BOOK; NOT INTERRUPTED
A vocabulary app for dedicated readers
THE PROBLEM
How might we design a mobile app that empowers people to learn new vocabulary?
THE WHY
I wanted to find out what readers did when they came across tough vocabulary while reading.
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Did they stop reading a look up the definition?
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Did they just skip over the word and pretend it didn’t exist?
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How could I help readers learn the tough vocabulary that they will come across in their books?
“When I come across a word I don’t understand, I definitely look up the definition so I know what it means. I was reading a Sci-Fi series and every chapter had 10 or more words I had to look up.”
Amber, user interview participant
PROJECT PLAN
Duration
Three weeks
Role
UX Researcher and Designer
Tools
GoodNotes on iPad | Marvel | Adobe XD
Research
Competitive Analysis | User Interviews | Proto Persona
Design
Information Architecture | Low-Fidelity Wireframes | Prototype creation
Evaluation
Usability Testing | Revisions
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
There were no direct competitors for me to analyze, so I chose to evaluate three study applications focusing on vocabulary.
The criteria:
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Allows users to learn a variety of vocabulary
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It's free to download and doesn’t require a subscription
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Has a 5-star rating on the App Store
INTERVIEWS
I spoke with four people who enjoy reading at least one book a month.
The goal was to understand what they do when they come across unknown vocabulary, how they best learn vocabulary, and learn about their experiences when they encountered unknown jargon and how they proceeded.
HERE'S WHAT I LEARNED
Use what you know
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When reading a book, half of the interviewees use context clues for the meaning of a word, but if that fails, they move on
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The other half look up the definition
There are different ways to learn vocabulary
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Two of the interviewees rely on flash cards
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One learns the meaning and uses it in context
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One has impeccable memory
Unknown jargon is frustrating
Whether it was co-workers using technical terminology, or learning terminology after a career change, they all relied on study methods and context clues to retain the information.
PERSONAS
After learning more about my interviewees, I created one proto-persona that encompassed their thoughts and characteristics.
This helped me always keep them in mind while making design decisions.
Problem Statement
Zoe needs a way to learn tough vocabulary found in books, in a fun and engaging way because she wants to expand her knowledge, and avoid interrupting her flow to look up the definition of a word.
My Product
I have created an application that allows users, like Zoe, to learn the tough vocabulary they will come across in their future books, so they can avoid interruptions.
USER FLOWS
At this point I created a user flow to get a better sense of how the app will function in future usability testing
The flow was for a new user seeing what the app has to offer. I placed account creation only after Zoe wanted to save the game, which allows her to get a full tour before making a commitment to the app.
Creating an architecture helped me understand how to organize each screen, so the app will have a natural, intuitive flow.
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SKETCHES
For this process, I used a note taking app on my iPad to hand-draw each screen of the user flows.
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Sketching this way allowed me to quickly create a rough-draft of the design, that was then tested in a prototype.
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It also saved me time and my sanity before creating a more developed version.
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USABILITY TESTING
I conducted four, 10 minute sessions using Marvel’s POP app and the hand-drawn wireframes. Three were done virtually using Zoom, and one was in-person.
The tasks given to the participants followed the first user flow.
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Take a sample vocabulary quiz by choosing Hamlet.
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See if the app has Space: a novel in the system by scanning its barcode.
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Choose to play a flash card quiz for 10 minutes.
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After the 10 minutes is up, create an account to save the progress made.
It was an eye-opening experience to have participants go through the tasks, see where they got stuck, and vocalize what they’re processing.
It was an important step in the design thinking process to make corrections on the encountered pain points.
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REVISIONS
Following the usability tests I made hand-drawn revisions to the wireframes, then turned them into low-fidelity wireframes using Adobe XD.
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LESSONS LEARNED
Looking back at it, I would have made some changes to my interview process, and conducted more research, but I think I made a decent start to a product in those three weeks.
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I could rework some features for better usability. These include breaking the quizzes up by chapters, and search for a book by typing in information not just scanning a barcode.
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The next steps I would take include another round of usability tests, more revisions, and start creating a higher-fidelity prototype.
