Background
Through the collective effort of users and volunteers, Mountain Project is a community-driven platform where climbers explore new routes and connect globally. Despite its value, the branding feels outdated with design inconsistencies. I aimed to help Mountain Project evolve, inspiring climbers to connect and tackle new challenges confidently.
Role
- UX/UI Design
- Visual Design
- Research
- Branding
Users struggle to stay motivated learning a language.
Many language learners struggle to speak confidently due to limited opportunities for practice and fear of making mistakes. Traditional language learning apps often only focus on basic fundamentals, neglecting the development of speaking skills, leading to frustration and disengagement among users.
solution
Create a language learning app that prioritizes speaking with pronunciation feedback.
Providing users with ample opportunities for practice and confidence-building exercises with the goal to encourage regular practice and gradual improvement in speaking proficiency.
Uncovering User Pain Points
I interviewed six individuals who have utilized language learning apps to understand their motivations for using an app and areas where they felt the apps lacked. After many discussions, I was not certain which parts of the app to focus on and where to start improving, but I also felt excited as I was able to uncover a few key insights.
Some example questions were:
Prioritizing Design Principles.
Before beginning the design phase, it was essential to establish clear objectives. for simplicity and engagement in the app. Many apps feel cluttered, leading the user to feel overwhelmed. Therefore, simplicity and clarity were key principles that would influence all future selections.
Future feature visualization.
Based on insights gathered from interviews and research, I discovered a range of user intentions and interests to inform my personas:
- Rapid language acquisition for travel conversations
- Enhancing communication with family and friends
- Facilitating connections within the local community
Mapping interactions.
Recognizing the complexity of building a full app, user flows helped identify the key screens necessary for the app's functionality, specifically, onboarding and lessons. These pathways were tailored to the needs of the three user personas established during the research phase.
Getting started
With the information architecture mapped out and initial sketches explored, the next step was to create wireframes. These wireframes would help me grasp the hierarchy, structure, and content needed for the app. In the first round of user tests, I included the essential screens required to achieve this goal:
Begin a new lesson
Access the review page and select a specific lesson to review.
Navigate to the lesson overview screen for the the course outline.
Create an account
Homepage
Lesson Walkthrough
Profile
Visual Design
Creating a brand that is motivating and inclusive.
In crafting the visual branding for the app, the goal was to strike a balance between simplicity and engagement. Every visual choice, from logo and color palette to iconography, was made with the intention of enhancing simplicity while invoking a sense of playfulness, creating an inviting and immersive user experience.
Is it achieving the goal?
During the mid-fi tests, tooltips were integrated to help users familiarize themselves with the app. Nonetheless, I was surprised to find that users still lacked confidence in identifying the next actionable step. In contrast, the hi-fi tests revealed that users appreciated having additional filters and customization options, leading to a sense of relief. While we identified some areas for improvement, the usability tests showed positive results, with 100% of participants successfully completing all tasks.
What could be better
In response to user feedback and findings from usability testing, I have made the following improvements to amplify the user-friendliness and user interface:
What could be better
Visual Design
Creating a brand that exudes a bold and daring ambiance
Emphasizing boldness, I aimed to elevate the app’s mood to reflect the adventurous spirit of rock climbing. The design resonated with the dynamic energy of the outdoors, highlighted by vibrant colors. Thicker strokes and rounded edges conveyed approachability and informality.
View Final PrototypeOnboarding
To ensure a positive user experience from the start, introductory questions were included in the sign up process to avoid the feeling of starting from scratch in language learning. Users also have the ability to set their notification preferences and initial goals.
Homepage
I aimed for the homepage to exude a sense of freshness and uniqueness by deviating from the conventional approach of displaying the entire lesson plan. Instead, I opted for a minimalist design that only showcases the current unit, keeping the interface clean and uncluttered.
Lesson
I focused on making the exercises engaging by carefully designing each exercise to build upon one another, gradually increasing in complexity to form a cohesive learning journey.
By creating a seamless flow and incorporating repetition, I aimed to enhance memory retention while ensuring the user experience felt effortless and enjoyable.
Review & Profile
By identifying common mistakes and words users struggled with, the review page offered more traditional and personalized learning opportunities for enhanced retention. Additionally, I introduced pre-created decks to expedite vocabulary building, complementing the app's speaking-focused lessons.
The profile page was designed to maintain simplicity, offering users a straightforward interface without overwhelming interactive elements. However, I incorporated achievements to add an additional layer of engagement, providing users with milestones to track their progress and incentivize continued usage of the app.
Reflection and next steps.
This project offers a simplified solution to a diverse market with no single guaranteed path to success. Despite the significant challenge, I found it enjoyable to engage in a diverse range of tasks, exercising different cognitive skills along the way. Breaking down the problem into manageable chunks enabled me to tackle each aspect methodically, one step at a time.
Initially, I grappled with determining the direction of the app regarding the types and extent of exercises to incorporate. While envisioning the broader scope, I encountered difficulty in simplifying it. Understanding how attention to smaller details, such as increased spacing and subtle splashes of color, can transform a mediocre design into something distinctive and enjoyable was particularly enlightening for me.
