Space Lingo
Explore. Speak. Conquer!
Space Lingo, a space-themed interactive language learning game for children that combines the marvels of space travel with the joy of language learning. It provides fresh opportunities to learn and explore as the child travels to the unknown areas of space and language.
Timeline :
2023 ; 8+ Weeks
Tools :
Figma, Photoshop, Miro, Trello, MS Teams
Category :
UX Design, Major Project Case Study
The Problem
In recent times, due to technological advancements and other factors, certain languages are losing significance, leading to a decline in interest among children to learn languages. This trend impacts the comprehension of basic language concepts during early schooling, hindering the establishment of a robust language foundation.
My motivation for this project stems from a personal incident involving my mother, a teacher, who encountered a student resistant to learning their native language. This interaction revealed a fundamental weakness in the students' language comprehension. As their academic journey progresses, difficulty arises in grasping complex linguistic concepts, contributing to a growing aversion to the language itself.
The Objective
This project primarily aims to cultivate a strong interest in learning language basics among young children. Additionally, it aims to provide clarity in language concepts, facilitating their progression in advanced studies.
The Process
The design thinking process was used for this project as it provided a systematic approach. This strategy was essential in establishing the structure and executing the research.
01
02
03
04
05
Empathise
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Testing
Empathise
Target Audience
The chosen target audience for the study is children between the age of 5 to 10. As studies suggest the initial years of education build the base for the child for future education. However, for the purpose of this project, children could not be used as the primary audience due to certain ethical constraints. Due to which teachers and parents of the children were considered as the target audience, so that they can present their ideas on behalf of the children.
Interviews: Key Findings & Inferences
In order to understand the process of children learning a language in schools and home, interviews were conducted with teachers and parents to acquire first-hand insights. Some of these insights were :
"Every child is different
and has a different
learning style"
It is important to include
personalisation in the product so that the child can learn at their own pace and comfort.
"It is very important for children to learn the basic alphabets and the grammar rules for Hindi"
A strong language proficiency growth requires a solid foundation in the language.
"When they learn things visually, they enjoy it and definitely understand it in a better way for a longer time period."
It highlighted the advantages of interactive and visual methods over traditional ones,
highlighting the importance of gamification in education.
Define
User Persona
Based on the interviews, two distinct personalities that are related to children in the process of language learning, both teachers and parents were identified . The insights obtained from speaking with teachers and parents during interviews were used to create personas for the project.
Ideate
Brainstorming and Idea Starburst
To address the issue of children who lack a strong language foundation and how this may be rectified, a brainstorming session was employed to explore all potential solutions.
Following this, one idea was selected and idea starburst technique was applied to it which aided in its expansion. This made it possible to investigate the subject in-depth in order to figure out the scope of its content.
Individual game description
During the research process, a number of games were identified and considered eligible for inclusion in the final product. The research was then combined with the insights gained from the teacher interviews and hence these specific games were chosen. Currently, the game prototype includes two different games.
Word Builder
The child is required to rearrange a set of jumbled letter based on a given picture into a coherent word.
Word Pair
The child is required to identify & choose the two correct choices from the list if jumbled English and Hindi words.
Reward System
The game has a reward system which plays an essential role in player inspiration and engagement and provides a sense of success and development. Each level carries a maximum of three stars. Based on performance, stars are earned as games or levels are successfully completed, and badges are awarded upon achieving specific goals with multiple stars.
Colour Palette
To enhance appeal for children and elevate game engagement, the effect of space is conveyed by the use of bright colours against a dark blue background.
Typography
The game uses a sans serif font Maiandra GD as the primary typeface for all its key communication. the game also uses Poppins to teach the new language, which is Hindi.
Mood Board
A mood board was curated to capture the essence of the game's theme and identify the elements that could effectively convey the journey and overall experience.
Prototype
Lo-Fidelity Wireframes
Simple lo-fidelity wireframes were made which acted as a foundation for the hi-fidelity frames. These are some of the
lo-fidelity wireframes -
Hi-Fidelity Wireframes
Based on the lo-fi prototypes, hi-fidelity screens were developed. The final iteration was a minimal and clean layout with adequate white spaces. This section represents the a few of the final hi-fidelity screens. These screens were used to get comprehensive feedback from users before moving with final development.
Wish to play the game? Click here!
Key Screens and Features
Presented below are few finalised screens showcasing the SpaceLingo app, with all the final renditions. This section also highlights the key features offered by the various screens.
The player can view the total number of collected stars in one place.
The journey from one planet to another highlights the various game levels, with the difficulty level increasing as the player moves farther.
The stars obtained in each level are indicated beneath the respective planet.
Each player is given the opportunity to select their preferred ride, which also serves as a link to their profile page.
In the word pair game, children are familiarised with the names of certain things in their native language.
The use of colours such as green and red is employed to indicate the accuracy of answers.
In the word builder game, the correct spelling of words is comprehended by the child.
Audio and dictionary buttons are provided for the child to listen to the word for accurate pronunciation and to save it in the dictionary for future reference.
Upon completion of each level, positive affirmations are delivered, guiding the player towards the collection of rewards.
The number of newly learned words in a specific week or the overall total can be viewed by the child.
All the new words learned by the child are stored in the dictionary, which also features an audio button for listening to the word for correct pronunciation.
Testing
In order to evaluate this project, Space Lingo was tested with teachers and parents. The goal was to determine its efficacy while looking at its potential advantages for children's learning. Furthermore, the app's interaction was analysed to confirm its ability to catch children's interest and create engagement.
For the purpose of testing two different methods were chosen - Product Card Reaction and Think-Aloud approach. These two testing methods provided both qualitative and quantitative feedback.
Product Card Reaction
Users were given a list of 118 words (both positive and negative) and asked to select five words that best described their overall app experience.
The outcome indicated 85% of positive responses. Some of the positive responses were attractive, engaging, innovative & fun.
Think-Aloud
The users complimented the game’s innovative and engaging design, seeing its ability to successfully hold children’s attention. They liked the personalised onboarding process, interactive language choices, and the vocabulary building personal dictionary. The users appreciated the game's easy navigation.
In essence, comparing both quantitative and qualitative test results, it is clear that the positive replies resonated with the qualitative findings, indicating an effective project completion.