Dover
Language learning meets binging watching
Intro
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A language app that lets you binge-watch and boost your speaking skills in a fully immersive way.

User Problem

Language learners often struggle with speaking, because of limited access to practice with native speakers and lack of motivation.

Design Solution

Listening and mimicking dialogues of native speakers(a.k.a echoing practice) through their favorite TV shows

Dover is a language learning platform that pairs speaking practice with video streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. It provides a fun and effective approach for learners to practice speaking through dubbing over their favorite TV shows. By listening and mimicking dialogues of native speakers(a.k.a echoing practice), learners gain correct mouth muscle memory to improve their fluency and pronunciation.
1. Sync account + watch shows
2. Select dialogue to practice
3. Echoing practice and record
4. Get visual and audio feedback
5. Improve until pass
6. Enjoy dubbing over
01
＿___ Why I Did it ＿＿
One major difficulty language learners encounter along the way is speaking improvement. Mostly, they won’t gain the fluency unless they spend time staying abroad.

Context

We designed this as our capstone, because it is close to our hearts. As four second-language learners, we built it from concept to MVP with a shared passion for helping others on the same journey.
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The language learning market seems saturated, but when peeled away, there are so few products that can help intermediate learners to develop their fluency. Many learners can read and listen, but struggle with speaking. We want to address this pitfall in exist solutions by designing an effective and engaging way to help learners improve their speaking.
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Team
Ann Lin
Liyi Chu
Collin Walker
Amy Roberts

Responsibility
Product & Interaction Design
Video Storytelling
User Research

Timeline
2016 Apr - Aug
02
＿___ Define ＿＿
Design for Intermediate level learners who live in a non target - language environment

Subject Matter Expert Interview + Competitive Analysis

We identified target user and  paint points by interviewing  five experts in language teaching and technology. By only learning from a course setting, it’s hard for students to engage in organic conversations and stay motivated to keep improving. This is especially detrimental to intermediate learners who are at the cusp of developing fluency.

After investigating current products, we decided to develop a solution in the independent - entertaining area. Our target users can freely practice by their own and better stay motivated in fun learning activities.

User Pain Points

  • Feel uncomfortable when practicing speaking in front of people
  • Inconvenient and inadequate access to practice with native speakers
  • Be bogged down by robotic conversation practice in typical course setting
03
＿___ Understand ＿＿
" To acquire any language, you need to repeat words and phrases often, so repeat things you like. When we do something pleasurable, dopamine is released in the brain and that makes us want to do it again.
- Dr. Michael Erard, linguistics author

Semi-Structured Interview

How can some learners acquired strong speaking ability, even if they had never been staying abroad?

We conducted semi-structured interviews to gain insights from 8 successful learners’ personal experience . We asked learners to draw a timeline and talk about when and what they did to learn. Telling stories along with a timeline can better remind people of details in a long journey.

At beginning, they had trouble telling us how they “learned” the language. But when we asked what they did “involving” the target language, the learners began telling vivid stories. As it turns out, they never thought of it as “learning. Also, after exploring different language learning methods with 5 teaching experts, we learned that echoing practice is a powerful way for learners to develop fluency.
Drawing activities for better recalling their journey.
Participants talked about when and what they did to learn.
Linda, Taiwanese
English Learner
‘‘ I watched through the entire series of Friends three times. It helped me learn natural conversation as well as about American culture .‘‘
Mark, American
Spanish Learner
"I like La Liga, and I wanted to see what Spanish news sources were saying about those players in their own words."
Dr. Alexander Arguelles, Linguist who can speak 50languages
When [echoing] properly, you put the correct resonance of a new speech  form directly into your auditory system and simultaneously seek to match that resonance with your vocal output . . . you get into the physical habit of reciting entire dialogues aloud and correctly. How can this fail to improve your fluency?

Analysis and Synthesis

04
＿___ Design ＿＿
Create an experience to engage learners in practicing speaking via echoing methods

Ideation

We started with unstructured ideation first (faucet thinking) and then narrowed down by adding design constraints one at a time (funnel thinking). This helped us foster a more natural flow during the brainstorming session that created promising concepts that were unconventional and grounded in our research findings.
Break down experience into step by step
Visualize and iterate the task flow

Concept Refinement

User interviews helped us evaluate and finalize the product concept. We selected ‘’Dubbing over shows''  as  the final concept. Our final concept involves assisted conversation mimicking that helps the learner pronounce in a correct manner. Once they successfully mimic the conversations with assistance, then they can enjoy the fun of freeform dubbing over the scenes. Building from what we learned in the interviews, we also fleshed out the final concept while focusing on our design goal. This ensured that our design solution provides an engaging user experience that a user would love to use, instead of just a product that the we “think” a user will love to use.
05
＿___ Interaction Design ＿＿
How to intervene video watching experience in a streamline flow to integrate echoing practice?

Design Goal

  • Making sure the echoing method was incorporated authentically
  • Creating a streamline flow that empower users practice speaking while enjoying video watching
  • Providing a smooth multiscreen interaction
Countless iterations of combing through every detail
We distilled a simplified and intuitive interaction model and flows for all complex tasks.
Interaction Model
Task Flow
Multi - Screen Interaction
Main UI
06
＿___ Test & Learn ＿＿
How do we quickly build an interactive prototype to answer critical design questions?

Usability Testing

Our functioning prototype was built on Adobe Premiere and Unified Remote (a custom mobile remote platform). Participants could record their voice directly on top of the video and have it played back to them. These functions gave us the ability to validate the main test goals.

We ran test with 5 language learners. Each participant was asked to complete tasks out-loud, followed with an interview. Through identifying main takeaways in the usability test, we further improved the ease of use of our final design.
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  • Do learners find engagement in echoing practice and dubbing over?
  • Does the remote UI allow user to practice easily while enjoying video watching?
  • How do user feel about the interaction model and the flow?
Countless iterations of combing through every detail
We distilled a simplified and intuitive interaction model and flows for all complex tasks.

Iteration I - "Autoplay" the feedback right after the recording

Since learners will repeat the practice loop frequently ( listen to, echo, get feedback ) to improve. It takes too many clicks to complete a practice loop. Dover will automatically playback the most recent recording to reduce one manual click. Learners only need to pay attention on switching between two buttons ( repeat and record ) and enjoy a smooth practice experience.

Iteration - Easily navigate the video and chose dialogues for practice

While watching a show, by double tapping the subtitle, learners can mark the dialogue for practice afterward. Furthermore, learners can navigate the video to the next or previous lines effortlessly by just swiping left or right on the subtitle area. They won’t need to split their attention on rewinding the video to an accurate point, so watching experience won’t be disrupted.
07
＿___ Final Result ＿＿
Great Engagement for Dover
“
I definitely think that recording myself is a better way of learning and more interactive...I'm very entertained and I would do this for other shows!

— Canadian Spanish learner
“
I was not feeling very confident as I hadn’t spoken in five years, but playing with Dover reminded me I hadn’t forgotten.

— American Spanish learner
“
One reason why I would use this is because the shows are made for real native speakers to watch.

— Chinese Spanish Learner
“
I could see Dover as a fun social activity where everyone was recording various lines of dialogue throughout a show or movies.

— American Spanish learner
Final UI Design
Watching Mode
  • 1. Watch videos
  • 2. Navigate the dialogue        
  • 3. Select a line to echo
Practice Mode (Echoing)
  • 1. Listen to the dialogue carefully
  • 2. Copy the dialogue and record your speech
  • 3. Receive feedback and improve
  • 4. Unlock dubbing over feature
Performance Mode ( Dubbing over )
  • 1. Dub over scenes by recording your voice
  • 2. Save the dubbed over video to collection       
  • 3. Share with friends
→ File Hover Card
→ File OneUp System
→ Manage Access
→ Billion
mofaann@gmail.com    |   Copyright © Ann Lin 2024