Background
Challenges
My Role in the Group Project
Timeline
Cultural and linguistic differences make conversations challenging, as informal speech and slang, often untaught in formal settings, hinder effective communication.
How might we help people better understand and use slangs, colloquialisms, and idioms and facilitate cross-cultural communication?
Storyboard, Paper Prototype, Low-fi, High-fi
Sep 2022 - Dec 2022 (3 mos)
Solution Overview
Proslang targets those struggling with slang and informal language in conversations or seeking to improve their conversational skills.
Our prototype includes a mobile and smartwatch app for easy access to slang and idiom meanings. The watch offers quick checks and saving options, while the phone provides detailed explanations and context to aid understanding and retention.
Final Design
Registration, Log in, Home Page and Create a Post
Users can log in after entering the correct email and password
If it’s a new user, they need to sign-up and create a new account
Search bar, reminder to connect with watch, quick access to review saved words and trendy words on home page
Create a post and join the learning community
Watch: Recognize Words and Show the Simplified Meaning
When the app is first opened, it opens the homepage
Users need to click on the microphone for the watch to start listening and recognizing phrases
Once the app recognizes a slang it moves onto the next page that shows the slangs being recognized arranged by time
After the user choose the phrase they want to know about, the watch then asks the user to confirm if the phrase it recognized is correct
If the recognized word is not correct, the users can edit the word and move to the next page
On the word explanation page, the users can quickly see the phrase’s simplified meaning, similar words/phrases, and examples
Click the save button on the watch's top right corner allows users to save words/phrases and review their full explanations and context on their phone later
Saved Phrases and Word Detail Page
On the saved phrases page on the phone, it will show all the saved words, their basic meaning, and the time it was saved
On the word detail page, the explanation includes the basic meaning, examples in conversation, origin, and popularity over time
Highlighted Features
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Creative interaction with watch and phone
Proslang uses voice recognition on a smartwatch to identify unfamiliar slang or phrases. Users can discreetly view meanings on their watch and later save and review them with more context on the phone app.
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Multiple ways to understand and learn
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Example Sentences
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Image/Video Context
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Popular Media Context
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User Context
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Word Definitions
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Features not Implemented
Firstly, onboarding pages explaining the watch and mobile app functions were omitted due to time constraints.
Secondly, an AI conversation feature for slang practice was excluded to maintain the watch's simplicity and avoid transforming the app into a language learning tool.
Design Evolution
Storyboard
Our design began with a storyboard illustrating a common challenge for non-native speakers in foreign countries. This led to our app concept for improving slang understanding in cross-cultural communication.
Initially, we planned a phone-only app, but user feedback revealed using a phone in conversation can be impolite and time-consuming. This insight prompted our major shift to a combined phone and watch app.
Image 1: Storyboard
Paper Prototype
In the paper prototype, we designed a watch app that recognizes words and displays their meaning, examples, and visuals. Users can save words to review later on their phones.
We used colored sticky notes for phone UI elements and crafted a cardboard smartwatch with sketches. This paper prototyping was crucial for understanding real-world interactions before digital development.
Image 2: Paper Prototype
User Testing
After paper prototyping, we tested user interactions for word references in conversations. Once the wireframe was completed, we conducted another user test.
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Advantage
User testing at various design stages revealed user concerns and confusing features, enabling us to iteratively improve the app instead of making all changes at the end.
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Disadvantage
Testing the watch app's voice feature was challenging; simulating real conversations would have provided better insights.
Wireframe
In the wireframe stage, based on user feedback, we added a feature to confirm and edit recognized words on the watch, addressing accuracy issues identified in the paper prototype testing.
Image 3: Wireframe
High-fidelity Prototype
In transitioning from wireframe to high-fidelity prototype, we addressed user and peer feedback about the excessive similarity between phone and watch functions.
Acknowledging the watch's limited screen space, we simplified its design by removing images and focusing on quick, simplified definitions, avoiding function overlap with the phone app.
Image 4: High-fidelity Prototype First Version
After launching our high-fidelity prototype, feedback indicated that the application's dark color scheme made text hard to read and the design seemed outdated.
We realized that our focus on functionality had led to neglecting visual appeal, impacting user trust. Consequently, we completely revamped our final design with a new style and color theme.
Image 5: High-fidelity Prototype Final Version
Impact
Our app aims to help, particularly non-native speakers, confidently understand and use slang, colloquialisms, and idioms for improved communication.
However, there are privacy concerns, like apprehension about the app listening to conversations. To address this, we plan to add user options for conversation monitoring and seek permissions to enhance user control and privacy.