
IOS in Figma
Usability Test Results - Pros
“This is a unique feature!”
“I like the border design that helps me quickly recognize their user types.”
Usability Test Results - Cons
1. We realized there is not enough difference between “chatting room” and “group”.
“What’s the difference between them? “
“People can chat in either way, so why you create two chatting features? “
“ I’m confused…. Are these two the same?”
2. Testees found some elements in video call confusing.
“ What’s this block for? Is that a chat box so I can also type while having a video call? ”
“ Wow is that caption? I like this feature! But it that only use English by default? ”
Through Heuristic Evaluation, we identified that our main issues are:
-
User control and freedom
-
Error prevention
-
Help and documentation
Final Prototype
Footer:
Home, Friends, Chat, Groups, Setting
Homepage:
Recent Chat, Learning language(s), New friends match
Built-in translations
Captioning
Video call with real-time caption
Block, report, and mute
Hot topics
Chat prompts & block
Interest groups
Chatting rooms
Try our prototype!
Main Features
-
Users choose their learning motivations
-
Chatting room & Interests groups
-
Chat prompts & free translation
-
Video call with real-time caption
Comments
From UX Course Classmates at NYU
"Your usability test objectives are very clear. I can see the purpose of why you want to conduct the test."
"I like the ideas of chatting room, you named them by identifications, which make general users can find a group that they interested in."
"Really deatiled but clear storyboard. Like how you showed specific features of the app and reactions."
