OUR PROCESS

Before developing SpeakSpark, we conducted research to understand the needs and challenges of students learning new language. We discovered that many students feel traditional language-learning methods are dull, overly complex, and lack interactivity. Students often struggle to stay motivated and lack opportunities for real-life practise, which can make the learning process frustrating and slow.

Based on Indonesia EFL Journal:

• Lack of general knowledge & speaking practise.
• Fear of making mistake & critism.
• Low motivation and participation.
• Lack of practise with words and grammar.
• Less use of dictionaries due to reading laziness.
• Shyness and nervousness.

those are the factors that lead to speaking difficulties.

source :Intakong, M. (2009, May). Motivation and Satisfaction of Students Learning French. University of Wisconsin-Stout. http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/lib/thesis/2009/2009intakongm.pdf

Based on survey conducted by Mattana Intakong in her research with titled "Motivation and Satisfaction of Students Learning French" on students from high school and university that learning French as their second language, it was found that students prefer to memorize vocabulary by using flashcards the most as their method in memorizing French vocabulary. Following by playing vocabulary games. Hence, we will implement flashcards as the method in our app for students to memorize vocabulary. 

We also looked at into a popular language-learning apps and identify features that students found helpful, such as flashcards, interactive quizzes, and pronunciation feedback. Our research highlighted the importance of making learning personalized and engaging. Based on these insights, we designed SpeakSpark to focus on interactive, gamified lessons, practical vocabulary, and speaking practise, ensuring that students can learn at their own pace and stay motivated.

Example of useful language learning apps : 

                                    1. Buusu : Language Learning               2. EWA English Language Learning

   

                

With these existed apps, we will improvise the features according to our persona's requirement so that it will fulfil what we supposed to achieve.

          

 Persona

EMPATHY MAP

An empathy map is a tool used to understand users’ thoughts, feelings, actions, and needs. It helps teams visualize what users say, think, do, and feel, providing insights into their goals, pain points, and behaviors. By fostering a deeper understanding of the user, it guides design decisions, ensures solutions are user-centered, and aligns teams on creating meaningful, effective products.

This is just a rough sketch of how our app will look. There will be changes during the designing phase to accommodate feedback, improve usability, or align better with user needs and goals. The initial design serves as a foundation, but we remain flexible to refine and iterate as necessary to ensure the final product delivers an optimal user experience. 

Phase	Task	Duration	Week
Briefing on the project	Choosing one theme & one persona	1 week	Week 2
User need assessment	1.     Understand user needs by conducting research, focus groups, expert consultations, and observations. 2.     Conduct qualitative analysis and a literature review.	6 weeks	Week 3 – week 8
Analyzing the problem	1.      Analyze and describing the problem space associated with the persona and its associated task analysis. 2.      Deciding whether to upgrade the existing applications or create new application that can fulfill the persona’s requirement.	4 weeks	Week 3 – week 6
Writing proposal	Proposal consisting of: 1.      Problem Statement/Illustration of Problem 2.       Proposed Solution 3.       A complete User Persona in Infographic format 4.      A complete Task Analysis (e.g. in HTA or TTA format) 5.      Design Process (Method) and Project Planning/Schedule 6.      Tools etc.	4 weeks	Week 3 – week 8
Conceptual Design	Creating storyboard and conducting role-play to demonstrate how the proposed solution addresses user’s problems and meet the persona’s goals.	3 weeks	Week 7 – week 9
Logical Design	Sketching interface for the UI design	3 weeks	Week 7 – week 9
Clickable prototyping	1.      Incorporating design ideas into clickable prototype with the element specs, functionality specs, and content specs.       2.      Prototypes include: 1)     High-fidelity in LOOK 2)     Medium-fidelity in FEEL 3)     Medium-fidelity in BREADTH	3 weeks	Week 10 – week 12
Usability Testing	1.      Conducting product testing with potential user that is most similar to the user persona. 2.      Finally, conducting testing with the user persona themselves for validation.	2 weeks	Week 13 – week 14