Designing a non-traditional learning app that teaches the Korean language using Korean media such as K-pop, K-drama, and K-webtoon with an emphasis on building a habit.

Have you tried learning a language through a mobile app? How successful were you? Have you heard that language learning apps are only a supplement to classes? Or… that language apps aren’t helpful for speaking skills? In 2020, Michigan State University conducted a study using Babbel, a popular subscription-based language learning app and e-learning platform, to answer the question, “How effective are language learning apps?” (1).

A test was taken by 54 students at MSU before and after 12 weeks of studying Spanish through Babbel. Surprisingly, the level of oral proficiency, grammar, and vocabulary correlated with how long students used the app. The more time spent on the app, the higher the scores. One downside to this study was that 36% of participants quit halfway. It became clear that what’s important is that users need to be persistent and must put in the time to make progress.

This is the design process I followed for this project.

First things first, I conducted a competitive and feature analysis of the Korean learning platforms in the market. Then, I surveyed and interviewed language learners to gain insight into their motivation and pain points. Here is my Research plan

How do you go from intermediate to advanced at speaking a language? There is a massive library of resources for individuals who want to begin speaking a language such as Duolingo, Lingodeer, Youtube, and online courses. I want to design a fun and engaging app for users who struggle to go past the beginner stage of learning a language.

Analyze strengths and weaknesses of competitive apps.

Evaluate pain points users experience while learning Korean.

Understand how users learn Korean

Identify why Korean language is appealing to users

Users are using apps to learn a language

Users are already familiar with the language and want to continue learning.

Secondary: Feature Analysis & Competitive Analysis

Analyze direct and indirect competitions of Korean Learning platforms.

Compare features and identify differences competitors

Primary: Survey

Conduct a Google survey to identify current user learning habits

Gather quantifiable data to support findings

Primary: User Interviews

Conduct 1-1 user interviews with users to find out how users are currently studying for a new language and pain points they experience while studying.

Identify why users want to learn a language and how that affects how they learn

Any gender

Age 18-40 (Age likely to use social media)

Currently learning a new language, preferrably Korean

Uses online studying tools to help learn Korean

Conduct competitive analysis & market research

Create & conduct Google survey

Organize & create interview questions

Recruit participants for 1-on-1 user interviews (4-5 interviews)

Conduct user interviews

Gather data & analyze results

I looked at both direct and indirect competitors of Korean teaching platforms. Many apps are geared towards beginners and are being used to supplement the user’s study. HelloTalk is great for practicing, Memrise for vocabulary, and Teuida for dialogues.

Next, I identified features from the apps and found that HelloTalk provides partner learning, Eggbun has AI chat features, and Memrise has AR object translations. I thought these were all fun and interactive ways to learn Korean.

I decided to perform the user survey to gain quantitative data on how users learn a new language and the struggles many share. 11 users participate in my user survey. They were learning a variety of different languages, from Korean to Spanish, Japanese, French, and Arabic.

The majority of the participants chose English as their primary language

Spent either less than a year OR more than 6 years studying their secondary language.

Next, I conducted 3 user interviews, and though I wish I had more participants, I still gained a lot of insights into the language learning experience.

Users now want to move away from the traditional way of studying a language from a book and choose a more immersive way to learn. This adds to the survey findings that many people opt for mobile apps as they are learning a new language.

In the second step of the design process, I will be creating a persona, an empathy map, a customer journey map, and finally coming up with a problem statement.

Creating personas is a way to imagine who I would be designing for. I listed the goals & needs, motivation, and fear & frustrations.

Meet Ashley. She lives in San Francisco, CA, and loves everything about Korean culture and language.

What does a typical day look like for Ashley? What does she value and think about? How are her actions different — or the same as her thoughts?

Ashley wants to learn Korean to consume Korean media without subtitles and have casual conversations with her friends. Although she finds joy in learning and understanding, she is embarrassed when she’s wrong and feels insecure.

If Ashley were to come across Enjoy Korean, what would that look like and how would it help fulfill her goals while removing her pains? A customer journey map is a visual storyline of how the customer engages with our product, service, or brand.

In this journey, Ashley discovered her passion for Korean and found ways to study, but with no success. The image above shows that Ashley comes across Enjoy Korean, as it guides the way to meet her goal.

After the research phase, I can deduce that the users need help keeping a routine and want to learn a language the non-traditional way.

In the most creative step of the design process, I came up with solutions and created an information architecture. Followed by that are sketches, mid-fidelity wireframes, usability testing, and a UI kit.

Learn in Context — Engage in learning with your favorite Korean songs, comic book, and drama.

Build a Routine — Form a habit and make language learning effortless

AR Translation — Enhance the Korean learning experience by incorporating a way for users to engage directly with real objects.

There will be three journeys.

Onboarding Experience. This flow focuses on building a routine and creating personalized lessons for users.

Song Lesson. Of the three types of content available in EnjoyKorean, I chose the song to explore and design a lesson.

AR Translation. This flow allows users to engage in real documents and allow them to come back to the app to study.

I organized all the pages according to each journey and listed items seen on each page. The square boxes represent call-to-action buttons.

Alongside the information architecture, I sketched my ideas on my iPad, keeping in mind the user’s pain points and motivations.

From sketches to mid-fidelity screens, I started by laying out all the pages I needed to design for the three journeys. I blocked out sections for each element and did my detailed work.

What kind of feeling do I want users to experience while using Enjoy Korean? The color purple is associated with ambition and creativity and the color orange is associated with enjoyment and enthusiasm. These two are the primary colors used in Enjoy Korean. I used a sans serif font so it is more legible. Open sans also create a friendly and inviting environment.

Here is the preview of my final prototype

I have a huge list of features to add to Enjoy Korean so I want to work on that!

Add sounds to lessons. How can I use hearing as a form of learning to teach users more about Korean?

A skill test to identify user skill level due to the hardships of self.

Premium Version. Without a source of income, it is hard to imagine a service like this being supported

Creating a screen for the profile and word bank.

Example sentences. What if users can see more example sentences related to a specific grammar rule during a lesson?

I understood how important the design process was to UX. I subconsciously thought of what the final design of Enjoy Korean would be like even before I started, however, after the research and defining phase, that completely changed. Through research and analysis, I learned aspects of the learning process I wouldn’t have known otherwise. For example, before research, I thought most people study through an online/offline textbooks or with a tutor. Although many people opt for this method, mobile apps and media learning were the top two in my survey. Through this, I learned that my assumptions might be wrong and that I shouldn’t come to a conclusion based on what I think. There are unique entertaining ways of doing stuff